REGIONAL
UPDATE
from GMB
All the news
End of an
ERA
Liverpool loses council and union stalwarts
Bobby Daniels and Arthur Moss as they retire
E
nd of an era is a phrase often
overused and overstated. However,
for GMB’s Liverpool City Council
members the retirement of
convenors Arthur Moss and Bobby Daniels
(left) certainly is a landmark moment, and
they will both be missed very much.
Between them they have clocked up well
in excess of 70 years representing GMB
members and have achieved major successes
in pay and equalities for council staff. Working
for the council during the highs and the lows
of the 80s, it was a time when the Region felt
the full force of the Thatcher-induced
recession and the council workforce fell from
a peak of 33,000 to just over 11,000 now.
DYNAMIC DUO
In recent years Bobby and Arthur have
worked together out of Brougham Terrace,
representing members in education, leisure
and social services. They formed a formidable
partnership and gained the respect and
admiration of everyone they encountered.
Arthur said: “They may not have always liked
what we had to say, but they always knew we
spoke from the heart with honesty and
represented the views of the people we were
standing up for.”
Everton fan Arthur began his working life
as a conductor on LCC buses in the mid-60s
and quickly became involved with GMB. He
describes himself in those days as very much
a hardliner, but also believed then as now in
fairness and equality for all.
After becoming a bus driver, Arthur later
moved to the council’s social service buses
where he became even more involved in
the union as a branch
secretary and convenor.
He even stood against
John Edmunds for
election as General
Secretary in the 90s,
promising a pint for all
those who voted for him.
He wasn’t left out
of pocket.
Liverpool fan Bobby worked as a lorry
driver and was active in his local area ward.
He helped to organise the occupation of a
school in Croxteth, which had been
earmarked for closure, and through the
actions of Bobby and other concerned
parents the school remained open.
After this success, Bobby soon got involved
in union activity. He worked for the council
as cover in a Netherley school and then at
Croxteth Comp, and became branch secretary
and convenor in education.
LASTING LEGACY
Bobby and Arthur have represented
thousands of individual members in
disciplinary and grievance
matters, and were
instrumental in
negotiating numerous
deals for the workforce.
They have taken great
pride in championing
low-paid council
workers, were key in the
introduction of the council’s job
evaluation scheme, and helped win plenty of
equal pay claims for members.
Although Bobby and Arthur are retiring as
council employees and GMB convenors, they
plan to continue with their branch activities
and work on the Regional Council. Their
retirement is a loss for Liverpool City Council
members, but is definitely a gain for GMB.
“We spoke
from the heart
with honesty…”
28 FUSION – GMB North West and Irish
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04/06/2016 12:29