Bill Sirs

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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.[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/11690208/Bill-Sirs-trade-unionist-obituary.html Obituary in Daily Telegraph]

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 forerunners of the ISTC. He remained in north-east England until he moved south with his two children and his wife Joan.[http://johnstonpress.iannounce.mobi/hartlepool-mail/obituary/william-bill-sirs/42252376 William (Bill) Sirs: Obituary] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307122702/http://johnstonpress.iannounce.mobi/hartlepool-mail/obituary/william-bill-sirs/42252376 |date=7 March 2016 }}

Sirs is best remembered for his involvement in the steelworkers' strike of 1980.[http://www.minersadvice.co.uk/yourview16_ww_great_strike_1.htm Ian Donovan, "Strategic confrontation in the making", Weekly Worker 519 Thursday 11 March 2004] During the action, Sirs came into conflict with Ian MacGregor, the man appointed by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to slim down British Steel Corporation, then a nationalised industry. Sirs was quoted as saying, "We are being looked upon as the worst producing steel nation in Europe".[http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/2/newsid_2478000/2478393.stm BBC On This Day, 2 January 1980].

Sirs subsequently incurred the wrath of other trade unionists by his intervention in the miners' strike of 1984.[https://archive.today/20120707060127/http://archive.tribunemagazine.co.uk/article/6th-july-1984/2/enter-bill-sirs-kneeling "Enter Bill Sirs, kneeling"], Tribune, 6 July 1984

Sirs was a member of the St Ermin's group, an organised group of right-wing trade unionists meeting at the St Ermin's Hotel with the aim of preventing the Bennite left taking over the Labour Party.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/jun/22/bill-sirs |title=Bill Sirs obituary |author1=Martin Adeney |author2=Denis MacShane |author2-link=Denis MacShane |newspaper=The Guardian |date=22 June 2015 |accessdate=21 July 2019}}