Andrew Clunis, Voice News Editor
Sir Bill Morris at the 2005 graduation ceremony for the University of Technology.
SIR BILL Morris is set to become a peer in the British House of Lords on the appointment of Prime Minister Tony Blair.
His name appears on a denuded list of appointees compiled by the Labour Party, after the Prime Minister was forced to make adjustments to the original slate over the cash for peerages scandal. Sir Bill's name brings some respectability to the list from which several persons had been withdrawn after they were revealed as Labour Party financiers. His appointment will be formally gazetted today.
The popular trade unionist and community leader will then meet with an officer of the House to go through the process of selecting a name. At a later date he will be formally introduced to current members of the House of Lords.
The appointment marks another major milestone in the professional life of the former trade union leader who rose through the ranks to head Britain's largest worker representation body. While the official announcement is yet to be made, Sir Bill is elated at the chance to serve the country's highest decision-making panel.
Increased workload aside, the biggest challenge he faces immediately is the selection of a name. Those of first preference have all been long taken and the task is to find a name which reflects his close and enduring ties with his homeland, Jamaica. Sir Bill admitted he would have liked the title Lord Morris of Manchester, to symbolise the parish of his birth. Other suitable titles like Hanover and Portland have also been used. Also, he will be unable to select 'Birmingham', which is his home territory in the U.K.
Sir Bill said the appointment represents a new learning curve, one that he is mentally prepared to handle. "This will increase my work load significantly. I will have a meeting with the chief whip to learn about the procedures."
SEVERAL MAJOR UK BOARDS
Sir Bill already sits on several major boards in the U.K. and is a leader in education both in the U.K. and Jamaica. He is a member of the England and Wales Cricket Board, a non-executive director of the Bank of England, member of the Panel for Mergers and Takeovers, member of Employment Appeals Tribunal, Chancellor of the University of Technology in Jamaica and the University of Staffordshire in England.
In 2000, he was a member of the Royal Commission on the Reform of the House of Lords, which made 132 recommendations into the overhaul of the operations and procedures of the House.
In October 2002, Sir Bill was awarded the Order of Jamaica by the Jamaican Govern-ment for services to international trade unionism. In November 2003, he received a knighthood from the queen.
In 2004, he chaired the Morris Inquiry (a public inquiry) into the professional standards of the Metropolitan Police Service.
Sir Bill's contribution to the trade union movement is recognised throughout the world. He has inspired a generation of workers' rights activists who are today champions of the trade union movement. He rose through the ranks of the Transport and General Workers Union to become the first black general secretary in 1991. He was re-elected in 1995 and spent 12 years in the post, retiring in 2003.
These days he's never short on public engagements, but admits that there are challenges keeping pace with the requirements. "Since retirement I've been on my own. I don't have the support staff I used to have and I have to commit a lot of time just keeping up with correspondence and coping with technology. At some point I will have to review all that, but what I don't want, is to lose touch with the community."
Sir Bill has a simple rule in life: "My prescription is simple. I never worry about my next job or my next appointment. I just do what I have the privilege of doing at the moment to the best of my ability."
