Sidney Ford

Sir Sidney Ford, MBE was a British trade union leader.

Career

Sidney William George Ford was born in Edmonton, London. Ford began working for the Miners' Federation of Great Britain in 1925. He received his knighthood for his work on Lord Devlin's Docks Inquiry and other T.U.C.. He never worked as a miner, but became Secretary of the Colliery Officials and Staffs Area of the union. He was known for his loyalty to the Labour Party and his opposition to the union's left-wing.
The MFGB was refounded as the National Union of Mineworkers. Its president-elect, Alwyn Machen, died suddenly in March 1960, the same month he was elected. A new presidential election was held, and Ford stood against Alex Moffat, a Scottish communist. He retired in 1971. For a number of years prior to his death he suffered from Parkinson's disease, and died as a result of this on 13 August 1983 aged 73. He died in Palmers Green, Winchmore Hill, London N.21.

Perceived failures

Ford's period as leadership was marked by mass pit closures and relatively little resistance. His successor, Joe Gormley, wrote in his autobiography that this passivity led many mineworkers to distrust the white-collar COSA section of the union, which influenced the lack of support for the moderate Trevor Bell, who ran against Arthur Scargill for the leadership in 1981.