Ian Lawrence

Elected as General Secretary in the summer of 2013. Ian’s appointment was the first for many years of a senior trade union leader from the BAME community. He secured another term of office having been re-elected in June 2018.

Ian first joined Napo as Assistant General Secretary in 2008 from the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS). This followed service with its predecessor unions PTC and IRSF as an elected local and national representative and then full time official. His PCS career included a spell as Group Secretary to the 80,000 strong Revenue and Customs section of the union, and three years working in the Criminal Justice Sector. He spent two years working in the PCS Commercial Sector, negotiating with a wide range of private sector companies on behalf of members transferred there from the Civil Service on TUPE terms.

Ian’s current role includes being Chief Negotiator for Napo members working within the National Probation Service, the 21 Community Rehabilitation Companies, Cafcass and the Probation Board of Northern Ireland. He is also a member of the Executive Committee of the General Federation of Trade Unions.

Ian was elected unopposed to the TUC General Council in September 2018. He has represented Napo members by way of regular media appearances, speeches to various seminars covering a range of Criminal Justice issues and as a visiting presenter on Industrial Relations issues to CIPD students at the University of Westminster.

Ian lives in Biggin Hill, Kent.