Rodney Bickerstaffe former general secretary of Unison has died aged 72
R.I.P. Rodney Kevan Bickerstaffe [6th April 1945 – 3rd October 2017] Rodney Bickerstaffe, the former general secretary of Unison has died aged 72, the trade union has said. Mr Bickerstaffe, who led the public sector union NUPE before it became Unison, was also a former president of the Trades Union Congress (TUC).He also served as president of the National Pensioners Convention (NPC) for four years, from 2001. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn described him as a “warm, decent and principled” man and said he was a “great friend”. Unison general secretary Dave Prentis added that Mr Bickerstaffe, who led Unison from 1996 to 2001, was “the very best of us” and a “true giant of our movement. Mr Prentis said Mr Bickerstaffe was a “dedicated champion of all the union members he proudly represented throughout his career”. Rodney was at his best when he was fighting for the causes he believed in, and our movement has today lost one of the greatest campaigners and orators of his generation,” he said. He was a friend, a comrade and a leader, and thanks to his work the lives of countless people have been changed for the better. Jan Shortt, general secretary of NPC, said Mr Bickerstaffe had been “a passionate advocate for Britain’s older people” while at the union. “He was extremely funny and filled the room with his enthusiasm for life,” she said.
