{"id":23712,"date":"2020-09-15T16:00:50","date_gmt":"2020-09-15T15:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=23712"},"modified":"2020-09-16T11:33:58","modified_gmt":"2020-09-16T10:33:58","slug":"a-lifetimes-experience-fighting-for-working-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=23712","title":{"rendered":"\u00e2\u20ac\u015bA lifetime\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s experience fighting for working people\u00e2\u20ac\u0165"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Len McCluskey, Unite general secretary, has warmly congratulated Gail Cartmail on her election today (September 15) as the next president of the TUC.<\/p>\n

Gail, who is Unite assistant general secretary, will serve in the role for a year and preside over the next TUC\u00e2\u20ac\u017bCongress in September 2021. She will also chair the TUC\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s general council and executive committee.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bGail has been a key member of Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s leadership team for the past 10 years, since her appointment as our assistant general secretary for public services, finance, energy and construction,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 said McCluskey.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bShe has a lifetime of experience in fighting for working people, since she first became an activist in a trade union when she joined the publishing industry as a trainee.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0098Courage and bravery\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI hugely admire the ability, courage and bravery Gail has shown throughout her trade union career and I speak on behalf of our entire Unite family in saying how very proud I am of her election as TUC president. I know Gail will do a\u00c2\u00a0fantastic job, doing what she does best, standing up for equality, justice, fairness and international solidarity between workers.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

TUC\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u0098coolest President\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

TUC general secretary Frances O\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Grady agreed with Len McCluskey. She added, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe are delighted to have Gail as our President for next year. Gail may be the coolest President we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve had \u00e2\u20ac\u201c she’s an ice swimmer! It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a hobby that shows her tough streak, which I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen in her dedication to winning for working people too.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bShe takes on the role at an incredibly challenging time. Millions of people\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s livelihoods are at risk while the Prime Minister hesitates on the action needed to safeguard viable jobs. And there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s little effort from ministers to enforce the safety workers need to get back to workplaces.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe will work together to defend working people against the threat of mass unemployment. And we will campaign for government to enforce safe workplaces and to give all workers the flexibility and sick pay rights needed to beat coronavirus, so we can focus on rebuilding a stronger, fairer economy.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0098An enormous privilege\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Gail is delighted to take up the new position and says she \u00e2\u20ac\u0098can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t wait to get started.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt is an enormous privilege to be elected TUC President,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 says Gail.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI first joined a trade union aged 20 in my first publishing job, when I discovered that a male colleague doing the same job was paid more.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt was shortly before the Equal Pay Act came in, so I challenged it with HR and was told it was because he was married, \u00e2\u20ac\u0098with a wife\u00e2\u20ac\u2122. It was a lightbulb moment. I knew about racism, anti-Semitism, and homophobia, but a pay gap based on gender came as a complete shock.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI asked my father for advice and he said \u00e2\u20ac\u0098don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t moan at me \u00e2\u20ac\u201c join a union!\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Those words are as important now as they were then, and that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why I want to focus on two key themes during my presidency. To encourage more women to become active in their trade unions and to protect and promote the importance of young people in the workplace and help them become active in their unions. I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t wait to get started!\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n