Bolton activist wins leadership of UK’s biggest union saying ‘members taking charge’

Andrea Egan, who has long been a well-known figure on picket lines and demonstrations around the town, was today announced as general secretary of public sector union UNISON.

Ms Egan campaigned pledging to oppose cuts to the public sector, press for better pay and conditions and to forgo the role’s £166,000 salary instead taking only that of a social worker.

She said: “We public sector workers are on the frontlines of chronic underfunding, low pay, and outsourcing.

“We bear the brunt of it all. UNISON’s central task is to change that reality, our reality.

Andrea Egan at an International Workers Memorial Day event in Bolton (Image: Newsquest)

“This result means ordinary UNISON members are at long last taking charge of our union.

“We will put faith in members’ decisions and stand up to any employer, politician or cabinet minister who acts against our interests.

“Together, we will turn UNISON into the remarkable force for change it should be.

“That journey has begun today.”

Ms Egan won with 59.82 per cent of the vote, coming to 58,579 compared to Christina McAnea who polled 39,353 votes, coming to 40.18 per cent.

Glasgow born Ms McAnea had been the union’s incumbent general secretary having taken over from Dave Prentis in 2021.

With 1.4million members nationwide, UNISON currently stands at the UK’s biggest trade union in terms of membership.

Ms Egan started her career in Bolton working with vulnerable children and first became a union steward more than 30 years ago.

Since then Ms Egan has been known as a vocal critic against spending cuts at both local and national levels.

She has previously served as the union’s president and has often spoken at rallies and International Workers Memorial Day events in Bolton.

In November 2022 Ms Egan revealed that she had been expelled from the Labour Party after sharing Facebook posts by the group Socialist Appeal.

The Labour Party said the group “was not compatible with Labour’s rule or our aims and values”.

But Ms Egan pointed out that at the time she shared the two posts the group had not yet been banned by the Labour Party.

Ms Egan will begin her five year term as UNISON general secretary on January 22, 2026.

Source – INDIA TV