Sidney Weighell (31 March 1922 – 13 February 2002) was an English footballer, trade unionist and the General Secretary of the National Union of Railwaymen from 1975 to 1983.
He was born at 25 Gladstone Street, Northallerton, North Riding of Yorkshire in 1922 into a "Railway Family" (his father, Tom Weighell was a signalman, his grandfather Bill was a guard and his brother Maurice was a driver).
In 1965 he was elected Assistant General Secretary of the NUR, and his maiden speech at the Labour Party conference in 1966 was heavily critical of Frank Cousins' policies on income and pay restraint, further cementing his reputation as a "disruptive influence".
He failed to convince either the National Executive or Harold Wilson, but made more progress in the 1970s with his new leverage as General Secretary, attacking Anthony Crosland's White Paper on transport integration.
A stroke of luck saw Crosland moved to the foreign office in 1976 and replaced by William Rodgers, who was more receptive to comments from the NUR.
At the Labour Party conference in 1982, the NUR delegation decided to vote for the National Union of Mineworkers, led by Arthur Scargill.
"[4] After resigning in 1983 he moved back to Yorkshire and joined the British Airports Authority board, as well as acting as a consultant to Tyne Tees Television.