The President of the Workers’ Party, Michael Finnegan, has expressed shock and sadness at the tragic news from London of the death of the Rail, Marine, Transport union (RMT) General Secretary Bob Crow at the age of 52.

Mr. Finnegan said that Bob Crow will be a huge loss to the trade union movement in Britain and beyond, including his many comrades, friends and admirers in Ireland, north and south. 

“Bob Crow was an inspirational union leader and a determined defender of public services.  He was an incredibly effective leader of the RMT, growing the union , and achieving a great deal for its members.   An unabashed communist, he refused to surrender his political and union principles for the sake of so-called respectability.  He understood that the struggle for workers’ rights and a better society was an economic and a political one, that needed to be waged on all fronts”

Mr. Finnegan continued, “Bob Crow took a keen interest in progressive causes across the globe, and especially in Ireland. He and the RMT actively opposed the politically motivated attempt to have Workers’ Party President Sean Garland extradited to the United States. We in The Workers’ Party will never forget the support given by Bob Crow and the RMT in this important struggle.

“The enemies of the working class knew the value of Bob Crow, resulting in a consistent campaign of vilification, led by the Daily Mail”, said Michael Finnegan who concluded “On behalf of the Ard Comhairle and members of the Workers Party of Ireland I wish to convey our sincere condolences to Bob’s family and his comrades.  His own description of James Connolly, of whom he was a great admirer, is a fitting memorial to Bob Crow – ‘a leader of enormous integrity, bravery and vision".

Issued 11th March 2014