CTU MEDIA RELEASE
04 September 2007

Union movement pays tribute to Syd Jackson

“Syd Jackson’s contribution to the union movement was enormous and he will be sorely missed by the many people whose lives he has touched,” CTU vice president Maori Sharon Clair said today.

“Syd’s contribution to Maori self determination and language became prominent at Auckland University through his leadership in Nga Tama Toa, and he was involved in a number of campaigns, in particular in relation to his commitment to Te Reo Maori.”

“Syd was very strong in his trade unionism, and from his family connections with the freezing works in the Hawkes Bay it became an important part of him from very early on.”

“Syd was a field officer and then secretary of the Clerical Workers Union in Auckland for over a decade, and was a driver for modernising the union.”

“He was involved in the early discussions on the establishment of the Runanga through the Federation of Labour, which later became Te Runanga O Nga Kaimahi Maori through the CTU.  It was a huge philosophical departure at the time for unions to acknowledge that there were groups within their membership who required special representation.”

“After he finished his involvement at the Clerical Workers Union in the late 1980s, he went on to become an advocate representing workers in disputes.”

“We extend our sympathy to the Jackson whanau at this time,” Sharon Clair said.

Ends.

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