Bert Head

Albert Edward Head (29 May 1892 – 15 February 1978) was a British trade union leader. The longest-serving leader of a British trade union, he also served as chair of the General Federation of Trade Unions.

Head was born in Cradley, then in Worcestershire. He left school when he was thirteen, and soon found work at a chain-making factory. He completed an apprenticeship and worked at a number of local factories, also joining the Chain Makers' and Strikers' Association (CMSA). In the late 1910s, he became works secretary for the union, and also served on its executive.

In 1933, the union discovered that its secretary, Charles Sitch, had been embezzling its funds, and although the union had more than 1,000 members, fewer than 250 had actually paid membership. Sitch was removed from office and later jailed for the crime, while Head beat three other candidates to become the union's new general secretary. Due to these setbacks, the union was dissolved at the end of 1977, Head by this point being the oldest trade union leader and the longest-serving, in the UK.