| Society of Graphical and Allied Trades | |
| Founded: | 1966 |
| Predecessor: | National Union of Printing, Bookbinding and Paper Workers National Society of Operative Printers and Assistants |
| Dissolved: | 1991 |
| Merged: | Graphical, Paper and Media Union |
| Members: | 205,784 (1980)[1] |
| Publication: | SOGAT Journal |
| Location Country: | United Kingdom |
| Affiliation: | TUC, Labour |
| Headquarters: | SOGAT House, London Road, Hadleigh, Essex |
The Society of Graphical and Allied Trades (SOGAT) was a British trade union in the printing industry.
SOGAT was formed in 1966 by the National Union of Printing, Bookbinding and Paper Workers and the National Society of Operative Printers and Assistants (NATSOPA). The National Union of Printing, Bookbinding and Paper Workers became the Society of Graphical and Allied Trades Division A and NATSOPA became the Society of Graphical and Allied Trades Division 1. The aim was to achieve a complete merger over time, but differences led to in-fighting and in 1970 the two divisions split, Division A retaining the name Society of Graphical and Allied Trades and Division 1 becoming the National Society of Operative Printers, Graphical and Media Personnel (but retaining the NATSOPA acronym).
In 1975, SOGAT officially became the Society of Graphical and Allied Trades 1975 (SOGAT '75) after amalgamation with the Scottish Graphical Association. In 1982, SOGAT '75 and NATSOPA finally amalgamated to become the Society of Graphical and Allied Trades 1982 (SOGAT '82). In 1991, SOGAT '82 merged with the National Graphical Association to form the Graphical, Paper and Media Union, which subsequently merged with Amicus to become that union's Graphical, Paper and Media industrial sector.
The union did not initially sponsor Parliamentary candidates, but shortly after the 1979 general election, it changed its policy. It sponsored Bob Litherland's successful candidacy in the 1979 Manchester Central by-election, and also began sponsoring Ron Leighton, who was already a sitting Member of Parliament.[2]
| Election | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7,494 | 70.7 | 1 | |||
| 27,353 | 65.3 | 1 | |||
| 19,282 | 49.7 | 1 | |||
| 27,428 | 68.2 | 1 | |||
| 20,220 | 51.9 | 1 |
1970: Vincent Flynn
1975: Bill Keys
1982: Bill Keys and Owen O'Brien
1985: Brenda Dean
1966: John McKenzie
1967: Vincent Flynn
1970: Bill Keys
1975: Albert Powell
1983: Brenda Dean
1985: Danny Sergeant