Primary contributors
The Stronger Unions blog is primarily authored by staff from the TUC’s Organising Team.
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Alice Hood
I’m Head of the TUC's Equality and Strategy Department. Before that, I worked as TUC Director of Strategy, and as a TUC senior policy officer on public services, as well as a policy officer for the Local Government Association, for the European Parliamentary Labour Party and a full-time elected student union officer.
Web site: http://www.tuc.org.uk
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Amina Khatun
Amina is a Policy and Campaigns Support Officer in the Organisation and Services department. She blogs about public service campaigns. Previously she has worked for a number of policy and campaigning organisations, including UNISON and IPPR. Outside work she is doing a PhD at SOAS, on gender and Islamic-personhoods.
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Bill Adams
Bill Adams is Regional Secretary for the TUC in the Yorkshire and The Humber region.
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Clare Coatman
I'm a Campaigner for the TUC focusing on reaching out to Britain’s young core workers and improving their experience of work. I am an experienced campaigner and activist having worked on issues ranging from democratic reform to food banks and intergenerational justice.
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Elena Crasta
I’m the TUC European officer and I am based in Brussels, where I represent the TUC in the European Union, working with the European TUC and sister organisations across Europe, the European Commission, Parliament and Council. I’m particularly interested in the European dimension of the work the TUC does around workers’ rights and welfare, the economy, taxation policy and more generally the debate about UK membership of the EU. I’ve been at the TUC for 10 years, during which I’ve also worked for our Southern and Eastern region and as employment rights officer.
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Elly Gibson
I am a Media and Campaigns officer at the TUC, where I write press releases and briefings, handle media enquiries, prepare TUC spokespeople for interviews and run media training for new staff. I’ve been at the TUC for 10 years, before that working as a press officer for children’s charities. My spare time is mostly taken up by my two toddlers, but I enjoy sewing, reading and cheering on Manchester City FC.
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Frances O'Grady
Frances O'Grady is General Secretary of the TUC, and is the first woman ever to hold this post. She was on the Resolution Foundation's Commission on Living Standards, and has been a member of the Low Pay and the High Pay Commissions. Frances is a strong believer in protecting the public service ethos, opposes privatisation and leads TUC campaigning on the NHS. You can read Frances' full biography at the TUC website.
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Gareth Hathway
Gareth is Policy and Campaigns Officer for the Wales TUC.
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Hugh Robertson
Hugh Robertson is the Senior Policy Officer for Health and Safety at the TUC. For nine years he was a member of the board of the Health and Safety Executive and is currently a member of the Government’s Industrial Injuries Advisory Council. He is a member of the board of the European Agency for Health and Safety. Hugh also represents UK unions on the European Commission’s Health and Safety Advisory Committee, chairing its Occupational Diseases Working Panel and is Vice-chair of the Panel of Experts on Occupational Diseases of the International Labour Organisation.
Web site: http://www.tuc.org.uk/h_and_s
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Huma Munshi
Huma Munshi leads on disability and LGBT equality policy at the TUC. She has almost 10 years' experience working in equality policy in a political environment and previously worked at the Greater London Authority.
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John Wood
I’m Digital Manager at the TUC, working on campaigns and communications online. I’m always tinkering with the system behind this blog (so if something’s broken it’s likely my fault) and on housekeeping duties to help out other contributors. I’ve been at the TUC since 2002, and before joining the team here, I worked on websites, eCommerce and online campaigning for Oxfam GB.
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Kam Gill
I am a policy and campaigns support officer at the TUC. I have previously worked as a policy advisor for the Electoral Commission and as a research and policy analyst at the race equality think tank The Runnymede Trust.
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Kathryn Mackridge
I am a policy and campaigns support officer in the Organisation and Services Department. I blog about young workers, public services and union organising. Before the TUC I worked in local government on housing, education and social care, and at Oxfam Cymru on UK poverty.
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Kay Carberry
I am Assistant General Secretary of the TUC, and I’m responsible for the TUC’s internal management and overseeing our work on pensions and equality. I have served on a number of government advisory bodies on equality, education, training and employment, and have been a member of the Women and Work Commission and a Commissioner of the Equal Opportunities Commission. I am currently a Commissioner of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, as well as a Trustee of One Parent Families, the People’s History Museum and the Work Foundation.
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Kevin Rowan
I'm Head of Organisation and Services at the TUC, promoting trade unionism and campaigning on behalf of working people. I work with trade unions to campaign for better public services, delivered under public ownership, health, safety and wellbeing at work and stronger unions.
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Lee Barron
Lee Barron is the regional secretary for the Midlands TUC. Based in the Midlands TUC’s Birmingham office, Lee is the TUC’s senior representative across the Midlands region. He previously served the postal and telecom workers union, CWU, at local level and then on to Regional level for 26 years, leading high profile campaigns against the privatisation of the Royal Mail and advancing terms and conditions for thousands of workers. He was the youngest Official within the CWU and has vast experience and influence within the labour movement.
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Matt Dykes
I am the TUC's Senior Policy Officer for Public Services and lead the TUC's work on the joint union All Together for the NHS campaign. I've worked at the TUC for 10 years covering public services, transport and civil society. Before joining the TUC I worked for the Mayor of London as well as several years in the civil service. I’ve been an active rep for both PCS and UNISON, and was also a founder member of Justice for Colombia.
Web site: http://www.strongerunions.org
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Matthew Creagh
Matthew Creagh is a TUC employment rights policy officer, covering labour market enforcement, employment tribunal fees and family friendly rights. Before this, he project managed the TUC union modernisation fund project on precarious employment and is currently leading research to better understand the challenges that young, working parents face. He also previously worked in the learning and skills arm of the TUC, unionlearn, helping unions negotiate good quality apprenticeships with employers. Matthew completed a LLM in Labour Law from King's College London in July 2015.
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Megan Dobney
Megan Dobney is Regional Secretary for the TUC in South East and Eastern England (SERTUC).
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Michael Pidgeon
Michael is a press officer at the TUC. He previously worked as a digital campaigner at the TUC, a policy officer with Friends of the Earth in Brussels, and in various parliamentary roles in Ireland and the EU. He's also a member of the NUJ and London Cycling Campaign.
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Owen Tudor
I’ve been the Head of the TUC’s European Union and International Relations Department since 2003 and have worked at the TUC since 1984. I’ve been a member of the Health and Safety Commission, the Civil Justice Council, the Social Security Advisory Committee and the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council and now I’m on the FCO’s Wilton Park Advisory Council. I’m particularly interested in the trade union movements of Australia, Iran and Iraq, the Middle East and the USA, and I’m interested in migration, trade, and building trade union capacity. I’m the Secretary of TUC Aid, the TUC’s charitable union development arm and on the Robin Hood Tax campaign steering committee. I’m a Director of the Ethical Trading Initiative. My wife Sarah works in education on development and external affairs and my son Charles is training to be a cook. I’m a season ticket holder at Saracens, and a member of the Wine Society and the GMB. I also contribute to the Touchstone blog.
Web site: http://www.tuc.org.uk/international
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Paul Nowak
I was appointed as Assistant General Secretary of the TUC in February 2013. I lead on a number of key policy areas and have responsibility for the TUC’s regional councils, organising and inter-union relations. Prior to taking up this appointment, I headed the TUC’s Organisation & Services department, leading on issues including public services, and playing a key role in the TUC’s broader campaigning work.
Web site: http://www.strongerunions.org
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Rosa Crawford
I’m a Policy Officer in the International Relations and European Union Department dealing with issues around trade, migration, ethical supply chains and South and East Asia.
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Scarlet Harris
I'm the TUC’s Women’s Equality Officer, based in the Equality and Employment Rights Department. I joined the organisation in 2009 and work on policy issues such as maternity rights; representation of women in unions; occupational segregation; women in the labour market; equal pay; sex discrimination and family policy.
Web site: http://www.tuc.org.uk
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Stephen Russell
Stephen Russell is currently working as International Policy Officer covering Latin America, China, the International Labour Organisation and the Playfair campaign. Prior to this Stephen worked in unionlearn, the TUC’s learning and skills organisation, where he managed a range of projects covering maths, learning centres, the Union Learning Fund, management information and digital inclusion. Stephen has worked in a variety of departments across the TUC, spanning 18 years.
Web site: http://www.tuc.org.uk
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Tanya Warlock
Tanya Warlock is a Policy & Campaigns Support Officer in the European Union & International Relations Department. Prior to this she was the Project Worker for the Local Migration Messaging Project, working in three geographically spread areas, Corby, Manchester and Southampton campaigning to convey positive messages around migration in the lead up the General Election.
Guest contributors
The blog also periodically features topical guest posts from external policy experts in different areas. Guest posts are intended to widen debate and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the TUC or its policy staff. Guest authors have included:
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Abdullah Muhsin: International Officer, NASUWT
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Alistair Smith: International Coordinator, Banana Link
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Angela Eagle: Shadow Business Secretary
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Aveen McHugh: Aveen Mchugh is a full time official with Prospect
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Becky Wright: Director, Unions 21
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Bert Schouwenburg: International Officer, GMB
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Bryony Hamblin: Bryony Hamblin, 21, addressed the Welsh Assembly during the TUC's Fair Pay Fortnight campaign
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Caroline Milton: Macmillan at Work Delivery Manager
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Caroline Murphy: Former Deputy Chair, Murphys construction
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Chris Clarke: Strategist, the Campaign Company
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Christina McAnea: Head of Health, UNISON
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Chris Wright: ESRC Placement Fellow, University of Cambridge
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Dan Lewis: CWU Union Rep
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Daniel Draper: Filmmaker
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Dave Prentis: General Secretary, UNISON
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Elly Baker: Organiser, GMB
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Emily Kenway: Co-ordinator, Amazon Anonymous
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Emily Stewart: Regional Officer, Musicians' Union
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Esther Lynch: Confederal Secretary, ETUC
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Gail Cartmail: Acting General Secretary, Unite
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Heather Wakefield: Head of Local Government, UNISON
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Ignacio Doreste: Youth Officer, ETUC
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Jess Hurd: Freelance photojournalist
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John Earls: Head of Research, Unite
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Jonathan White: Jonathan White is Bargaining and Negotiations Official at UCU
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Karen Smith: President, SoR
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Kiri Tunks: Teacher in Tower Hamlets
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Laurent Vogel: Senior Researcher, ETUI
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Lawrence Chapple-Gill: Organiser, Unite
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Leslie Manasseh: TUC President 2014/15. DGS, Prospect
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Luke Primarolo: Regional Officer, Unite
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Lynne Harwood: Writer and director
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Maddy Radcliff: Campaigns Officer, Musicians' Union
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Maria Exall: Chair of the TUC LGBT Committee
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Martin Smith: National Organiser, GMB
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Michelle Stanistreet: General Secretary, NUJ
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Mick Rix: National Officer, GMB
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Mohammad Taj: TUC President, 2013/14
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Naomi Pohl: AGS, Musicians' Union
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Neil Foster: GMB Policy and Campaigns Officer
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Nick Scott: Digital Manager, UNISON
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Paul Booth: Exec Assistant to President, AFSCME
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Paul Stewart: Paul Stewart is Prospect Union National Trust Branch President
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Rafael Joseph Maramag: Campaign for Human Rights in the Philippines.
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Rehana Azam: Rehana is GMB NHS National Officer
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Rosa Ellis: Communications Officer, UNISON
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Sabita Banerji: Sabita Banerji is the Knowledge and Learning Advisor at the Ethical Trading Initiative
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Sally Hunt: General Secretary, UCU
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Sharan Burrow: General Secretary, ITUC
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Stephen Cavalier: Chief Executive, Thompsons Solicitors
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Stuart Howard: Assistant General Secretary, ITF
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Tom Zaniello: US author and educator
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Tony Burke: Assistant General Secretary, Unite
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Tony Dykes: Director, ACTSA
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Tracey Lambert: Head of health, UNISON Eastern