Search

Date: 1^st April 2004

Embargo: 00:01am 2^nd April 2004

Attention: Newsdesks, Business Editors, Women’s Correspondents

Felicity Williams Announced as Next Wales TUC General Secretary

Felicity Williams will take over the leadership of the Wales TUC following the retirement of David Jenkins on April 30^th.

The Wales TUC General Secretary leads a trade union movement in Wales representing half a million workers, which at around 40% of the working population is the highest density in the UK.

Brendan Barber , TUC General Secretary believes that today’s announcement also signals a real dent in the glass ceiling for women in the trade union movement in Wales.

'I very much welcome Felicity’s appointment. The trade union movement in Wales has a proud record of campaigning for equal pay and against sex discrimination, but we have been much less good at appointing women to senior levels in the movement itself. That is why today’s appointment is a real advance, even though we all know that we have much further to go.'

Felicity Williams said, 'It is a real honour and a big responsibility to take up this post.

'The challenges that we have in Wales, to give men and women a better deal at work, to improve our public services and to create a successful economy are challenges that trade unions want to play a full part in delivering.

'In Wales, half a million workers are members of trade unions, and I will be working hard to ensure that a fair deal for them and their families at work is top of our agenda'.

Felicity Williams biography

Felicity was educated at Aberdare Girls Grammar School and went on to qualify as a Biomedical Scientist. She was awarded Fellowship of the Institute of Biomedical Scientists at Bristol University in 1988 and was Deputy Head of Microbiology for the Welsh Blood service for 10 years.

An active trade union member Felicity was President of MSF in Wales for some 6 years before taking up the post of Assistant General Secretary to the Wales TUC in April 2000.

Her particular interests include training and development, fairness at work, equality issues and the NHS. She is a director of the Institute of Welsh Affairs, and a member of the Objective 1 Monitoring Committee. In addition she is a member of the Human Resources Thematic Advisory group for Objective 1.

She was appointed as a Non-Executive Director of the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust in May 2002. She is also Chair of the board of the Wales Social Partners Unit which has been established to assist trade unions and business groups to influence policy development in Wales. Felicity was appointed to the Board of Governors of the University of Glamorgan in July 2002.

Felicity has been married to David for 23 years and lives in Aberdare.

_________________________________________________________________

Notes to Editors

• Media Enquiries: Darron Dupre 029 2034 7014 or ddupre@tuc.org.uk

• Felicity will be available for interview on April 1st and April 2nd.

• Where appropriate Felicity Williams can be shortened to Mrs Williams

Press release (600 words) issued 2 Apr 2004