TUC elects new leader

In December 2002, Brendan Barber was elected as the next general secretary of the UK's Trades Union Congress. He will take over from John Monks in May 2003 when the latter becomes general secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation.

On 18 December 2002, the general council of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) elected Brendan Barber as the organisation’s next general secretary. Mr Barber, who has worked at the TUC’s head office since 1975 and has been the deputy general secretary since 1993, will succeed the current general secretary, John Monks, at the end of May 2003. Mr Monks is to become the general secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) on the retirement of the present incumbent, Emilio Gabaglio (UK0205101N).

In political terms, Mr Barber’s succession as TUC leader is widely seen as representing continuity with his predecessor’s 'moderate' and 'modernising' approach to trade union leadership. Both are strong advocates of 'new unionism', emphasising the need for partnership with employers, positive relations with the government and innovative union organising strategies. The Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and Digby Jones, director-general of the Confederation of British Industry, both welcomed Mr Barber’s election.

In October 2002, after it was confirmed that Mr Monks would be leaving the TUC to head the ETUC, the TUC general council agreed the arrangements and timetable for the election of his successor as TUC general secretary. Under the TUC’s rules, its general secretary is elected by Congress - the TUC’s annual conference. In order to have a general secretary-elect in place by the end of 2002, rather than wait until the September 2003 Congress, affiliated unions were asked to submit nominations for the post by mid-December. If at that time there was only one candidate, or one candidate had received nominations from unions representing an absolute majority of affiliated members, that candidate would be declared elected. If there was more than one candidate, and no candidate received the backing of a majority, then a special TUC Congress would take place to elect the new general secretary.

In the event, Mr Barber was the only candidate nominated. He was nominated by 41 out of the TUC’s 69 affiliated unions, representing 96% of the TUC’s 6,695,000 affiliated members.

Mr Barber said: 'I am delighted to have been elected as the TUC’s next general secretary, and proud to have secured the support of so many unions in the nominating process. I’m in no doubt about the scale of the challenges that face the TUC. But I’m in no doubt either about the fundamental and continuing importance of trade unionism in the life of the British people.'

At a press conference following the confirmation of his election, Mr Barber said that one of his immediate challenges was to improve relations between trade unions and the government: 'We have to engage with government in new ways. That means knowing how to say when they get it wrong in a way that makes them think again. And it means being ready to partner this government through bad times as well as good. This is the most pro-union, pro-working people government on offer today. We can help them handle things even better if we can get our relationship with them in better order.'