| Tony Woodley | |
|---|---|
| Born | 2 January 1948 Wallasey, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Trade Union Leader |
| Salary | £122,108 [1] |
Anthony Woodley (born 2 January 1948) is a British trade unionist who was the Joint-General Secretary of the Unite union which was formed through the merger of Amicus and the Transport and General Workers Union in 2007. He stood down from that position in January 2011 but remains employed as Head of Organising.
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Born in Wallasey, he was educated at a secondary modern school on the Wirral; at the age of 15, he was taken on by the Ocean Steam Ship Company, working as a steward for four years. In 1967, he started working for Vauxhall Motors at Ellesmere Port (Hooton Park), where he joined the TGWU.
In 1980, he was elected a union convenor; his father George had also been a union convenor at the plant for the National Union of Vehicle Builders. He was appointed as a full-time district official of the TGWU in 1989, later becoming National Officer of the Vehicle Building and Automotive Group, and was elected as TGWU Deputy General Secretary in 2002.
He came to prominence in June 2003 when he was elected to succeed Bill Morris as General Secretary of the TGWU. He is a member of the so-called "Awkward Squad" of trade union leaders opposed to New Labour policies that they perceive to be against the interests of working people.
On 30 May 2003 he was elected by the membership to be general secretary of the TGWU. He received 66,958 votes: 21,822 more than the second-placed candidate, Jack Dromey, who was widely perceived as the Blairite candidate. He took up the position in October 2003.
After his election he said in an interview with The Independent newspaper:
At the 2009 Labour Party Conference, Woodley tore up a copy of The Sun newspaper as he made a speech.[2] This was following the paper's announcement that they would be supporting the Conservative Party at the 2010 General Election, having backed the winning Labour Party at the previous three elections.
On tearing the paper, he said:
This was a reference to The Sun's controversial coverage of the Hillsborough Disaster 20 years earlier, which had caused widespread public outrage, and many people on Merseyside had still not forgiven the newspaper.
Woodley is also the President of Football Conference North side Vauxhall Motors F.C. despite being a childhood supporter of Everton FC. He lives in Ellesmere Port. He married Janet Timmis and they have a son (born September 1990).
| Non-profit organization positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Margaret Prosser |
Deputy General Secretary of the TGWU 2002–2003 |
Succeeded by Jack Dromey |
| Preceded by Bill Morris |
General Secretary of the TGWU 2003–2007 |
Succeeded by Union merged |
| Preceded by New union |
Joint General Secretary of Unite 2007–2011 with Derek Simpson |
Succeeded by Len McCluskey |