Gerry’s pre-union week message to members

Dear Members,

It’s been great to see the plans that are taking shape for union week, which gets underway on November 3, and I’m looking forward to taking part in some of the activities. If you’ve not yet heard about what’s happening at your branch, take a look at our union week pages here.  

As many of you will already know, union week will also mark the end of my time as Head of BECTU after more than a decade. I wanted to take this opportunity to say a quick thank you to all of the BECTU members, reps, officials and staff who have supported me during my time as head of the union.

It’s been an honour and a privilege to serve as Head of BECTU and I’m in no doubt that our union is heading in the right direction, with membership across the old BECTU divisions now exceeding 30,000 for the first time. This is in large part down to the additional resources from Prospect to help grow the union – and it is of course also a result of the hard work and commitment of each of you.

I’m sure our great progress will continue with our new Head of BECTU Philippa Childs, backed by our team of senior staff and officials. I would urge all of you to give Philippa the same outstanding level support that you have shown me over the years.

I’ll be sharing more reflections on our achievements during the past 10 years, and my memories of more than 40 years with the union, in the winter edition of Stage, Screen and Radio.

With thanks

Gerry