Alfred Robens, Baron Robens of Woldingham facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Lord Robens of Woldingham
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Robens in 1947
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| Shadow Foreign Secretary | |
| In office 14 December 1955 – 6 November 1956 |
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| Leader | Hugh Gaitskell |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Aneurin Bevan |
| Minister of Labour and National Service | |
| In office 24 April 1951 – 26 October 1951 |
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| Prime Minister | Clement Attlee |
| Preceded by | Nye Bevan |
| Succeeded by | Walter Monckton |
| Member of Parliament for Blyth |
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| In office 23 February 1950 – 30 October 1960 |
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| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Eddie Milne |
| Member of Parliament for Wansbeck |
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| In office 5 July 1945 – 23 February 1950 |
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| Preceded by | Donald Scott |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 18 December 1910 Manchester, Lancashire, England |
| Died | 27 June 1999 (aged 88) Chertsey, Surrey, England |
| Political party | Labour (before 1979) Conservative (1979–1999) |
Alfred Robens, Baron Robens of Woldingham (born December 18, 1910 – died June 27, 1999) was an important English figure. He started as a trade union leader, then became a Labour politician, and later a leader in industry.
He hoped to become Prime Minister, but things didn't work out. Instead, he spent 10 years as the boss of the National Coal Board. He also led a big study on occupational health and safety called the Robens Report.
Later in his life, his political views changed. He moved from his early socialism towards the Conservative Party. His time at the National Coal Board was marked by a terrible event, the Aberfan disaster. His actions during and after this disaster were seen as very insensitive by many.
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Early Life and Career
Alfred Robens was born in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester. His father was a cotton salesman. Alfred left school at age 15 and started working as an errand boy.
His career really began when he joined the Manchester and Salford Co-operative Society as a clerk. By the age of 22, he became a director there. This made him one of the first worker-directors in the country. From 1935 to 1945, he was an official in a union called the Union of Distributive and Allied Workers. He also served as a Manchester City Councillor from 1941 to 1945.
Political Journey
After World War II, in 1945, Robens was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP). He represented the mining area of Wansbeck in Northumberland. He quickly started to move up in politics.
He held junior roles in the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Fuel and Power. In 1950, he became the MP for Blyth. For a short time in 1951, he was the Minister of Labour and National Service. This happened after Aneurin Bevan resigned. However, the Conservative Party won the election later that year.
When the Labour Party was not in power, Robens continued to gain importance. He became the Shadow Foreign Secretary. Many people thought he might become the leader of the Labour Party, and even Prime Minister. But his political dreams were not fulfilled. During the Suez Crisis in 1956, he was told secret information by the Prime Minister. Because he had to keep it secret, he couldn't speak out against the invasion effectively. This hurt his political standing.
In 1960, Harold Macmillan, who was Prime Minister then, offered Robens the job of Chairman of the National Coal Board (NCB). Robens accepted this new challenge.
Leading the National Coal Board
Robens started his job at the NCB in 1961. He was also made a life peer, which meant he became Baron Robens of Woldingham. This gave him a seat in the House of Lords.
As Chairman, Robens was known for his strong leadership. He expected loyalty from his team and often disagreed with politicians. He enjoyed the benefits of his powerful position, like a special car and a private plane. People even nicknamed him "Old King Coal." He was very dedicated to his job, visiting mines and talking to miners.
During his time at the NCB, many coal mines were closed. This was due to market changes and government decisions. When he started, there were nearly 700 mines and over 580,000 miners. Ten years later, there were only 292 mines and about 283,000 miners. This was a difficult time for the coal industry.
Robens was also concerned about safety in the mines. He worked to reduce accidents and diseases like pneumoconiosis, a lung disease. The number of serious accidents did fall, but the workforce also became much smaller.
The Aberfan Disaster
The biggest challenge to Robens's reputation came from the tragic Aberfan disaster in 1966. On October 21, a huge pile of coal waste, called a spoil heap, collapsed. It slid down onto the village of Aberfan in South Wales. The landslide buried 20 houses and the Pantglas Junior School. It was about 30 feet deep. This terrible event killed 116 schoolchildren and 28 adults.
Robens did not arrive at Aberfan until the Saturday evening, the day after the disaster. This was seen as a mistake. He later made comments to the media that were misunderstood. People thought he was saying that no one at the NCB could have predicted the disaster.
An official inquiry, called the Aberfan Disaster Tribunal, looked into the event. The report was very critical of the NCB and Robens. It found that the NCB was at fault. Robens offered to resign, but the Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, and the Minister of Power, Richard Marsh, refused his resignation. They felt he was important for managing the difficult changes in the coal industry.
After the disaster, there was a public appeal that raised money for the victims. This was called the Aberfan Disaster Fund. Robens was asked to use some of this money to remove the remaining coal tips from Aberfan. This was a controversial decision, as it meant using charity money for something the NCB should have paid for. Eventually, the cost was shared between the NCB, the government, and the disaster fund.
The Robens Report
In 1969, Robens was asked to lead a committee on workplace health and safety. This committee produced the 1972 Robens Report. This report suggested that employers should be more responsible for their own safety rules.
The ideas from the Robens Report led to the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. This important law created the Health and Safety Commission and the Health and Safety Executive. These groups work to make workplaces safer across the UK.
Later Life and Retirement
After leaving the NCB in 1971, Robens continued to be a leader in business. He became a director at the Bank of England and Times Newspapers. He was also Chairman of companies like Vickers and Johnson Matthey.
His lifestyle and views became quite different from his early socialist beliefs. By 1979, he had become a supporter of the Conservative Party.
He retired from public life in 1982. He lived with his wife in Laleham Abbey in Surrey. Robens suffered from strokes later in life and passed away in 1999 at the age of 88.
In Folk Music
Alfred Robens's time leading the National Coal Board was mentioned in many folk songs. Miners like Ed Pickford and Jock Purdon wrote songs that were critical of him.
- Ed Pickford's song The Pound a Week Rise talked about the low wages miners received.
- His song One Miner's Life referred to the many pit closures that happened under Robens.
- Jock Purdon's song Farewell to Cotia was about miners having to move to find work after their mines closed.
These songs show how Robens's decisions affected the lives of many miners.
Other Public Roles
Alfred Robens held many other important public positions:
- Chairman of the Foundation on Automation and Employment (1962)
- Chairman of the Engineering Industries Council (1976–80)
- Member of a royal commission on trade unions and employers' associations (1965–68)
- Member of the National Economic Development Council (1976–80)
- Chairman of the court of governors of the London School of Economics (1965)
- Chairman of the board of governors of Guy's Hospital (1965–74)
Honours and Awards
Alfred Robens received many awards and honours throughout his life:
- In 1951, he became a member of His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council. This gave him the title "The Right Honourable".
- He received an Honorary Fellowship from the Institution of Heating and Ventilating Engineers in 1962.
- He gave the annual Hugh Miller MacMillan Memorial Lecture in 1964.
- He was awarded an Honorary degree of Doctor of Laws (LL.D) by the University of Leicester in 1966.
- He received an Honorary degree of Doctor of the University (D.Univ) from the University of Surrey in 1977.
- He was elected as an Honorary Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (FIMechE) in 1977.
- He was also given an Honorary Fellowship by the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology.
