About Bill Keys
Lived 1923 – 1990 (aged 66–67). Bill Keys was a military personnel and trade unionist.
William Herbert Keys (1 January 1923 – 19 May 1990) was a British trade union leader.
Keys grew up in south London, and served in the British Army during World War II. After being demobbed, he joined the National Union of Printing, Bookbinding and Paper Workers (NUPBPW), serving as its National Organiser from 1953 to 1960.
In 1960, Keys became the London Secretary of the NUPBPW, remaining in the role when it became part of the Society of Graphical and Allied Trades. In 1970, he was promoted to become General President of the union, then in 1974 he was elected as General Secretary. That year, he was also elected to the General Council of the Trades Union Congress.
Keys served on numerous committees, including those of the Central Arbitration Committee, the Commission for Racial Equality, the Institute of Manpower Studies and the European Social Fund.
Keys retired in 1985, and died five years later.
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Important facts
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Bill Keys's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Bill Keys?
British trade union leader
When was Bill Keys born?
Bill Keys was born in 1923.
When did Bill Keys die?
Bill Keys died on 19 May 1990.
What was Bill Keys's occupation?
Bill Keys was a military personnel and trade unionist.
Sources & further reading
· DBpedia: Bill Keys (trade unionist)
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Bill Keys. https://biography.guide/bill-keys/
MLA: "Bill Keys." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/bill-keys/.
Chicago: "Bill Keys." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/bill-keys/.
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