Bill Sirs

William Sirs (6 January 1920 – 16 June 2015) was a British trade unionist, who served as general secretary of the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation (ISTC) from 1975 to 1985.

Bill Sirs was born and raised in Hartlepool, one of 10 children. He left school at 14 and became a crane operator in the iron and steel industry, becoming active in the forerunners to the ISTC. He remained in north-east England until he moved south with his two children and his wife Joan.

Sirs is best remembered for his involvement in the steelworkers' strike of 1980. During the action Sirs came into conflict with Ian MacGregor, the man appointed by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to slim down British Steel, then a nationalised industry. Sirs was quoted as saying, "We are being looked upon as the worst producing steel nation in Europe".

Sirs subsequently incurred the wrath of other trade unionists by his intervention in the miners' strike of 1984.

Works

• Hard Labour. Sidgwick & Jackson, 1985.

References

Trade union offices
Preceded by E. Roberts	Assistant General Secretary of the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation 1973 – 1975	Succeeded by Roy Evans
Preceded by Dai Davies	General Secretary of the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation 1975 – 1985	Succeeded by Roy Evans
Preceded by Dai Davies	Iron, Steel and Minor Metal Trades representative on the General Council of the TUC 1975 – 1982	Succeeded by Council reorganised
Preceded by George Drain	Trades Union Congress representative to the AFL-CIO 1985	Succeeded by Fred Jarvis