Dr Campbell Christie CBE, former general secretary of the Scottish Trades Union Congress, has died at Strathcarron Hospice in Denny after a short illness. He was 74.
In a statement, the STUC described Mr Christie – who led the Scottish trade union movement from 1986 to 1998 – as one of Scotland's most outstanding trade union and civic leaders.
The son of a Galloway quarryman, Mr Christie joined the civil service at 17. He rose through the ranks of the Civil Service Clerical Association and became a leading light in the so-called "Sauchiehall Street Mafia", a group of left-wing young Scots who helped radicalise the civil service unions in the 1960s.
Two decades later, Mr Christie was a leading strategist on the left of the trade union movement. At one time, he was marked out for a national role, leading a civil service “super-union”. He was seen by many as a future TUC general secretary, taking over from Len Murray or Norman Willis. But he chose to remain in Scotland to help build the post-Thatcher era.
Mr Christie took over as STUC leader at a time when Scottish industry was changing dramatically. The old bulwarks of the economy – coal, steel, shipbuilding – were being closed down. The miners' strike had just ended. He was then involved in a range of unsuccessful fights to protect other key sectors, including the closure of the Ravenscraig steelworks in Lanarkshire.
But he also helped turn the STUC into the leader of an anti-Conservative consensus, and took a leading role in the fight to stop the poll tax. As a member of the Scottish Constitutional Convention, he was heavily involved in the debate on devolution. And just last year, he came out of retirement to chair an independent commission on public services.
Mr Christie was highly respected on all sides of the political divide and also throughout business. Alex Salmond, the first minister, said that Scotland had lost a “giant of the trade union movement and public life. Campbell was loved by many for his principles, his humour and his courage.”
Mr Salmond added that Mr Christie had been a key figure in the campaign for a Scottish parliament and a strong voice for democracy in the late 1980s and 1990s. The former STUC leader, he said, had led the Christie Commission into public sector reform with "great wisdom and diligence".
The current general secretary of the STUC, Grahame Smith, described Mr Christie as “a tremendous ambassador for the trade union movement and for Scotland. Campbell was comfortable on the shop floor and in the boardroom. He was never afraid of taking the difficult decision, even if he knew it might upset others in the Labour movement. He always saw the bigger picture.”
Iain McMillan, director of CBI Scotland, said that he had “the utmost respect and admiration" for Mr Christie. "I also liked him very much personally. Campbell gave much of his life to helping others and contributed greatly to public life in Scotland. He will be greatly missed and my thoughts are with Campbell's wife, Betty, and his family.”
Dr Lesley Sawers, chief executive of the Scottish Council for Development and Industry of which Mr Christie was president in 2009, described him as “an outstanding ambassador for a successful, sustainable and equitable Scotland and has been an inspiring president for SCDI. Scotland has lost of great man who combined wisdom and integrity with a real passion for change. His legacy will drive on that ambition.”
Away from politics and industry, Mr Christie was also chairman of Falkirk FC during the time when “the Bairns” played in the Scottish Premier League. He only stepped down two years ago after their appearance in the Scottish Cup final, and remained a director. A statement on the club's wesbite said that “Campbell loved Falkirk Football Club and was a great servant to the club. He spent three spells as chairman and steered the club through some of its greatest turmoil and greatest successes. He will be greatly missed by everyone at the football club.”
A minute's silence will be observed to Saturday's home game against Raith Rovers.
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