Rodney Bickerstaffe

Rodney Kevan Bickerstaffe (6 April 1945 – 3 October 2017) was a British trade unionist. He was General Secretary of the National Union of Public Employees (1982–1993) and UNISON (1996–2001), Britain's largest trade union at the time. He later became president of the UK National Pensioners Convention (2001–2005).

Rodney Bickerstaffe
Bickerstaffe at Russell Square, London, in 2015
2nd President of the National Pensioners Convention
In office 2001–2005
Preceded by	Jack Jones
Succeeded by	Frank Cooper
2nd General Secretary of UNISON
In office 1996–2001
Preceded by	Alan Jinkinson
Succeeded by	Dave Prentis
General Secretary of the National Union of Public Employees
In office 1982–1993
Preceded by	Alan Fisher
Succeeded by	organisation abolished
President of the Trades Union Congress
In office 1992
General Secretary	Norman Willis
Preceded by	Alec Smith
Succeeded by	Alan Tuffin
Personal details
Born	(1945-04-06)6 April 1945 Hammersmith, London, England
Died	3 October 2017(2017-10-03) (aged 72)
Alma mater	Rutherford College of Technology
Occupation	Trade unionist

Early life and education

Born on 6 April 1945 in Hammersmith, London,[1] his mother was unmarried when he was born. The two lived for three years in east London in a home for unmarried mothers. He then moved to Doncaster among his extended family. He was educated at Doncaster Grammar School and in sociology at Rutherford College of Technology.

Career

Bickerstaffe became an organiser for the National Union of Public Employees (NUPE) in 1966 in Yorkshire, rising through the ranks to be divisional officer of the northern division. He then became national officer responsible for members working in local government, universities and the water industry. During the 1978–79 Winter of Discontent he was particularly known for his militancy on behalf of government workers; some other trade unionists blamed him for Margaret Thatcher's subsequent election. Despite that criticism, he told historian Tara Martín López in 2006 that "if I had to do it all over again today, I would do it all over again."[2]

In 1981 he was appointed NUPE general secretary. When NUPE, COHSE and NALGO merged to create UNISON in July 1993, Bickerstaffe became associate general secretary. He was elected general secretary in November 1995, taking office on 28 February 1996.

Bickerstaffe was a popular and highly visible trade union leader, calling for better rights and fairer treatment for staff working in public services and those transferred to the private sector through national and local privatisations. Although he was not known for aggressive tactics, he was passionate in his campaigns against low pay and for the introduction of the statutory national minimum wage. At the 2000 Labour Party Conference he moved the successful though controversial resolution to ensure pensions are uprated in line with earnings or prices, whichever is higher.

At the 2004 Labour Party Conference, Tony Blair referred to Bickerstaffe during his keynote Leader's Speech, at which point he was heckled. "I thought, that's funny - no-one boos Rodney Bickerstaffe," Blair quipped, referring to Bickerstaffe's lovable reputation.

Post-retirement

He retired from UNISON in 2001 and succeeded Jack Jones as president of the National Pensioners Convention in April 2001. The organisation champions the rights and voice of Britain's 11 million pensioners and campaigns for better pensions and healthcare. Bickerstaffe stood down in 2005 to focus on his international commitments and was succeeded by Frank Cooper. He chaired the Global Network which works with organisations in Asia, Africa and Latin America and was President of War on Want. He also chaired the Ken Gill Memorial Fund, a non-charitable trust established to commemorate his late friend, the British trade unionist and internationalist Ken Gill. In 2007 he refused a peerage.[2]

He was involved in fighting discrimination of all kinds and was a patron of the Dalit Solidarity Network, an organisation in London (UK) for opposition to the oppression of India’s caste system.[3]

Bickerstaffe had honorary doctorates from Keele University, the University of Hertfordshire and Sheffield Hallam University as well as the Freedom of the Borough from Doncaster metropolitan borough. He died on 3 October 2017, aged 72.[4]

See also

• List of people who have declined a British honour

References

1. Routledge, Paul (16 December 1998). "Bickerstaffe hunts for a father and uncovers a family". The Independent. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
2. Lopez, Tara Martin (2014). The Winter of Discontent: Myth, Memory and History. Liverpool University Press. p. 195. ISBN 9781786941732.
3. Caste discrimination law would be a fitting tribute to Rodney Bickerstaffe https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/oct/09/caste-discrimination-law-would-be-a-fitting-tribute-to-rodney-bickerstaffe?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
4. "UNISON pays tribute to former general secretary Rodney Bickerstaffe - News, Press release - News - UNISON National". Unison.org.uk. 3 October 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2017.

External links

• Catalogue of Rodney Bickerstaffe's papers, held at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick
• National Pensioners Convention website
• Ken Gill Memorial Fund
• A celebration and archive collated by friends and colleagues

Trade union offices
Preceded by Alan Fisher	General Secretary of the National Union of Public Employees 1982-1993	Succeeded by Position abolished
Preceded by Alec Smith	President of the Trades Union Congress 1992	Succeeded by Alan Tuffin
Preceded by Alan Jinkinson	General Secretary of UNISON 1996-2001	Succeeded by Dave Prentis
Preceded by Jack Jones	President of the National Pensioners Convention 2001–2005	Succeeded by Frank Cooper