Papers of John Cousins, trade unionist and industrial relations practitioner

Correspondence and papers; photographs and video recordings; appointment diaries and membership cards.

John Peter Cousins was born in Doncaster on 31 Oct 1931. He was the eldest son of Frank Cousins, general secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU),1956-1969. His employment history and business activities were as follows:

Motor engineering apprentice, 1947-1952.

Royal Air Force engineering,1952-1955.

British Overseas Airways Corporation: cabin crew and clerical work, 1955-1963.

TGWU: Airport Officer, 1963-1966; National Secretary of the Government Workers Trade Group, 1966-1970; National Secretary of the Public Services and Civil Air Transport Trade Group, 1970-1975. Stood unsuccessfully for the general secretaryship in 1977.

National Economic Development Office: Director of Manpower, Industrial Relations and Communications, 1975-1979.

Plessey Communications and Office Systems Ltd: Personnel Director, 1979-1981.

John Brown Plc: Director of Personnel and Industrial Relations, 1981-1983.

Clearing Bank Union: General Secretary, 1983-1986.

Scottish Daily Record & Sunday Mail (1986) Ltd: Head of Personnel, 1987.

Maxwell Pergamon Publishing Corporation: Personnel Director, 1988-1989.

Contract 2000: senior consultant, 1989-1990

Cousins Financial Services Ltd (Gibraltar): Managing Director, 1990-

Hong Kong Polytechnic University: lecturer in industrial relations/communications/general management.

Crown Asset Management Ltd, Hong Kong: chairman, 1994-.

He also held the following government and other appointments:

Sandford Committee on the National Parks of England and Wales: member, 1971-1972.

Countryside Commission: commissioner, 1972-1984.

New Towns Commission: board member, 1974-1979.

National Economic Development Office Drop Forgings Sector Working Party: chairman, 1976-1978.

British Council of Productivity Associations: chairman, 1977-1982.

Kingston Regional Management Centre: travelling fellow, 1977-1986.

National Economic Development Office Rubber Tyre Section Working Party: chairman, 1978-1982.

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds: member of council and finance and general purpose committee, 1982-1986.

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: board member, 1983-1988.

Education 2000: trustee and founder member, 1983-1989.

World Wildlife Fund: council member for the United Kingdom, 1984-1990.

He married Pauline Hubbard in 1976 and he died on 6 February 2017.

Reference: curricula vitae in 1255/40; 'Who's who' entry in 1255/33; information from depositor.

This collection is available to researchers by appointment at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick. See https://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/mrc/using/

These papers were deposited by Pauline Cousins, John Cousins's widow, in August 2018.

Link to full catalogue: https://mrc-catalogue.warwick.ac.uk/records/JCO

Some of the material in accession 1255 was catalogued with the papers of and relating to Frank Cousins.