Ken Cameron, Scottish trade union leader, Died at 74

  Business

Ken Cameron was born on December 9, 1941, and died on May 16, 2016.

He was a Scottish trade unionist.

Ken Cameron was the head of the Fire Brigades Union for 20 years, between 1980 and 2000.

He received his education Fort William Senior Secondary School until he was fifteen.

Cameron first job on leaving school was as a cadet in the Inverness-shire Constabulary, but he did not enjoy this and left to become a trainee reporter on the Aberdeen Press and Journal.

Which proved unsuccessful while covering the Drumnadrochit Highland Games, he was unable to work on his assignment.

Ken’s friends tried to help out but mistakenly listed the girl who had won the egg-and-spoon race as having won the caber toss.

Consequently, while covering a swimming competition, Ken fell into the pool, disrupting the event, which led to him losing the job.

Ken spent time as a labourer on a hyrdo-electric scheme, before moving to Birmingham to join the fire brigade.

There, Ken acquired an interest in betting on horse racing and became a supporter of Aston Villa F.C.

Ken Cameron joined the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), becoming a full-time official and then, in 1980, its general secretary.

His appointment was supported by his predecessor, Terry Parry, and also by Mick McGahey of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM).

He was known as a socialist, Cameron undertook much activity in support of Nelson Mandela and against apartheid in South Africa.

Ken Cameron celebrated the Labour Party’s general election win in 1997 but by 1999, Ken Cameron was disillusioned with them, and he advocated that the FBU disaffiliate from Labour; this finally happened in 2004.

Ken Cameron passed away at 74 yrs old.