Paul Mackney

Paul Mackney (born 25 March 1950) is a British educator and trade union leader. From 1997 to 2006, he was General Secretary of the National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education (NATFHE). NATFHE merged with the Association of University Teachers (AUT) in 2006 to form the University and College Union, at which time Mackney was elected Joint general secretary (serving alongside Sally Hunt). He retired from union service in May 2007. He then worked part-time as an Associate Director of the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) until May 2009 when he took ill-health retirement.

Early life Mackney's father was a Landsburyite socialist evangelical vicar in the Church of England and his mother was a Christian Socialist. His parents deeply impressed the importance of racial equality and social justice on him as a child. Mackney attended Christ's Hospital boarding school. He trained briefly to become a probation officer, but ended up graduating with a bachelor's degree in politics from the University of Exeter. During his time in college, he joined the International Socialists and became active in campaigns to strengthen the rights of the unemployed and those on public assistance. Later expelled from the International Socialists, he joined the Workers' League before becoming a member of the Labour Party.

Mackney taught English in Hamburg, Germany, before returning England. He was a part-time lecturer in social studies at Poole Technical College in Poole, Dorset (where he joined ATTI which after merging with the ATCDE became NATFHE), before taking a full time position at Hall Green Technical College in Birmingham in 1975. From 1975 to 1992, Mackney taught about trade union issues in further education.

Union career Mackney was elected as the NATFHE representative to the Birmingham Trades Council in the late 1970s, eventually becoming Vice-President and President. He pushed for establishment of the Birmingham Trade Union Resource Centre, and from 1986 to 1992 was Head of the Birmingham Trade Union Studies Centre in Floodgate Street, Digbeth.

Political activity Mackney is a lifelong opponent of racism and fascism. He has been involved in anti-racism activities since his youth. As a trade union leader, he pushed for establishment of the Commission for Black Staff in Further Education and has attacked discrimination against staff and faculty as well as societal racism which prevents students from obtaining jobs upon graduation. Mackney has also vocally opposed the British National Party and other organised and unorganised forms of fascism in British society. The offices of the Unite Against Fascism Campaign, backed by over 20 trade unions, were located in the NATFHE building in Britannia Street, Kings Cross.

He is also a strong supporter of Palestinian independence. However, in 2006, Mackney opposed a NATFHE resolution supporting a boycott of Israeli institutions of higher education.

Mackney was also an early and strong opponent of the Iraq War. He has spoken out angrily about British involvement in the war, and condemned the government for its continued involvement in the continuing military occupation of Iraq. The offices of the Stop the War Campaign, which organised the biggest British demonstration in labour history, were located in the NATFHE building in Britannia Street, Kings Cross.

In July 2015, Mackney endorsed Jeremy Corbyn's campaign in the Labour Party leadership election.