* Those members who are also members of the Executive Committee are marked with an asterisk.
Mike Clancy is the General Secretary of PROSPECT union representing 140,000 professionals. In 2017 he was re-elected to serve a further five-year term.
Mike combines 30 years as a trade union officer with longstanding membership of the Employment Tribunal and the Employment Appeal Tribunal. Mike was appointed to the ACAS Council in 2016 and the Nuclear Industry Council in 2017
Michelle Codrington-Rogers was born and raised in Oxford. She was elected as the first full-time NUS Black Students Officer before training as a teacher of Citizenship. She became involved in trade union activity as a member of NASUWT-The teachers Union, first as a school rep, then as a local secretary and as Oxfordshire Federation secretary. Michelle has been elected to the TUC Race Relations committee since 2011 and chaired the annual TUC Black Workers Conference in 2018.
Michelle was elected as a national officer the NASUWT-The Teachers Union in 2018 and started her term as National President in 2020.
Before joining Nautilus (then known as NUMAST) in 2000, Mark Dickinson served at sea as a navigating officer and went on to work for the International Transport Workers' Federation latterly as Assistant General Secretary with responsibility for maritime activities.
Mark was elected General Secretary of Nautilus International in May 2009 upon the merger of Nautilus UK and Nautilus NL – creating a new transboundary trade union representing maritime professionals in the British and Dutch maritime industries. In 2011, Swiss maritime professionals joined Nautilus.
Mark was re-elected Nautilus GS in April 2017. He has served on the General Council since 2009.
Maria Exall is the Chair of the TUC LGBT+ Committee and is elected to represent LGBT+ trade unionists on the General Council. She is the Branch Secretary of CWU Greater London Combined.
Maria is also a Vice President of the Campaign for Trade Union Freedom and currently Chair of the Cutting Edge Consortium.
Sue Ferns is Senior Deputy General Secretary of Prospect.
Sue's responsibilities in Prospect include leading the union's work on Brexit; the changing world of work; energy policy; and on science, engineering and sustainability.
Sue has been a member of the TUC General Council since 2005, Deputy Chair of the Women’s Committee and a TUC Aid trustee. She has been an active member of the Trade Union Sustainable Development Advisory Committee since its inception, and is the General Council's lead on environment and sustainability.
She is also Chair of Unions 21.
Paul W Fleming is the General Secretary of Equity UK, the trade union representing more than 47,000 performers and creative practitioners working in the arts and entertainment industry.
Paul joined Equity in 2011 as the union's youngest organiser and went on to become Central London Theatres organiser. Prior to this, he worked across Yorkshire and the Humber in the UK for the general trade union Community.
He is also a Vice-President of the International Federation of Actors (FIA), a global federation of performers' trade unions, guilds and professional associations.
Martin is the Head of Employment Relations at the College of Podiatry and has previously worked as a union officer in the airline industry, telecoms and the civil service before moving onto to his current role covering members in the NHS and private healthcare.
Prior to becoming a trade union officer Martin was a lay rep for many years in the finance industry and joined a union on his first day at work in 1982.
When not working at the College Martin is a keen music fan and promotes live music events in London.
Steve Gillan was elected as General Secretary to the POA in May 2010. Previously, he held National positions such as Assistant General Secretary 2000- 2001, National Vice Chairman 2002-2006 and National Finance Officer 2006- 2010. A POA member for 24 years, holding local office as a trade union official whilst at Chelmsford, Bullwood Hall and Pentonville respectively.
Dr Jo Grady was elected General Secretary of the University and College Union in 2019. Previously she had been elected as member of the UCU National Executive Committee and the National Dispute Committee for USS pensions, and had served as a branch rep and officer at the universities of Leicester and Sheffield, where she was a Senior Lecturer in Employment Relations.
She was born in 1984 to a striking miner and, having attended Wakefield College, completed a PhD at the University of Lancaster on trade union responses to neoliberal pensions reforms. Alongside her work for UCU, she helps organise feminist anti-fascist assemblies and has served as a trustee of a domestic violence charity.
Charlie Gray represents Young Workers on the General Council.
Charlie joined the GMB whilst working as a Lunchtime Assistant at a local Secondary School and as an Exam Invigilator.
Since joining the GMB Charlie has been elected as Chair of GMB Northern Young Members Network and on to the GMB Young Members National Network Committee. Charlie is currently a Young Member's observer to the GMB's Central Executive Council.
Former Primary teacher and rep in North Tyneside.
Rep and officer since 2013 undertaking casework/negotiation.
Concluded disputes for members including an end to: submitting planning to SLT, displaying planning, fortnightly book scrutinise and numeric targets and campaigned for fair funding/pay/workload.
NEU National Executive and formerly NUT National Executive.
Awarded national Blair Peach Award for outstanding contribution to anti-racist work in 2017.
Represented Union on platforms in UK and abroad.
Elected Senior Vice President of National Education Union in 2020.
National President of National Education Union is September 2021.
Elected NEU General Secretary in 2023.
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.
Paddy Lillis is the General Secretary of Usdaw. He was elected General Secretary of the 435,000 strong Union in November 2017, taking up office on 2 July 2018.
Paddy served as Deputy General Secretary of Usdaw for 14 years. He co-ordinated the Union’s work on the very successful Organising Academy. In the last 14 years, the Union’s recruitment and organising strategy has helped Usdaw to grow by more than 100,000 members. Paddy is also a member of the Labour Party NEC.
Paddy has been an Usdaw member for over 35 years. He was appointed to the role of Usdaw Area Organiser in 1989. He worked as an Area Organiser at the Union's Bristol office for 8 years before becoming the Divisional Officer for South Wales and Western Division in 1997. He was elected as Deputy General Secretary in 2004.
Brian Linn has been a full time Trade Union Officer since 2005 and General Secretary of Aegis the Union since 2010. During that time he has been at the forefront of Aegis's evolution.
Working with the Deputy General Secretary, he designed and delivered a five year strategy to support Aegis' transition from a single employer staff association to an independent, TUC and STUC affiliated union which now represents members in a number of large financial institutions.
Aegis was further strengthened when two other unions Surge and Yisa merging with Aegis in 2014 and 2015.
Brian is chair of EWC's, on the GFTU executive, on the Union Learn board, SUL board and LGBT+ committee.
Annette is Head of Employment Relations at the British Dietetic Association (BDA). She is responsible for leading all aspects of trade union work for the association. She first became an active trade unionist at the age of 16 when as a working musician she joined the musicians’ union.
Annette has been both an elected and full-time trade union official for almost 30 years, primarily in the public sector and most recently in the NHS.
Having a long history of active equalities campaigning, Annette is passionate about achieving a fair and equal society for all, both in the UK and internationally. She has a strong commitment to a sustainable public services, particularly the NHS and education. She has a lifelong belief in the value of the arts and the contribution it can bring to achieving a civilised and questioning society.
In her spare time Annette continues to perform as a violinist as much as she can.
I am an Executive Council member of Unite the Union representing all Black, and Asian Ethnic Minority (BAEM) members and the National Chair of the Unite National and Regional Black and Asian Ethnic Minority Committee. I am devoted and an active union member for nearly two decades.
I have been instrumental in UNITE in bringing about changes for Women, BAEM, Disability, LGBT, Youth, Community members and Retired members and implementation of BAME (Black, and Asian Minority Ethnic) BAME Engagement Strategy that delivery and engage, motivate and mobilise BAME throughout the wider community. As a campaigner, I have supported various campaigns and demonstrations including fighting against racism and fascism, and the Tory Government austerity measures.
As a General Council Member, I will:
Ensure that issues affecting our Black and Asian Ethnic Minority membership are addressed. Continue to work in partnership with all trade unions to promote, represent and raise awareness and understanding of BAEM issues while respecting the diversity.
Promoting deeper thinking and more productively impactful action on equalities, fairness and respect for all
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Christina McAnea was elected General Secretary of UNISON in January 2021 – the first woman to ever hold the post. She was born in Glasgow and has worked in the trade union movement for most of her adult working life.
Known as a formidable negotiator and campaigner, Christina has already led national disputes and negotiations for workers in the NHS, local government, police, schools, universities and colleges, and the community and voluntary sector.
Christina has bold ambitions for a new deal for public services and public service workers, a national social care service, support for every single member, a National UNISON College and is determined to dismantle discrimination.
Gloria Mills is National Secretary for equalities at UNISON and a member of the Senior Management Group.
She is a past president of the TUC – the first Black woman to be elected to this position and has held several senior positions in over 25 years working in trade unions. Gloria is a formidable campaigner and negotiator for workers’ and trade union rights, equality and human rights.
Gloria has served as a Commissioner on the Commission for Racial Equality and Commission on Older Women. Gloria is a member of the Executive Committee, Women’s Committee, Chair of the Race Relations Committee and the Employment Appeal Tribunal.
She has been instrumental in campaigning for EU competence on equality and securing the European Union Article 13 Treaty of Amsterdam Race and Employment Framework Directives; leading development and implementation of work on the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry and Task Group and Unison's Equality and Race Strategy.
Gloria has a Masters degree in Business Administration and has written a range of articles and publications on equality, employment and institutional racism. In 2005, she was awarded the CBE for work on equal opportunities and the MBE in 1999 for services to the trade union movement.
In June 2018, Gloria was included in the Black Achievers Wall by Liverpool Museums
General Secretary of Accord since 1993 now representing members in the Lloyds Banking Group, Halifax plc, the Bank of Scotland, Scottish Widows, TSB, Sainsbury’s Bank and Equitable Life.
Member of TUC’s Executive Committee since 2012.
Also a trustee of TUC’s pension scheme, a director of Trade Union Fund Managers, executive member of IPA and a council member at Ruskin College.
Steve North is one of UNISON's two Vice Presidents for 2023-24. He is the Branch Secretary of Salford City UNISON and is one of five North West regional representatives on UNISON's National Executive Council.
Dave Penman was elected unopposed as FDA General Secretary in May 2012, and took up office on 2 July.
After leaving school, he started work as a civil servant in the Inland Revenue, before joining what is now the Department for Work and Pensions. He became increasingly active in his union – the National Union of Civil and Public Servants (NUCPS – now PCS) – and the Scottish Trade Union Congress, including serving on its General Council from 1992 to 1995.
In 1995, Dave left the civil service to become an organiser for the NUCPS, before joining the FDA staff as a national officer in 2000. He was subsequently promoted to the senior management team as Head of Operations, before becoming Deputy General Secretary.
As FDA Deputy General Secretary, he had responsibility for managing the civil service bargaining structures and operational side of the union. He led on all civil service-wide policy issues and negotiations for the FDA including pay, conditions of service, the Senior Civil Service and pensions.
Dave was elected onto the TUC General Council in September 2012. He has a strong interest in long-term structural public service reform, particularly around reward.
Dave enjoys theatre, crime fiction novels and following Partick Thistle football club.
Barbara Plant was elected as GMB National President in 2018 and re-elected in 2021.
Prior to being active in the union, Barbara was a Teaching Assistant in a South London primary school. When the Headteacher tried to change job descriptions, Barbara became the voice of support staff. Barbara then went on to become the GMB rep in that school from 2002, and in 2009 was seconded to her branch as the Education Convenor for the Local Authority.
Barbara has always championed the role of school support staff, wanting them to be recognised and properly rewarded for the work they do. She represented the GMB on the School Support Staff Negotiating Body when it was set up by the Labour Government in 2009 and chaired the National GMB School Support Staff Committee for 4 years.
As somebody who believes in lifelong learning, Barbara gained a MA in International Labour and Trade Union Studies in 2012 from Ruskin College.
Barbara has always been involved in the democracy of her union, sitting on the Southern Regional Equality Forum, Regional Council and CEC before her election to President. She has always highlighted the issue of under representation of equality strands in the union structures.
Naomi Pohl was elected General Secretary of the Musicians’ Union in March 2022 and is the first woman to take up the role in the Union’s almost 130 year history. She has worked in the arts sector in the UK for nearly 20 years representing creators and performers.
Naomi joined the MU in 2009, and has represented and championed the rights of musicians, songwriters and composers working across TV and film, the recorded music industry, in education, orchestras and theatre.
Since the Me Too movement started Naomi has been leading the Union’s Safespace service and the Union’s campaign to tackle sexual harassment in the music industry.
Naomi is currently campaigning for improved streaming royalties for performers as part of the MU’s #FixStreaming campaign, in conjunction with The Ivors Academy. She is also lobbying for access to music education for all young people, a musicians’ passport for touring in the EU and increased investment in arts funding.
Roy Rickhuss is General Secretary of Community. He became General Secretary Elect on 20 September 2013. In 2018, Roy was elected unopposed as General Secretary of Community for a second time.
Born and brought up in Wolverhampton, Roy first joined the ISTC, one of Community's founding unions, when he started working in a steel tube rolling mill in Wolverhampton in 1979.
Roy joined the ISTC, a founder union of Community, when he started work at Monmore Tubes in Wolverhampton in 1979. In 2004, the National Executive Council appointed Roy as Assistant General Secretary of the ISTC. Roy represents Community on the Labour Party's National Constitutional Committee and sits on the Finance and General Purposes Committee of the General Federation of Trade Unions. He is a member of the Textiles, Leather and Footwear social dialogue committees, Semta (the UK sector skills council for manufacturing) Metals Sector Strategy Group and UK Steel Council.
Dr Patrick Roach is Deputy General Secretary at NASUWT - The Teachers’ Union. He was formerly a teacher and lecturer in sociology, politics and equalities in further and higher education.
Patrick is an elected member of the World Executive Board of Education International.
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Originally from S Wales, Dean moved to London to teach in 1991 before becoming a national official with the MPO union in 1997. In 2001, he became a national officer with the PCS union, holding various positions. In 2013, he became Assistant General Secretary of Napo and was at the heart of their fight to overturn Grayling’s disastrous “Transforming Rehabilitation Revolution”. In December 2019, he took up his current post, heading the union arm at the Society of Radiographers.
Dean joined the TUC General Council in 2023 and sits as a GC member on the Race Relations Committee. He is also a Director of Unions21 and a Board member of the NHS Pension Scheme.
Mark Serwotka was first elected as General Secretary of PCS in 2000 straight from the ‘shop floor’. Starting work at 16 in the DHSS as a clerical officer, Mark served in the benefits service for 21 years, including seven years as a part time worker to enable him to look after his two children.
As well as Cardiff City FC, Mark’s passions include workers’ rights and protecting our public services from cuts and privatisation. After having a heart transplant in December 2016, he also recognises more than ever the need to defend our NHS.
.jpg "Gary Smith")
Gary Smith was elected General Secretary of GMB in June 2021. He has also recently taken on the role of Vice President at the Institute of Employment Rights in addition to being Chair of Action on Asbestos.
Gary Smith started out as a young members’ activist with GMB Scotland after starting work as an Apprentice Service Engineer for Scottish Gas aged 16. Gary was later involved in GMB Southern Region when working in the gas industry in South London. GMB gave Gary a bursary to attend Ruskin College and later Warwick University as a mature student. Gary has an MA Industrial Relations from Warwick University. In 1997 Gary started work for GMB as a Recruitment Officer in South London. Gary went on to be a fulltime Organiser in Brighton before becoming a Senior Officer based in Plymouth. In 2006 Gary returned to London as a National Officer before being appointed National Secretary for the Commercial Services Section.
Gary has dealt with most of the sections covered by GMB including Public Services, Shipbuilding & Repair, Aviation, Retail Distribution and Energy. In late 2015 Gary came home taking up the job as Scottish Secretary for GMB Scotland.
Gary was confirmed in post as Regional Secretary for GMB Scotland in February 2016.
Liz Snape has been Assistant General Secretary since November 2011 and has overseen UNISON's current recruitment drive. A devoted trade unionist of 26 years, political campaigning has been at the heart of all Liz's work at UNISON.
Liz worked as UNISON's Director of Policy and Public Affairs for five years prior to her promotion. Liz has contributed to numerous areas of union work; she has worked as a communications officer, a policy officer and a legal officer. Liz has served on the Health and Safety Commission,
the Women and Work Commission and continues to represent UNISON on the TUC Executive and General Council.
Liz has two daughters and is a committed Labour Party activist in her constituency of Enfield Southgate.
Claire Sullivan took up post as the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy’s Director of Employment Relations and Union Services in October 2014 .
A physiotherapist herself, Claire worked in the London NHS for 10 years, during which she was active as a CSP steward, before joining the CSP as Health Safety Officer in January 1995. Throughout her working life, as both a physiotherapist and committed trade unionist, Claire has maintained a passionate interest in the rights of disabled people at work. Claire has just completed ten years as a TUC representative on the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council and is also the Vice-Chair of Governors at a large further education college.
Niamh is the first elected Deputy General Secretary of the NEU.
Niamh is a qualified Youth Work and was inspired to train to be a teacher after working with young people in the criminal justice system. She has over 20 years’ experience teaching in schools and colleges, most recently teaching Criminology and Health & Social Care at Long Road Sixth Form College in Cambridge. Niamh has taught a range of qualifications and is a proud advocate for applied and technical education.
A lifelong trade unionist, Niamh is passionate about challenging discrimination and protecting access to education for all.
Steve is Assistant General Secretary at Unite. He sits on the TUC Executive Committee and General Council and is the TUC spokesperson on Europe, representing the TUC on the European Trade Union Confederation. Further, he represents Unite on the Executive and Management Committees of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF).
His union responsibilities include the industrial leadership of Unite’s Manufacturing Sectors alongside national responsibility for the development of the union’s community strategy and retired members organisation.
Steve leads on the coordination of support and solidarity for workers engaged in strategic disputes; both within Unite and the wider TUC / Labour movement and is the National Chair of the Peoples’ Assembly against Austerity.
Dave Ward became an activist in the Trade Union in 1976, progressing through the Postal Union holding a variety of positions at local and regional level. Member of the National Executive Committee in 2000, National Officer in 2001, Deputy General Secretary of the Postal Side of the CWU in June 2003, General Secretary of the Communication Workers’ Union June 2015.
Simon Weller started with British Rail as a teenager in 1987 and joined ASLEF immediately. After working as a driver's assistant, he qualified as a train driver in 1989. Since then, Simon served as a branch official, LDC (Shop Steward), company negotiator, Executive Committee member and left train driving in 2009.
He is now ASLEF's elected Assistant General Secretary responsible for covering for the General Secretary in his absence as well as education, equalities, pensions, recruitment and inter-union relations
Simon has been a member of the TUC General Council since the 2011 Congress.
Paul was elected General Secretary at the NAHT school leaders union in September 2017. He had been the Director of Representation and Advice at the NAHT for five years before.
Paul has been a trade unionist all his working life joining the banking union BiFU (later Unifi and now Unite). Paul was active in his union all his banking career and was Chair of the Lloyds TSB National Committee when he left to become an official at the FDA. Paul spent ten years at the FDA before leaving to join the NAHT.
Sarah Woolley is the General Secretary of the Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union, she became a member of the union when she started work as a weekend assistant at Bakers Oven, which later became Greggs and though not initially active within the union, she became a shop steward shortly after Greggs took over and became more active not only in the BFAWU but the wider union movement.
She was elected as a full time office in 2016, sitting on the unions national executive as the Women’s representative before that and was elected as the first Female General Secretary the union has at the end of 2019 and took up the role in 2020.
Matt Wrack is General Secretary of the Fire Brigades Union.
Matt was born in Manchester 1962 and joined the London Fire Brigade in 1983. He worked at various fire stations in East London and quickly became involved in the Fire Brigades Union, becoming a Branch Secretary in 1984. He served as a member of the FBU London Regional Committee 1988-2005, became London FBU Regional Organiser in 2002 and was elected Regional Secretary in 2004.
Matt was elected FBU Assistant General Secretary in March 2005 and was elected General Secretary in May 2005. He is the Employee Side Joint Secretary of the National Joint Council for Local Authority Fire and Rescue Services (NJC) and also for the Middle Managers' Negotiating Body (MMNB).
Matt is a member of the TUC General Council and the TUC Executive Committee.
Tony Wright was elected to the UNISON NEC in 2019 where he serves as Chair of the Policy Development and Campaigns committee, There for You, the UNISON Welfare charity board, and the UNISON Service Group Liaison committee.
Since 1994 Tony has worked in various roles in our NHS and since 2007, he has worked as a full-time elected branch officer and Staff Side Secretary. Tony has a strong commitment to working in partnership with employers, to achieve sustainable public services within local communities. Outside of work, Tony is the singer and lyricist with politically focused band The Hurriers. He also organises the annual May Day Festival of Solidarity music event in his hometown of Barnsley, which commemorates International Workers Day and raises funds for the Orgreave Truth and Justice campaign. Tony was one of the founding members of “We Shall Overcome”, a large group of musicians responsible for organising hundreds of live music events raising funds for local food banks across the 4 nations.
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