News

It is with great sadness that we inform you that John Baldwin, Head of International Affairs of the Communication Workers Union (UK) and a long-time supporter of UNI’s work, died in his sleep Monday 7 July after a brief period of illness. He was aged 63.

 John joined the then UCW as a postman in 1976. He rose to be secretary of his local branch by 1980 and was appointed Senior Clerk in the Organising Department at UCW headquarters in 1986. From there, John worked in several departments of the UCW and the CWU before being named the CWU’s first International Officer in 2002.

Among the UNI family, John will be remembered for his long-time dedication to the international trade union movement. He was an active member in our postal sector committees and activities globally and in Europe. John was a member of the UNI Europa Executive Committee and a substitute on the UNI World Executive. John also served with dedication for many years as the Vice President of the European Post Social Dialogue Committee at a time of great change in the sector. With his calm approach and excellent negotiating skills, he navigated the Social Dialogue through the troubled waters of deregulation and liberalization.

John was closely involved in the formation of UNI Global Union and was a key driver of the work to build the identity and visibility of the UNI Post & Logistics sector. His wise counsel and well-argued positions were appreciated by his global colleagues and he was integral to the leadership of the sector. John was with us on the occasion of the UNI P&L meeting in May in Nyon. His sudden passing has come as a sad shock to all of us.

John’s passion for global trade union work will not be forgotten and the whole of the UNI family are saddened by his loss. We send our deepest sympathies to John’s family, friends and colleagues at the CWU and around the world.

Message of condolences can be sent to postal@uniglobalunion.org or posted to our Nyon office to the attention of Stephen DeMatteo, Head of UNI Post & Logistics. UNI will humbly forward the collected messages to the CWU and to John’s family