UNI mourns the passing of Andy Kerr

With heavy hearts, we inform the UNI family that Andy Kerr, a legend in the global trade union movement, has passed away this week. Andy was Deputy General Secretary, Telecoms & Financial Services, at the Communications Workers Union (UK) and Global President of UNI’s ICTS sector for nine years, stepping down in April.

Christy Hoffman, General Secretary of UNI Global Union said:

“Andy’s dedication to working people was matched only by his kindness. He was a tireless champion for justice, and his leadership built power for unions in the UK and around the globe. It was an honour to call him a friend. We will miss his wit, his militancy and his indomitable spirit. Our deepest condolences to his family.”

Due to his lifelong commitment to trade unionism and immense contribution to representing workers, Andy Kerr will be remembered as one of the most influential leaders in the history of the CWU and its predecessor unions.

Andy also helped guide UNI’s ICTS sector through a massive expansion of the sector’s footprint, ranging from tackling outsourcing and the Uberization of work to negotiating a landmark global agreement in Teleperformance as well as the work on surveillance and monitoring and generative AI and its implications to workers, expanding our reach to include new sectors in global tech and video games industries.

So Soulemane, the newly elected Global President of UNI ICTS, and President of SYNATEL, Burkina Faso said: 

“When we last saw Andy, he told us ‘Workers united will never be defeated, and we should never ever forget that.’ He believed in the power of collective action to change not only our jobs but also our world. As a movement, we must keep the fire Andy lit glowing and carry his passion into the challenges we face. Andy was a wonderful comrade, and he will continue to be an inspiration for trade unionists around the globe.”

Please see the CWU’s statement.