History of Accord
Accord can trace its origins back to 1978, when it was founded as the Halifax Building Society Staff Association (HBSSA) by John Simmons, the then manager of the Halifax branch in Plymouth.
He felt that the building society’s staff needed trade union representation and began organising in earnest in 1977. John was keen to avoid the use of the word ‘union’ because of the negative connotations associated with militant trade unions in the UK in the 1970s.
1978: HBSSA's first office was above a butcher's in Wargrave
In 1978 Ernie Roberts was appointed as the organisation’s first general secretary. Branch reps were elected and regional committees established. From these groups a national committee was elected, which met for the first time in August 1978. The HBSSA was formed. Its first office was above an estage agents and then above a butcher’s shop in Wargrave, Berkshire.
By the end of 1978 it was recognised by the then Halifax Building Society ‘as the sole bargaining agent for its members below Executive and Regional Manager level’.
In January 1979 the HBSSA was granted its Certificate of Independence. This meant that it was recognised by the government as a bone fide trade union. In 1980 the HBSSA held its first conference in Manchester. In 1983 Ernie Roberts retired, and David Nash became the second general secretary. Bill Wright was appointed assistant general secretary, becoming general secretary from 1987-92. Bill died in 1999.
At the 1994 conference, delegates voted to rename the HBSSA the Independent Union of Halifax Staff (IUHS).
2010: conference delegates vote to widen membership
In 1995 the Halifax Building Society merged with the Leeds Permanent Building Society. The following year the Leeds Staff Association joined the IUHS. Also in 1996, the Halifax acquired the Clerical Medical Investment Group and in 1997 demutualised, to become a plc. In 1999 it announced its merger with the Bank of Scotland, to form HBOS. The union was therefore renamed again by delegates at the 2002 conference to reflect the diversity of its membership. From this point onwards it was known as Accord.
In September 2008, Lloyds TSB made an offer to acquire HBOS. Accord produced a Ten Point Plan, setting out the basis for any support from the union for the acquisition. In February 2009, the takeover went ahead and the new business was called the Lloyds Banking Group (LBG).
At Accord’s biennial conference in June 2010, delegates voted to extend the union’s membership to include all staff in LBG – and beyond.
