After a break during World War I, during which he served in the Royal Navy, he became active in the National Association of Card, Blowing and Ring Room Operatives (Cardroom Amalgamation), and by the age of thirty was the union's Preston secretary.
In 1948, he was appointed to the Cotton Board, and in 1950/51 he served as President of the Trades Union Congress.
He was awarded the CBE, an honorary master's degree by the University of Manchester, and was knighted in 1955.
He was a vice-chairman of the International Labour Organization from 1954 until 1960, while, in 1956, he joined the board of directors of the Bank of England.
[2] Roberts retired from his general secretaryship in 1962, but he continued to acquire new positions on committees, including becoming a governor of the Commonwealth Institute and a member of the Nationalised Industries Advisory Committee.