Usdaw elects Joanne Thomas as first female general secretary

Usdaw elects Joanne Thomas as first female general secretary
Retail trade union Usdaw has on Monday announced the election of their first ever female general secretary, Joanne Thomas. Currently the union’s regional secretary for the North East, Thomas was elected unopposed as the only candidate to secure the necessary nominations. She will replace the current general secretary Paddy Lillis who retires on 25 July 2025. The election of a deputy general secretary, to replace Dave McCrossen who also retires on 25 July, has also been announced. Rab Donnelly, regional secretary for the Southern Region has been elected having secured nominations from a large majority of nominating branches and being the only remaining candidate.
A lifelong trade unionist, having started as an Usdaw workplace rep when working at wholesaler Makro, Thomas, 46, was employed by Usdaw as an area organiser in Newcastle and then regional secretary for the North East.