Airline pilots' union elects its first female general secretary

Airline pilots' union BALPA has joined the ranks of unions with female general secretaries by electing Amy Leversidge to the post unopposed.

It is the first time the 5,300-member union has elected a woman to lead it in its 86-year history.

Leversidge took over from Miranda Rackley, who acted as interim general secretary after Captain Martin Chalk retired last year. She was previously the assistant general secretary at the FDA senior civil servants' union, and earlier still worked at the Royal College of Midwives.

Leversidge described it as "a privilege" to be BALPA's general secretary and its first female one in history.

She said: "I will work tirelessly for every member to ensure pilots are valued by all of our employers; to ensure we are influential around the opportunities and challenges in the future of the aviation industry; and most importantly that we focus on BALPA's core principles of safety, strength and unity."

Meanwhile Emma Case has started work as general secretary of the 12,000-member NGSU - the union for staff at the Nationwide Building Society Group - having taken over from Tim Rose who served from 2020.

And Anna Ganley is to be the new chief executive of the (non-TUC) Society of Authors when current incumbent Nicola Solomon retires in April.