Thomas Anderson Industrial Advisory Council papers.

Collection

Identifier: MSS-Archives-2014/10

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection contains a folder of T. F. Anderson's copies of Industrial Advisory Council papers and minutes.

The Industrial Advisory Council was set up under the Industrial Relations Act, 1949, and appointed in 1951. It comprised national leaders of workers' and employers' organisations whose purpose was to enquire into, and make reports to the Minister of Labour, on ways of improving industrial relationships. The inaugural meeting of the council was held in Wellington the 3rd April 1952.

A letter contained in the folder confirms that Mr T. F. Anderson, a seaman and trade unionist, was appointed a member of the council in 1952 and continued until the year of his death in 1964.

The folder contains copies of the minutes of each meeting from 3rd April 1952 until 21st May 1964. Included with the minutes are agenda, meeting reports and papers along with some handwritten notes. The folder also contains some correspondence between Mr T. F. Anderson and the Secretary of the council and invoices relating to travel and accommodation expenses.

Dates

1952 - 1964

Creator

Anderson, Thomas Frederick (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Not restricted.

Biographical / Historical

Thomas Frederick Anderson was born 1888 in Kirkdale, Liverpool. After leaving school he joined the British Merchant Marine and eventually arrived in New Zealand in 1911. In November that year Anderson joined the Federated Seamen's Union of New Zealand (FSU) and in 1913 took part in the waterfront strike. On 30 October 1915 he married Mabel Eleanor Douglas in Auckland with whom he had three daughters and a son.

Anderson became increasingly active in the FSU Auckland branch and in 1916 was elected assistant secretary before becoming secretary in 1917, a role he held for 47 years. He became a well known figure of the trade union movement and was known as "Long Tom". In 1949 he became president of the New Zealand Federation of Labour (FOL), served as a trustee of the Auckland Savings Bank until 1961 and served on the Auckland Harbour Board from 1946 to 1951. In 1952 he was appointed a member of the Industrial Advisory Council, which he remained until the year of his death in 1964. In 1963 after the death of his colleague Fintan Patrick Walsh, he became acting general president of the FSU Auckland branch.

In 1964, as his health declined, Anderson confessed to embezzling between £7000 and £8000 of union funds during his time as secretary. Although previously he had publicly denounced fellow trade unionists who had misappropriated funds, Anderson confessed to officials that he had defrauded the union of a substantial amount of money not long before his death. Sadly Anderson's death bed confession overshadowed his long career as an active figure in trade unionism. He died at his Takapuna home on the 22 September 1964 and was survived by his wife and three daughters.

References

Atkinson, N. (2013). 'Anderson, Thomas Frederick', from the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 22-May-2013, at http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/biographies/4a14/anderson-thomas-frederick

Auckland Reporter. (1964, September 29). Dying man tells of union funds he had pocketed. The New Zealand Truth, pp. 9.

Obituary. (1964, September 24). Veteran in Seamen's Union dies - 'Long Tom's' 47 years of service. The New Zealand Herald, pp. 2.

Extent

0.02 metres (2 folders)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Provenance unknown.

Related Materials

For related archival material see MSS & Archives 91/3, MSS & Archives 95/6 and MSS & Archives D-8 for records relating to the New Zealand Seamen's Union, Auckland branch.