Electrical Power Engineers' Association

The Electrical Power Engineers’ Association (EPEA) was formed in 1917 out of a predecessor organisation, the Association of Electrical Engineers. Prior to this, the organisation was known as the Association of Electrical Station Engineers, a body founded in 1913.

In 1918, the Electrical Trades Union was barred from representing managers in the electricity industry, and the EPEA became the prominent trade union for managers.

In 1942 the EPEA joined the Trades Union Congress (TUC). In 1972, the TUC expelled the EPEA because the organisation had gone against TUC policy by registering under the Industrial Relations Act.

The EPEA re-joined the TUC in 1973. In 1976 the association began to recruit managers and engineers from other industries. In 1977, the EPEA merged with the Association of Supervisory and Executive Engineers and the union changed its name to the Engineers' and Managers' Association (EMA). The EPEA remained largely autonomous within the EMA until 1993.