My father, Bill Rankin, who has died aged 91, was the former deputy general secretary of the National and Local Government Officers' Association (Nalgo, which later merged to become Unison). He made his name in the 1950s as a district officer, covering an area which stretched from Caernarfon to Carlisle and proved to be a key negotiator, particularly in the health service. In 1960, he overcame acute tuberculosis, having to take a year off work to recover. On his return he accepted a post at Nalgo headquarters in London in 1967.
Progress thereafter was rapid and he became deputy in the 1970s. By then, he had earned a reputation as a top negotiator throughout the trade union movement at a time of complex industrial relations. His hard work and integrity were recognised by all. As deputy, he was a mentor to Dave Prentis, the current Unison general secretary. He was also a long-serving member of the Post Office Users' National Council, again respected on all sides. He had always insisted on retirement at the age of 60 in 1982, and spurned the final promotion he had been offered at Nalgo.
Born in Liverpool, Bill was blind in one eye from birth and survived meningitis in the mid-1920s. His father died when Bill was 11 and he won a scholarship to Alsop high school in Walton. Unable to join the forces in 1939 due to his sight, he worked through the war at Liverpool Corporation – in school health, as a training college bursar and in public relations. He developed an active role in grassroots trade union affairs in Liverpool and this led to a permanent position with Nalgo in Manchester in 1951.
He had a long and largely happy retirement and continued to use his experience in various guises including social security tribunals. He loved travel, wine and cooking. A great music fan, he was a member of the Count Basie and Stephen Sondheim societies for many years.
His wife, Alice, died in 1993 after 44 years of marriage. He is survived by his three children, Robert, Christopher and me; nine grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren. One of his grandchildren predeceased him.