New general secretary for Britain’s third largest union
Members of the UK’s third largest union, the GMB general union, are to have a new general secretary for the first time in over a decade after electing Tim Roache (pictured right) as their new leader.
Roache, currently the union’s Yorkshire and North Derbyshire regional secretary, will succeed Paul Kenny, who is retiring, although the handover date had not been announced as Labour Research went to press.
He won the two-way fight last month taking 57% of the vote, with his opponent, North West and Irish regional secretary Paul McCarthy, securing 43%.
Meanwhile, voting is underway for the general secretary position in public services union UNISON where four candidates are fighting it out. Incumbent Dave Prentis is standing again and is being challenged by the union’s head of local government, Heather Wakefield, branch secretary for the London Borough of Barnet John Burgess and Knowsley branch secretary Roger Bannister. The ballot closes on 4 December.