Gopeshwar Lal had always come across as a feisty trade union leader, who spent a large part of his life fighting for the cause of workers.

Hailing from Saharsa in neighbouring Bihar, Lal had won and lost several battles — all related to trade unions. He was still active at a ripe age of 80-plus and knew how to call the shots in adverse situations.

The octogenarian leader’s residence at Bistupur was of late a beehive of activity as trade union leaders from different company affiliations came to him with their woes, with a hope that Lal would find a viable way out of the turmoil. And they seldom went home disappointed.

He made the Telco Workers’ Union as his apparent fief, reigning as its general secretary for close to three decades. He overcame the problems with elan, which truly reflected his stubborn and feisty style of working. Of late, Lal was seen rushing to meetings and clearing files in a hurry.

He made Jamshedpur his home after being brought here from Bengal by the late Michael John (president of Tata Workers’ Union) in the late 1940s. Lal wasted little time in making an impress- ion among some heavywei- ght leaders of Jamshedpur’s trade union.

“He always believed in solving the problems than sitting over them. Lal was never jittery and always showed immense mental strength in tackling tricky situations,” one of his acquaintance recalled.

Advanced age did make a dent in his aggressive speeches, which he delivered from different forums. Lal had become almost inaudible as he experienced great difficulty in speaking. “Though he was gripped by different health complications for some years, Lal was never short on wits.

Sometime he lost his cool, but also regained his composure in quick time,” those close to him added.

Lal had lengthy stints in various capacities as a trade union leader. He served Telco Workers’ Union as its general secretary for close to three decades.

He was also the national general secretary of Intuc apart form being a member of the governing body of International Labour Union. Lal was also in the thick of things by being associated with different trade union bodies, including International Conference of Federation of Trade Union.

He also headed Tinplate Workers’ Union as well as Indian Steel and Wire Products Union.

Rich tributes were paid to Lal on his demise. “It’s a loss for the nation. Lal’s contribution cannot be forgotten in a hurry. He was involved in labour movement for almost 60 years. I have lost a personal friend,” said Sanjeeva Reddy, national president of the Intuc.

Rajendra Prasad, the national general secretary of the Intuc, also said the national has lost an able trade union leader and it would be difficult to fill the void left by him.

Tata Workers’ Union (TWU) president Raghunath Pandey stated that Gopeshwar attained national and international stature due to his reputation as a true trade union leader. “People were asking me about Gopeshwar when I was in Japan some months back. People abroad still have fond memories about him. It would be very difficult to fill the vacuum left by his demise,” he added.

Senior trade union leader Rakeshwar Pandey also came up with glowing tribute. “It's a great loss to the Intuc as well as the labour movement. Gopeshwar spent almost his entire life for the sake of workers,” he said. TWU vice-president Shailesh Singh stated that Gopeshwar's passing away was a heavy loss to the entire trade union fraternity.