Roger Bolton

General secretary of Bectu, the media union

Gerry Morrissey
Friday December 8, 2006
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/obituaries/story/0,,1967085,00.html

Roger Bolton, who has died aged 59 from non-Hodgkins lymphoma, was
general secretary of the Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph
and Theatre Union (Bectu) from 1993 to 2006. In an industrial milieu
that is sometimes dominated and dazzled by flamboyant personalities
and oversized egos, Roger mobilised his organisational and political
skills to consolidate the occasionally warring tribes of media workers
into a stable, secure and increasingly effective union. He achieved
this in a time of massive technical advances that eroded traditional
jobs, an industrial law climate that weakened employment rights and
the massive injection of foreign capital and a concentration of
employer power that placed the people he represented at a great
disadvantage.

Born in Dublin, he went to London with his family in 1958. He was
educated at St Thomas More's school, studied photography at Regent
Street Polytechnic, and briefly worked as a photographic sales
assistant at Boots the Chemist, before moving on to work as a
freelance photographer for the Belgrave Press Bureau.

He joined the BBC as a photographic technician in 1970, becoming
active in what is now called the London Television News branch of
Bectu's forerunner the Association of Broadcasting Staff (ABS). In
1979 he became a full-time official at the union.

When the ABS and National Association of Theatrical, Television and
Kine Employees (NATTKE) amalgamated in 1984 to form the Broadcasting
and Entertainment Trades Alliance (BETA), Roger was promoted in 1988
to what is now known as supervisory official of the BBC division, a
position he continued to hold after the amalgamation of BETA and ACTT
(Association of Cinematograph Television and Allied Technicians) into
the newly formed Bectu.

As supervisory official he led the joint unions at the BBC in many
disputes, most notably the long pay dispute in 1989, which, after 13
strikes, was ultimately successful and resulted in substantial pay
increases. During this time Roger's skills as a negotiator and
communicator were clear for all to see. In 1993, he won the election
to become Bectu's general secretary, defeating Roy Lockett, who became
his deputy.

In his 13 years as general secretary, Roger guided Bectu through
difficult internal and industrial challenges. The union's present
financial stability is entirely down to Roger's firm management
skills. Without Roger's intelligent organisational strategy the union
would not have emerged unscathed as it did from the upheavals in the
BBC, ITV, theatre and film industries.

His management of the national executive committe and connected
matters was phenomenal; he was always prepared for meetings and his
letter-writing was legendary.

In 2001, Roger took the British government to the European court on
behalf of freelance and contract workers who were being denied holiday
pay despite the provisions of the EU working time directive. He won.

Roger was a member of the British Screen Advisory Council, the Cinema
and Television Benevolent Fund, a board member of Skillset and a
governor of the National Film and Television School. He was admired
and respected by politicians, employers and trade unionists both at
home and abroad. His interests extended beyond Bectu, to the British
and international labour movement in which he held many positions.

Roger was never interested in the celebrity side of the media despite
attending many functions, including visits to Buckingham Palace and
Downing Street. My favourite story is of a party given by media mogul
Ted Turner and his then wife Jane Fonda. It was attended by a number
of union general secretaries and at one point Roger was in a small
group that included Jane Fonda, which stood chatting together for some
time. Later, other union colleagues said to Roger how stunning Jane
Fonda looked, to which Roger replied: "Is she here?"

 From February 2005, Roger had battled courageously against his
illness. He had had many plans for his retirement, including travel, a
bit of fishing and to enjoy days at the races.

He is survived by his wife Elaine, daughter Sally, and grandson Charles.

· Roger William Bolton, trade unionist, born September 7 1947; died
November 18 2006

--
Flat Mouth never met George W. Bush...

"Tell him I blame him for the children we have lost, for the sickness
we have suffered, and for the hunger we have endured. The fault rests
on his shoulders."
~ Aysh-ke-bah-ke-ko-zhay (Flat Mouth), Leech Lake Ojibwe speaking of
Territorial Governor Alexander Ramsey