Northern Ireland

Tributes to veteran journalist and trade union leader Paul McGill

Former trade union activist and journalist Paul McGill has died aged 67 
Former trade union activist and journalist Paul McGill has died aged 67  Former trade union activist and journalist Paul McGill has died aged 67 

FRIENDS have paid tribute to former trade union activist and journalist Paul McGill.

Originally from Derry, the former national president of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) died on Friday after a battle with cancer. He was 67.

A law graduate from Queen's University Belfast, he worked with the Union of Students of Ireland and The Irish Times and joined the Belfast Telegraph in 1978 as education correspondent.

He was a member of the NUJ Belfast and District branch, the NUJ delegate to Belfast Trade Union Council and later NUJ national president.

After he left the Belfast Telegraph, Mr McGill worked for the National Curriculum Council in York.

More recently, he worked for NICVA and the Centre for Ageing Research and Development in Ireland (CARDI).

NUJ assistant general secretary Seamus Dooley said he was "a hardworking and diligent president" of the union.

"He had a strong commitment to social justice and was a passionate believer in the power of education to transform lives," he said.

"Not long after serving as president he moved out of active trade unionism and refocused his career, but he never lost his love for the union or his profound commitment to professional standards."