September 14, 2022 1:59pm by David Farrar

RIP Ken Douglas

New Zealand’s most well-known trade union leader, Ken Douglas, aged 86, has died.
Known as Red Ken, Douglas led the union movement from 1979 to 1999, first as the Federation of Labour Secretary, then as the inaugural president of the Council of Trade Unions.
A controversial figure, he was the leader of the Socialist Unity Party in the 1970s and was the target of much anti-union vitriol from former Prime Minister Robert Muldoon….
During the Cold War he remained a supporter of the Soviet Union and politically was an internationalist.
As the leader of the Socialist Unity Party he stood for Parliament in the safe Labour seat of Porirua three times. His best result was 70 votes.
Former colleague and friend Angela Foulkes, who he worked with when the Council of Trade Union was established, said Douglas was the most important union leader since the World War II.

Ken Douglas had terrible political views but was a very decent person.

In later life his views modified and he was elected to the Porirua City Council and spent nine years on the Capital & Coast District Health Board from 2001.
Other roles included terms on the boards of Air NZ, NZ Post and NZ Trade and Enterprise.

I know people who served on boards with him, and they all praised how astute and constructive he was.

He was one of the giant political figures of the late 20th century. My condolences to his family and friends.