I’m Joanne Thomas, General Secretary of USDAW – and it is my privilege to have been elected Chair of Labour Unions this week at Labour Party Conference.
I am particularly proud to be the first woman Chair, and I’m ready to hit the ground running, to be a strong voice for unions and our members. Labour Unions brings the voices of 4 million working people and their families to the heart of our Party, and together we can be an unstoppable force.
I’m clear about my priorities as Chair of Labour Unions:
- I’ll fight to deliver the New Deal in full, to change workers’ lives for the better.
- I’ll take on and expose Reform, because they’ll never deliver for working people.
- I’ll work to defend and strengthen the link between the Labour Party and unions, because better decisions are made when unions have a seat at the table.
I want to thank my predecessor, Mick Whelan, for everything he has done for the movement – working to deliver a Labour Government and negotiating Labour’s New Deal.
We are one movement – the labour movement – standing together to be a strong voice for working people.
Yours,
Joanne Thomas, Chair of Labour Unions