Lynn Collins appointed new Regional Sec of NW TUC

Lynn Collins, Regional Secretary of the North West Trade Union Congress

A mother of two has been chosen as the new leader of one million trade union members in the North West.

Lynn Collins will become the new Regional Secretary of the North West Trade Union Congress in January 2013, following the retirement of Alan Manning after 27 years.

Lynn, aged 47, has spent a lifetime in the trade union movement after beginning her political activity in the early 1980’s in the peace movement and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament when she organised national demonstrations and ‘rock against the bomb’ events.

Lynn, who is currently Regional Official for the University and College Union, lives in Liverpool with her two children Max, aged 12 and Martha, aged 10.

Her appointment as Regional Secretary of the North West TUC underlines the increasingly strong women’s influence in the trade union movement. She will take over in the North West at the same time as Frances O’Grady becomes the TUC’s first ever woman General Secretary.

This new wave of women trade union leaders is changing the face of British trade unionism. The traditional stereotype of trade unionists as male, white and blue collar is now being overtaken by trade unionists who are women, of diverse ethnicity and working in the professions.

Lynn, who was educated at Childwall Valley Comprehensive and North East Liverpool Technical College, graduated from the University of Liverpool in 1986 and worked as a project manager at Plessey Telecommunications Ltd on Edge Lane Liverpool, where she was first elected as a convenor for the union TASS (now part of UNITE).

She chaired the union’s national youth committee, was a member of the TUC Youth Forum and was nominated three times for the TUC Youth Award.

In 1990, Lynn was appointed by the Society of Radiographers to lead their work in NHS Trust hospitals and was the union’s equality officer. She was elected to the TUC Women’s Committee and represented the TUC on the Government’s Women’s National Commission

Lynn was also twice a finalist in Cosmopolitan magazine’s ‘Women of Tomorrow ‘awards and was one of the Independent newspaper’s “Top 40 Women under 40”.

Following the birth of her son in 2000, Lynn became the representative for UNISON members in health and local government in the North West.

In 2007, Lynn moved to the Midlands to lead the National Union of Teachers Regional Office before returning to the North West with UCU to lead their work in Further Education colleges.

Lynn is a keen swimmer and committee member of her local swimming club, supporting her children who compete throughout the North West on behalf of the club.

So she is well used to swimming against the tide – a strength she will draw on as cuts in public services bite and youth unemployment soars.

She paid tribute to Alan Manning who she will succeed on January 19th.

She said: “It’s an absolute honour to take over the reins at the North West TUC from Alan.

“I have worked with Alan for more than 25 years in various capacities and have always admired his calm and reasoned approach to the most difficult of problems. Alan is hugely respected in the wider North West business and skills community and he will be a very tough act to follow. We all wish him well in the future.

“It’s ironic that when Alan took office in the 1980’s, he had to deal with high unemployment, attacks on trades unions and employment rights and a North West labour market crying out for investment in jobs and growth. The same challenges face us today.

“The tide is already turning against austerity – we must chart a new course to growth, jobs and investment and end the scandal of youth unemployment.

“Defending public services, continuing the fight for equal rights and fairness at work and supporting North West trades unions facing cuts in jobs and conditions of service must be at the heart of what we do.

“The TUC in the North West is the voice of working people, and my priority will be to ensure that our voice is heard, loud and clear.

”Anyone who knows me, knows that I intend to make waves.”