Len McCluskey
| Len McCluskey | |
|---|---|
| General Secretary of Unite | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 1 January 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Derek Simpson Tony Woodley |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 7 November 1950 Liverpool, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour |
Len McCluskey (born 23 July 1950) is a British trade unionist who has been the General Secretary of Unite since 2011.[1] He previously spent some years working on the Liverpool Docks prior to becoming a full-time union official.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
McCluskey was born in Liverpool and went to the Cardinal Godfrey School in Anfield.[2][3] After leaving school as a teenager, he went to work for the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company and remained there for the next 11 years.[2]
He first became a trade unionist in 1968, whilst working on the docks.[4][5] He became a shop steward aged 19, and was a campaign organiser for the TGWU in Merseyside throughout the 1980s after becoming an officer of the union in 1979.[6][4] He supported Militant during the 1980s, but was not a member.[2] He has also been a member of the Labour Party since 1970.[2][4]
[edit] Trade unionist
He was elected as the National Secretary for the TGWU General Workers Group in 1990, and moved to London to work in the union headquarters.[4][2] He later became the TGWU's national organiser for the service industries in 2004.[4] In 2007, he was appointed as the Assistant General Secretary for Industrial Strategy for the newly merged Unite the Union.[4] He self-defines as being on the left of the union, and has been given the label "Red Len" in the press due to his involvement in Unite's dispute with British Airways.[6]
In 2010, McCluskey stood for election as General Secretary of Unite to replace joint-General Secretaries Derek Simpson and Tony Woodley who had announced their retirement. On 21 November 2010, it was announced that McCluskey had won the election.[4] Derek Simpson subsequently retired in December 2010, and Tony Woodley followed shortly afterwards, leaving McCluskey to take office as the General Secretary on 1 January 2011.[6] In 2013, McCluskey announced that he would be running for re-election as General Secretary.[7]
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.unitetheunion.org/news__events/latest_news/new_role_for_tony_woodley_uni.aspx?lang=en-gb
- ^ a b c d e Hernon, Ian (18 December 2009). "Ian Hernon speaks to union leader and ex-Liverpool docker Len McCluskey". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
- ^ Liverpool Echo - Len McCluskey voted new leader of trade union Unite
- ^ a b c d e f g "Len McCluskey chosen as new Unite leader". BBC News. 21 November 2010. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
- ^ Waddington, Marc (25 October 2010). "City trade union stalwart Len McCluskey in running for top Unite job". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
- ^ a b c Mann, Emily (13 September 2010). "Len McCluskey: Burning desire". New Statesman. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
- ^ http://www.unite4len.co.uk/re-elect-len-mccluskey/
[edit] External links
| Non-profit organization positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Derek Simpson Tony Woodley | General Secretary of Unite 2011–present | Incumbent |
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