My husband Mike Jackson, who has died aged 73 following a long illness, had a distinguished career as a full-time official of the public sector union Nupe, and later of Unison. He was also active as a councillor in Watford.
From 2004 he was Unison’s deputy head of health, in which capacity he acted as the lead negotiator for NHS pay talks. He was involved in annual rounds of negotiations on pay and conditions, including those that led to Agenda for Change, the pay and grading structure for NHS staff, which remains in place today.
Mike retired from Unison in 2011 but continued to put his extensive experience and talents to good use as a project manager for NHS East of England, where he was involved in the establishment of the Talent for Care national strategic framework, helping NHS staff to develop a long-term career strategy.
Born in Derby, Mike was the eldest of three sons of Peter Jackson, who worked for British Rail, and Kathleen (nee McEvoy), a nurse. She died when Mike was 11 and his father subsequently married Daphne Wakefield, a nursery nurse; they went on to have a daughter.
The family had by then moved south with Peter’s job, to the Watford area, and Watford remained Mike’s home almost continuously until his death, with only two short periods living elsewhere. He was a lifelong supporter of Watford FC, and the ability to walk to the ground in under 20 minutes was an essential criterion in his choice of home.
After leaving St Albans grammar school, Mike worked for National Carriers, then Rolls-Royce. He went to Warwick University in 1974 and immediately became involved in student politics. He was elected to the national committee of the National Organisation of Labour Students in 1976 and as its national chair in 1977. He became a Nupe regional organiser in Greater London in 1978.
He had joined the Labour party in 1972. His ability as an organiser was soon recognised and he took on positions of responsibility, eventually becoming election agent, a role he undertook in every Watford borough and county council election from 1983 to 2019. He also acted as agent for the general and mayoral elections from 1997 to 2019.
He was elected to Watford council in 1980, and was leader of the council from 1990 until 1994, a period of great turmoil and challenge. He was a vociferous opponent of the Conservative government’s right-to-buy policy. Watford council avoided implementing it for as long as possible. Mike also initiated numerous progressive policies including declaring Watford a nuclear-free zone, the establishment of the town’s first women’s refuge and many environmental initiatives.
He was selected as Watford’s candidate to fight the general elections of 1987 and 1992, and increased Labour’s share of the vote. His dedication to the party was formally recognised in 2020 when he was presented with the Merit Award for Outstanding Contribution by Jeremy Corbyn.
After his retirement in 2015, Mike spent time with his grandchildren, also travelling, walking, gardening and supporting his beloved Hornets.
He and I first met at Watford council and became a couple in 1994; we married in 2017. He is survived by me, his daughter, Alice, from his first marriage, to Judi, which ended in divorce, by three grandchildren, Ava, Otto and Kit, and his brothers, Guy and John, and sister, Carolyn.
