General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress
The General Secretary of the TUC is the chief permanent officer of the Trades Union Congress, and a major figurehead in the trade union movement in the United Kingdom.
The Secretary is responsible for the effective operation of the TUC and for leading implementation of policies set by the annual Congress and the organisation's General Council. They also serve as the TUC's chief representative, both with the public and with other organisations.
The position was formed in 1921, when the Parliamentary Committee of the TUC became the General Council. The position of Secretary has been a permanent, full-time position in the TUC since 1904. Before that, the Secretary was elected annually at Congress.
Between January 2013 and December 2022, the incumbent position was held by Frances O'Grady, the first woman to hold the post. O'Grady was succeeded by the current General Secretary, Paul Nowak – the Deputy General Secretary during O'Grady's leadership – on 29 December 2022.[1][2]
Secretaries of the Parliamentary Committee of the TUC
edit- William Henry Wood (1868–1869)
- George Potter (1869–1872)
- George Odger (1872–1873)
- George Howell (1873–1876)
- Henry Broadhurst (1876–1885)
- George Shipton (1885–1886)
- Henry Broadhurst (1886–1890)
- Charles Fenwick (1890–1894)
- Sam Woods (1894–1905)
- W. C. Steadman (1905–1911)
- C. W. Bowerman (1911–1921)
General Secretaries of the TUC
edit- Status
| Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Union | Honour(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
C. W. Bowerman (1851–1947) |
10 September 1921 | 8 September 1923 | ||
|
Fred Bramley (1874–1925) |
8 September 1923 | 10 October 1925 (Died in Office) |
||
|
Walter Citrine (1887–1983) |
10 October 1925 | 11 September 1926 | Baron Citrine in 1946 | |
| 11 September 1926 | 21 October 1946 | ||||
|
Vincent Tewson (1898–1981) |
21 October 1946 | 6 September 1960 | ||
|
George Woodcock (1904–1979) |
6 September 1960 | 26 February 1969 | ||
|
Vic Feather (1908–1976) |
26 February 1969 | 2 September 1969 | Baron Feather for Life in 1974 | |
| 2 September 1969 | 7 September 1973 | ||||
|
|
Len Murray (1922–2004) |
7 September 1973 | 7 September 1984 | Baron Murray of Epping Forest for Life in 1975 | |
|
|
Norman Willis (1933–2014) |
7 September 1984 | 10 September 1993 | ||
|
John Monks (1945–) |
10 September 1993 | 29 May 2003 | Baron Monks for Life in 2010 | |
|
|
Brendan Barber (1951–) |
29 May 2003 | 31 December 2012 | ||
|
Frances O'Grady (1959–) |
1 January 2013 | 29 December 2022 | Baroness O'Grady of Upper Holloway for Life in 2022 | |
|
Paul Nowak (1972–) |
29 December 2022 | Present | ||
Deputy General Secretaries of the TUC
edit- 1977: Norman Willis
- 1985: Kenneth Graham
- 1987: John Monks
- 1993: Brendan Barber
- 2003: Frances O'Grady
- 2013: Post vacant[3]
- 2016: Paul Nowak[4]
- 2022: Post vacant
Assistant General Secretaries of the TUC
edit- 1917: Fred Bramley
- 1924: Walter Citrine
- 1926: Alec Firth
- 1931: Vincent Tewson
- 1947: George Woodcock
- 1960: Vic Feather
- 1969: Len Murray
- 1973: Norman Willis
- 1978: Kenneth Graham and David Lea
- 1985: Roy Jackson and David Lea
- 1992: David Lea
- 1999: Post vacant
- 2003: Kay Carberry
- 2013: Kay Carberry and Paul Nowak
- 2016: Post vacant[4]
- 2022: Kate Bell[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Moss, Rob (2022-07-12). "TUC announces Paul Nowak as general secretary". Personnel Today. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
- ^ "Strikes: Ministers refusing to negotiate on pay, says union body". 29 December 2022. Retrieved 29 December 2022 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ Dan Milmo, "TUC scraps post of deputy general secretary after 'graduates only' row", The Guardian, 9 December 2012
- ^ a b Trades Union Congress, "Paul Nowak appointed TUC Deputy General Secretary", 25 February 2016
- ^ "Kate Bell appointed as new Assistant General Secretary of the TUC". Trades Union Congress. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
