Woman bids to lead largest union

An assistant general secretary of the Unite general union has become the first woman to throw her hat into the ring to become leader of the largest union in the country.

Gail Cartmail, currently responsible for the public sector section of Unite, hopes to be a candidate in this year’s election for a sole general secretary of the 1.6 million-member merged organisation. The winner will replace current joint general secretaries Derek Simpson, who retires at the end of this year, and Tony Woodley, who will retire next year.

Cartmail is putting herself forward on an “independent progressive platform” and not by any political grouping within the union. She hails from the Amicus side of the merger but places much emphasis on building unity inside the vast, multi-sector union.