NATIONAL Education Union (NEU) general secretary Kevin Courtney paid tribute to the first elected National Union of Teachers (NUT) leader yesterday following his death.

Doug McAvoy, who died on Sunday night at the age of 80, was the general secretary of NUT, which united with the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ALT) in 2017 to form the NEU, between 1989 and 2004.

Mr McAvoy made “immense” contributions to education and the lives of teachers, and led the union “through turbulent times,” Mr Courtney said.

“Doug had a reputation as a fierce and canny negotiator,” he added. “He supported the campaign against school cuts in the last years of the Tory government in the late 1990s, leading to the ‘education, education, education’ election of 1997, and also led the first boycott of Sats in 1993.

“He will be remembered by many for the tireless work he did for the NUT, its members and the profession as a whole. Our thoughts go to his family, friends and the many colleagues who worked with him.”