William (Bill) McCall, 1929-2021

Prospect officer Alan Leighton pays tribute to his friend and colleague of nearly 40 years, the late Bill McCall, a towering trade union figure and one of the founding figures of modern-day Prospect.

Inspirational and visionary leaders brimful of integrity are, unfortunately a rare commodity. William (Bill) McCall, former General Secretary of the Institution of Professional Civil Servants (IPCS) trade union (now Prospect), who has died age 91 was one such person.

I was privileged to be appointed by Bill to be his Personal Assistant in 1984 but by that stage he had already been General Secretary for more than 20 years having been appointed as General Secretary in 1963 and becoming the then youngest General Secretary of a trade union at the age of 34.

Bill, born in Biggar in 1929, had attended Dumfries Academy before joining the Civil Service in the then Ministry of Labour in 1946. He became a representative for the Civil Service Clerical Association and following a period of study at Ruskin College, he moved on to join the TUC in 1954 working in the Social Insurance Department.

It was in London in 1955, though activity in the Labour Party that Bill met Olga who was a nurse. They married in 1956 and remained together until they died within days of each other 65 years later. Olga was a fantastic character who achieved much her in own sphere and was fond of recalling interesting events from earlier times with Bill.

IPCS

Bill joined IPCS as an Assistant Secretary in 1958 and quickly made a mark in improving the lives of its specialist members with some early successes including a pay review for Psychological Assistants in the Prison Service.

In late1962, and in circumstances that remain shrouded in secrecy, the recently appointed General Secretary, Richard Nunn resigned and McCall stepped up to the post he held until what was then compulsory retirement at age 60 in 1989.

During his time as General Secretary Bill built the union and gained a reputation as a tough negotiator and clever strategist. He developed tremendous respect amongst the membership and staff, and he ensured that IPCS made the transition from professional body to a modern trade union.

Bill understood that if IPCS was to achieve the successes that members deserved, then the union needed to be part of the Trades Union Congress. Against considerable opposition within the Institution, and after several attempts he eventually achieved this goal in 1976.

Bill was absolutely dedicated to improving the status of specialists in the Civil Service and had a major influence on the Fulton inquiry into the Civil Service. The report published in 1968 identified that scientists, engineers and other specialists were not being given the responsibilities authority and pay that they should have.

The Megaw Report in 1982 potentially created progress for specialists but it took Bill’s legendary tenacity to eventually make substantial progress, firstly in 1986 when he was largely responsible for securing the extension of unified Grading to Principal level. Then in 1987 when he secured the Pay Spans Agreement, which effectively extended unification down to Executive Officer level, as well as providing the foundation for a settled system of long-term pay settlements including a levels exercise with the pay of comparative professions and employers.

Advancing interests of members

During this period McCall was at odds with many other Civil Service leaders but his aim was not to court popularity with colleagues but to advance the interests of members.

To some McCall was viewed as a right-wing union leader but this does not do him justice. The union he led for so long had a membership who largely saw themselves as members of a professional body rather than a union.

McCall, however, led from a position of principle and instinctively knew how far he could lead them. Major landmarks included eventually taking IPCS into the TUC and leading members into strike action on pay in 1979 and 1981.

Bill spearheaded IPCS in its response to the ban on trade unions at GCHQ in 1984 leading an ill-fated meeting between the Civil Service Unions and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to try and resolve the dispute.

McCall dedicated himself over the years, well beyond his retirement date, to righting this fundamental wrong and was delighted in 1997 when the right to join unions was restored at GCHQ.

Bill also worked closely with union leaders of the left such as Ken Cameron of the FBU and Ray Buckton of ASLEF in the “Little League”, which was responsible for organising which of the smaller unions would secure seats on the TUC. It was clear that these leaders deeply respected McCall and he secured his seat on the TUC General Council in 1984.

Building Prospect

Prospect members of today owe Bill McCall a considerable debt. He not only secured long standing benefits for specialists, but he also built the union membership, persuaded other unions such as the Society of Technical Civil Servants and the Association of Government Supervisors and Radio Officers to merge with IPCS and he was the architect of the union’s financial stability.

In the early 1980s he began the search for a single building to house Prospect’s staff who had previously been housed in a number of separate buildings. The project came to a conclusion in 1984 when the union moved into an 11-storey building in London Waterloo.

The building incorporated a pub and had a bar/restaurant on the second floor. Six floors were for staff and four floors were rented out creating an income stream for the union. The top floor included a flat for the bar/restaurant building’s manager. The bar/restaurant resulted in a decrease in expenditure on subsistence, but the main success was the increasing asset value of the building. This underpins the modern-day union’s financial stability.

Bill assembled a fantastic team of senior colleagues including Deputy and Assistant General Secretaries Margaret Platt, Bill Brett, Jenny Thurston, Tony Cooper and Valerie Ellis. He was not always the easiest person to work with and at times there were considerable differences of opinion but despite this, he was always respected and never held a grudge.

Bill was also determined to develop staff and members at all levels in the organisation and many members of staff were encouraged to move through the ranks from administrative/secretarial grades to senior roles in the union.

Bill was generous with his time to younger officials and would provide tremendous support to colleagues on professional and personal issues. In relation to the membership Bill prided himself on taking part in all stages of the union’s education programme and was an accomplished tutor.

Retirement

After his retirement Bill became a member of the Council of Goldsmith’s College and the University of London. He was also a member of the Police Complaints Authority. But retired from all roles in 1997. Bill kept in regular contact with former colleagues in the union and it was always a joy to see him and enjoy a meal or drink with him.

Such convivial sessions were bound to lead to him giving some professional, and often personal, advice. Bill continued to come to visit colleagues until the late 80s but he was always most at home with Olga to whom he was utterly devoted. It is deeply sad that they both died within days of each other.

None of these words can do justice to the remarkable trade union leader and person that was Bill McCall.