MY good friend and comrade Peter Palmer died on February 24, aged 88. 

Peter was a past president of the trade union National Union of Civil and Public Servants (NUCPS) now part of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS). 

Peter grew up in Edinburgh and on leaving school worked as a telegraph boy for the GPO, like many others of his generation. 

This was to be his entry to the Civil Service where he continued to work and develop his trade union activism.

I was fortunate to know Peter during my time as a full-time officer of the Society of Civil and Public Servants (SCPS) and NUCPS during the 1980s. 

Peter was the chair of the DHSS section of the union while I was the secretary and together we worked with a team of dedicated activists defending the working conditions of our members during the early years of the Thatcher administration. 

This was a time when the nature of the department was changing from providing welfare for claimants during their time of hardship to declaring war on benefit claimants in what today would be termed a “hostile environment.”

Together we made a stand on behalf of members in Birmingham in the final months of 1982 when excessive workloads caused the benefits system to collapse. 

We were privileged to work with members of the Civil and Public Services Association and SCPS who stood firm in their demands for adequate staffing levels and who were magnificent in their solidarity and commitment.

One story from that period sums him up well. 

“I met Peter off the train and told him we had to get Handsworth to join or the strike in the other offices would collapse. He looked at me over his glasses and said ‘no pressure then.’

“He then delivered a speech of great passion, rising above the heckling of management and their lackeys, and the office walked out.”

Peter was always accessible to local activists and gave his support whenever it was called for.

Peter was never afraid of controversy. One time at the annual meeting of the Departmental Whitley Council. Peter arrived wearing his Lenin badge. After the meeting had finished Peter and others were standing around talking when the permanent secretary approached. 

Spotting Peter’s badge he muttered: “Interesting badge, and who might that be.” 

Looking at him deadpan Peter replied: “King George V.”
 
Other local activists recall: “Peter helped me in my early days as a new branch secretary in Northumberland when everything seemed new and overwhelming. 

“He always calmed things down and helped you think things through. He never just told you what to do, a method I used when I took up teaching trade union studies. His legacy continued.”

“There are so many memories of Peter but one that stays with me is the article he wrote for my branch newsletter. The case for peace justice and socialism. Four pages of A4 written in his distinctive handwriting which defied editing.”

A common theme coming from those who knew him is “inspirational.” That is his legacy. So many trade union activists were inspired by Peter to continue the struggle for workers’ rights during those dark days of the Thatcher government.

I recall the time when we had to meet Reg Prentice who had abandoned the Labour Party to become a Tory minister. 

We were challenging the policy of introducing fraud squads to hunt down supposed benefit cheats. 

Our members were being given targets to meet. This contrasted with the approach to tax evasion where similar resources were not deployed. 

We were robust in our criticism of government policy and later Reg Prentice described our trade union team as “strident, truculent and rude.” So I think he got the message.

As chair of the union’s national conference Peter commanded respect. This from one of the tellers: “I was in charge of the tellers and took to president Peter the result of the card vote on joining CND. 

“He looked round, yes, over the glasses, and beckoned me over. He had, while chairing conference totalled the two votes which, he pointed out to me, exceeded the total card vote by some margin. 

“After three recounts, scrutinised by the auditors the correct result was finally declared. Sharp as a knife was Peter.”

My abiding memory of Peter is that he was a true socialist. He never forgot his roots. His socialism underpinned all his actions.

Peter is survived by his wife Angela who was also a trade union activist and socialist, and his two sons Scott and Nicolas.

RIP Peter Palmer, you will be missed.

DAVID HEYWOOD

Messages and donations can be made at peter-palmer2.muchloved.com.