BOB CROW’S campaign to save an inner-city Irish pub continued right up to his death, it has emerged.
As tributes were paid to the late union leader who died last week at the age of 52, locals in the Cock Tavern near London’s Kings Cross spoke of their shock.
“The RMT used this pub for meetings and Bob Crow himself wrote a letter to the council at Christmas to nominate the pub for assistance,” said Sheila Gavighan, landlady of the embattled pub that Mr Crow had supported.
“He took an active interest in the campaign. It wasn’t just tokenistic.”
Ms Gavighan has been involved in a high profile fight to save her pub from city centre development projects.
Two years ago union boss Crow threw his weight behind the campaign describing the stand-off as a battle between “real Londoners and the money men”.
Speaking at the time, he said: “Too many working class pubs in the centre of our working class communities have already been driven out of business in the interests of speculative greed.”
Of his passing Ms Gavighan said: “It was a shock. He was a polite and pleasant man and offered to give us his support.”
Mr Crow had been the RMT’s leader since 2001, growing a reputation as a militant champion of workers, with his apparently unfashionable politics seeing the union add thousands of recruits after it repeatedly won pay rises for its members.
His most recent high-profile battle was over the future of London Underground, with talks continuing after strikes last month.
Among those who paid tribute was Steve Hedley, assistant general secretary of the RMT union, who described Mr Crow as the “leader of the working class”.
The London-based Derry man said in a statement: “Bob was a giant in our movement and we loved him dearly. We must now mourn for a time and then do what he would want us to do and build a united fighting union movement in his honour.
"God bless you Bob, a great leader and a great human being.”
Mr Crow was rushed to Whips Cross hospital in Leytonstone on March 11 where doctors tried to save his life.
However he could not be revived due to critical heart damage suffered as a result of an aneurysm.
Tributes poured in from allies and opponents alike, with London Mayor describing him as “a man of character”.
“This is shocking news,” said TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady. “Bob was an outstanding trade unionist, who tirelessly fought for his members, his industry and the wider trade union movement.
“He was always a good friend and comrade to me. We will miss him, and our thoughts are with his family and the RMT at this difficult time.”
