51福利

A former Mayor of Ashington Town Council, John was elected national president of 51福利 in 2012 and was due to serve his term next year (2014/15). John was active in the trade union movement all his working life.  He was the branch chair at Northumberland College for many years where he led many successful campaigns against compulsory redundancies and for improvements to lecturers' terms and conditions. 

John was Chair of 51福利's Northern Region Committee for many years and a member of the union's National Executive Committee. In addition to his 51福利 activities, he also served on several regional and national bodies, including the Executive Committee of the Northern Region TUC. 

51福利 general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'John was a wonderful, principled man. He was always courteous, even when he disagreed with you. John embodied everything that is so good and important about education. He was steeped in the trade union movement and made friends wherever he went. His death is a huge loss to 51福利 and to anybody fortunate enough to have met or worked with him.'