My husband, Willie Carolan, who has died aged 64, was a trade unionist and socialist who believed in fighting inequality. He was also passionate about promoting justice and peace.
Born to a labourer and his wife in Townhead, Glasgow, he attended St Mungo's Roman Catholic primary school and then its secondary school, St Mungo's Academy. He studied Greek and Latin, which inspired a lifelong passion for Roman history that became an obsession when he retired.
Willie had learned to read and do his sums before he went to school. Frustrated by his lessons, he asked his teacher in the infant class: "Please, Miss, when do we get teached?" On leaving St Mungo's Academy, he rebelled by refusing to taking up a university place and decided to go travelling instead.
However, when he was 22 he was accepted by Glasgow University and graduated with a 2:1 in history and English. He knew that he was part of a lucky generation, as his parents could never have hoped to go to university.
During the university holidays, Willie worked at a glassworks, where he joined the union. He was also a staunch Labour supporter, although he was expelled from the party a couple of times. The first occasion was for trying to raise a motion about Augusto Pinochet's coup in Chile at a Springburn constituency meeting. Later, he was expelled again for signing the nomination papers for an anti-Iraq war candidate against the official Labour one. He was proud of his action.
However, despite the expulsions, he served as a branch chair in Queen's Park, and was involved in the Central constituency Labour party and in Glasgow district, where he was also the workplace branch representative for Nalgo (National Association of Local Government Officers). Latterly, his activism was expressed on the internet, but his criticism of the coalition never let up.
No one ever doubted Willie's loyalty to his unions: first Nalgo, then Unison. Working first in Parkhead, later in Baillieston, he was never afraid to stand up to management, leading strike action or handling grievances. While his job was housing management, trade unionism was his vocation. Many members had reason to thank him for his advocacy skills.
Willie was also for a long time a member of the branch equal opportunities committee and a committed campaigner for women's right to choose. He was in his element as a publicity gopher at Labour's national conference, seemingly nonchalant but never missing a deadline. He loved Celtic FC, the Baltimore Oriels and spending time in Spain, having a long tapas lunch in the sunshine.
I survive him.