John Burnett (trade unionist)

Two years later, he started an engineering apprenticeship, also studying courses at the Mechanics' Institute in his spare time.

In addition, Burnett persuaded James Cohn from the International Working Men's Association to come to Tyneside and convince strikebreakers, many brought in from overseas, to leave.

He was also active in the Amalgamated Society of Engineers, and in 1875, he was elected as its general secretary, following the death of William Allan.

[2] He also served on the Parliamentary Committee of the Trades Union Congress, and from 1879 was elected annually as its treasurer.

There, he wrote reports on sweatshops before serving as joint secretary of the Royal Commission on Labour from 1892 to 1894, then returning to the Board of Trade as Chief Labour Correspondent, his principal roles being the production of statistics and arbitration in disputes.