 He served as a pilot with the Royal Air Force during World War II, then in 1948 began working for the National Union of General and Municipal Workers (NUGMW), as their regional officer for Liverpool.In 1955, Basnett became the NUGMW's national education officer, while, in 1960, he was appointed national industrial officer, and in 1966 he was elected to the general council of the Trades Union Congress (TUC).In 1970, he negotiated a satisfactory settlement to a major dispute at Pilkington, and he used this success as a springboard to win election as the union's general secretary in 1973.