The General Secretary of the TUC is the chief permanent officer of the Trades Union Congress, and a major figurehead in the trade union movement in the United Kingdom.
The Secretary is responsible for the effective operation of the TUC and for leading implementation of policies set by the annual Congress and the organisation's General Council. They also serve as the TUC's chief representative, both with the public and with other organisations.
The position was formed in 1921, when the Parliamentary Committee of the TUC became the General Council. The position of Secretary has been a permanent, full-time position in the TUC since 1904. Before that, the Secretary was elected annually at Congress.
Between January 2013 and December 2022, the incumbent position was held by Frances O'Grady, the first woman to hold the post. O'Grady was succeeded by the current General Secretary, Paul Nowak – the Deputy General Secretary during O'Grady's leadership – on 29 December 2022.[1] [2]
| Portrait | Name | Term of office | Union | Honour(s) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C. W. Bowerman | 10 September 1921 | 8 September 1923 | |||||
| Fred Bramley | 8 September 1923 | 10 October 1925 | |||||
| Walter Citrine | bgcolor=#E6E6AA align=center | 10 October 1925 | bgcolor=#E6E6AA align=center | 11 September 1926 | Baron Citrine in 1946 | ||
| 11 September 1926 | 21 October 1946 | ||||||
| Vincent Tewson | 21 October 1946 | 6 September 1960 | |||||
| George Woodcock | 6 September 1960 | 26 February 1969 | |||||
| Vic Feather | bgcolor=#E6E6AA align=center | 26 February 1969 | bgcolor=#E6E6AA align=center | 2 September 1969 | Baron Feather for Life in 1974 | ||
| 2 September 1969 | 7 September 1973 | ||||||
| Len Murray | 7 September 1973 | 7 September 1984 | Baron Murray of Epping Forest for Life in 1975 | ||||
| Norman Willis | 7 September 1984 | 10 September 1993 | |||||
| John Monks | 10 September 1993 | 29 May 2003 | Baron Monks for Life in 2010 | ||||
| Brendan Barber | 29 May 2003 | 31 December 2012 | |||||
| Frances O'Grady | 1 January 2013 | 29 December 2022 | Baroness O'Grady of Upper Holloway for Life in 2022 | ||||
| Paul Nowak | 29 December 2022 | Present | |||||
1977: Norman Willis
1985: Kenneth Graham
1987: John Monks
1993: Brendan Barber
2003: Frances O'Grady
2013: Post vacant[3]
2016: Paul Nowak[4]
2022: Post vacant
1917: Fred Bramley
1924: Walter Citrine
1926: Alec Firth
1931: Vincent Tewson
1947: George Woodcock
1960: Vic Feather
1969: Len Murray
1973: Norman Willis
1978: Kenneth Graham and David Lea
1985: Roy Jackson and David Lea
1992: David Lea
1999: Post vacant
2003: Kay Carberry
2013: Kay Carberry and Paul Nowak
2016: Post vacant
2022: Kate Bell[5]