The Fire Brigades Union has learned with deep regret of the passing of Bro Alex Merry and we want to acknowledge the special contribution he made to our union.
From the day that Alex joined the FBU in 1965 he was an active and dedicated member. He grew to be one of our most successful officials and played an important role as Chair of Standing Orders to build our Annual Conference and truly make it the parliament of the union. Members who had the privilege of seeing him in action at Conference will never forget his dedication and skill in supporting delegates and ensuring that everyone received fair treatment, no matter the issue.
Even after retirement, Alex continued to support our members by sharing his knowledge and skill in our education programme. He gave sessions at many FBU schools and always inspired members with his enthusiasm and commitment to Trade Union values and principles. Alex was a true socialist and an FBU member to his core. His belief in equality and justice for all working people shone through and he was genuinely a man of high principle and integrity.
A generation of firefighters and FBU members owe Alex an enormous debt of gratitude and the FBU was very lucky to have him as a member. As firefighters, we believe in the ‘firefighter family’ and we want to acknowledge that Alex could not have served our members in the manner he did without the incredible support of his wife Ann. On behalf of our members, we want to thank Ann want for that support and for the role she played in giving so much to our Union.
This is a very sad time for all of us in the FBU, but we know that our sadness cannot match the personal loss felt by Alex’s family. We send them our deepest condolences and the solidarity of every member of the Fire Brigades Union.
