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

General Secretaries of the TUC

Status
  Denotes Acting General Secretary
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

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

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

References

  1. ^ Moss, Rob (2022-07-12). "TUC announces Paul Nowak as general secretary". Personnel Today. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  2. ^ "Strikes: Ministers refusing to negotiate on pay, says union body". 29 December 2022. Retrieved 29 December 2022 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  3. ^ Dan Milmo, "TUC scraps post of deputy general secretary after 'graduates only' row", The Guardian, 9 December 2012
  4. ^ a b Trades Union Congress, "Paul Nowak appointed TUC Deputy General Secretary", 25 February 2016
  5. ^ "Kate Bell appointed as new Assistant General Secretary of the TUC". Trades Union Congress. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
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