Frances O'Grady to become TUC's first female general secreta

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Frances O'Grady to become TUC's first female general secretary http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012 ... sfeed=true" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



Frances O'Grady has been elected unopposed as the TUC's first female general secretary.

O'Grady will become general secretary designate at the TUC Congress in Brighton in September and take over the reins from Brendan Barber when he retires at the end of the year after 10 years at the helm.

O'Grady described her appointment as a "great honour" and vowed to use her position to ensure the TUC continued to speak up for working people.

It is the second time she has made trade union history, having been elected as the union umbrella body's first deputy general secretary in 2003.

"Never has a strong, responsible trade union movement been so needed," she said. "With austerity policies biting hard and with no evidence that they are working, people at work need the TUC to speak up for them now more than ever.

"We must be the advocates of the growth and jobs alternative, and with the policy prescriptions of the last 30 years increasingly discredited, we have the best opportunity in a generation to help build a fair, productive and green economy that works for ordinary people."

O'Grady was the only candidate nominated by unions – with 32 of the 54 affiliated unions putting her name forward.

During her tenure as deputy, she has led a wide range of policy areas, including trade union recruitment and organisation, inter-union relations, services to members, and the campaign against the government's health reforms.

Widely seen as an effective negotiator and public speaker, the 52-year-old has been an active trade unionist and campaigner all her working life having first joined a trade union while still a schoolgirl doing part-time jobs.

A graduate in politics and modern history, O'Grady first worked in the charity sector before beginning full-time work at the Transport and General Workers' Union from 1989, where she worked on campaigns to stop the abolition of the Agricultural Wages Board and for the introduction of a national minimum wage.

In 1994 she was appointed TUC campaigns officer and ran initiatives for equal rights for part-timers and against low pay, while in 1997 she was appointed to lead the new unionism campaign and launched the TUC's Organising Academy.

[fishtank]

It doesn't fill me with hope to see another "career" union official take over the reigns at the TUC.
Barber simply managed decline....let's hope Frances has slightly higher ambitions for the trade union movement.

[Bahia Feliz]

Blimey i thought it said PAUL O'Grady at 1st !

[dvbuk55]

Blimey i thought it said PAUL O'Grady at 1st !

He's a tranny comedian isn't he?

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Congratulations to Frances O’Grady, first woman TUC General Secretary http://www.cwu.org/news/archive/congrat ... etary.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

10th July 2012

CWU has sent best wishes and warm congratulations to Frances O'Grady who has been confirmed as the successor to Brendan Barber as TUC General Secretary. Frances will take over at the end of this year when Brendan retires.

Ms O'Grady, who is the TUC's current Deputy General Secretary, was the only candidate nominated by unions and will become General Secretary Designate at the 144th Congress in Brighton this September. She will be the first woman General Secretary in the history of the organisation.

Frances O'Grady said: "This is a great honour. Never has a strong responsible trade union movement been so needed. With austerity policies biting hard and with no evidence that they are working, people at work need the TUC to speak up for them now more than ever.

"We must be the advocates of the growth and jobs alternative. And with the policy prescriptions of the last 30 years increasingly discredited, we have the best opportunity in a generation to help build a fair, productive and green economy that works for ordinary people.

"Brendan has been a great servant of the TUC, well-respected both within and beyond our ranks, and he leaves a firm foundation on which to build."

Congratulating Frances, CWU General Secretary Billy Hayes said: "This is the best decision for the TUC. Frances has our full confidence and will be a fantastic TUC General Secretary.

"Brendan Barber will be hard act to follow as he has overseen some major events in the trade union movement and is well respected in many quarters. We wish him well and look forward to working with Frances in her new role which is soundly deserved."

About Frances O'Grady:

Frances will be the first woman General Secretary of the TUC. She has been an active trade unionist and campaigner all her working life. She has been employed in a range of jobs from shop work to the voluntary sector.

Before the TUC, Frances worked for the Transport and General Workers Union where she worked on successful campaigns to stop the abolition of the Agricultural Wages Board and for the introduction of a national minimum wage, equal pay for women, and on a range of industrial wage claims.

In 1994 Frances was appointed as TUC Campaigns Officer and ran campaigns for equal rights for part-timers and against low pay. In 1997, she was appointed to head up the New Unionism campaign and launched the TUC's Organising Academy. As well as driving new recruitment campaigns in call centres, supermarkets and new media, the Academy set out to attract a generation of new 'young guns' into the union movement and shift the 'male, pale and stale' stereotype to a profile that better fits a 6,000,000 plus membership that is now 50:50 men and women.

Frances went on to head up the TUC's organisation department in 1999 and reorganised local bargaining for skills projects into the unified national brand of unionlearn, which has grown to help 250,000 workers into learning every year - a track record of success that continues to attract the support of hundreds of employers and public funding from the government.

As Deputy General Secretary since 2003, Frances led on winning the 2012 Principles of

Co-operation Agreement with the Olympic Authorities, guaranteeing on-site minimum standards for local jobs, health and safety and the London living wage. Frances has also led on industrial policy, arguing the case for a strategic approach to rebalancing the economy in the wake of the financial crash. Fair pay remains a core ambition and she represents the TUC on the Low Pay and the High Pay Commissions, and on the Resolution Foundation's Commission on Living Standards. Frances is a strong believer in protecting the public service ethos, opposes privatisation and leads the TUC campaign to save the NHS.

Frances was born in Oxford, has two adult children and lives in North London.

[AlbertoGranado]

Nice wee £104k salary to go with it