The awkward squad was an informal grouping of socialist trade unionists in the United Kingdom. The group arose in the early 2000s when seven leaders of smaller trade unions who held membership of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress began meeting to discuss common positions with respect to larger unions. The group shared left-wing views and began co-operating on broader political and industrial matters, opposing what they regarded as the economically liberal policies of the ruling New Labour faction of the Labour Party. It included such figures as Bob Crow of the RMT, Mark Serwotka of the PCS and Jeremy Dear of the NUJ. The term was coined by journalist Kevin Maguire in an article in The Guardian in 2001.