Sheena Grant

Sheena Grant, who died aged 69, was a university cleaner and trade unionist whose dedication to the institution earned her an MBE.

While her tenacity and unwavering commitment to fighting the cause of the low paid could humble many a senior academic at Aberdeen University, she had trouble believing she had been nominated for the honour.

However modest her own views of her contribution, others regarded her as a first class ambassador for the university. She become a member of the University Court and was also given the honour of having the former Senate Room, in historic Marischal College, re-named The Grant Room by the building’s new occupants, Aberdeen City Council.

Born in Aberdeen, she lived in a tenement off the city’s Huntly Street, next to St Mary’s Cathedral and was the granddaughter of the cathedral’s cleaner.

She had a varied early career with jobs in accountancy, followed by marriage and children, before combining childminding, for numerous relatives and friends, with bar work.

Eventually she thought she would take a cleaning job with Aberdeen University for a few months, just to tide her over until something better came along.

That was in 1984 and she went on to spend more than a quarter of a century at the institution where she enjoyed a reputation for the highest standard of work. She ensured the prestigious Mitchell Hall, within Marischal College, was always kept in meticulous order, in preparation for events including graduation ceremonies and university concerts and the iconic, granite building – recently cleaned to its original pristine grandeur – held a very special place in her heart. While working at the university she also became a dedicated trade unionist at local and national level.

In 1993 when the Nupe and Nalgo unions merged to become Unison and, having previously been a trades union representative with Nupe, she was elected first chairwoman of Aberdeen’s Unison Branch, an office she held for almost 20 years.

As a union representative and branch chair, her approach to employee relations was instrumental in resolving many sensitive issues over the years. She also became involved in the implementation of new national pay and grading arrangements for higher education staff.

She played a significant role in fostering employee relations at the University of Aberdeen and within higher education at a Scottish and UK level. As her employment was part-time, she carried out her trades union duties on a voluntary basis. She also represented the lowest paid staff in higher education through her involvement as a union official on Scottish and UK higher education committees.

With her openness and ability to bring people together grounded on integrity, she garnered the respect of her colleagues, staff and management. Her dedication to university life also enriched students’ experience, especially in keeping all the support services in-house.

She was appointed to the University Court as a governor in 2003, adopting the same constructive approach to that role as she did with her union activities. Three years later she received the MBE for services to education.

Sheena is survived by her husband John and children John and Carole.