Paddy Lillis - Usdaw General Secretary says: “I was delighted to nominate Charlie and we are very proud that he has won the award. Charlie is a great Usdaw lay rep at the Tesco store in Rock Ferry on the Wirral. He has greatly improved union membership in his workplace and supported many colleagues when they need help. Charlie is also a health and safety rep for the store, providing members with the assistance they need to stay healthy and safe.
 
“Charlie’s proudest role in Usdaw is the work he carried out on our North West Young Workers’ Committee. The committee was rebuilding after the pandemic and his enthusiasm shone through, growing committee membership by bringing other young people in the region to play a more active role. He has also started a fully digital newsletter, written by young workers for young workers to help spread the message and keep people informed.
 
“Charlie has very little spare time outside of work, carrying out union duties and studying history and politics at Liverpool University, working towards a degree. We thank Charlie for all the hard work he has done for Usdaw and our members. We look forward to seeing him progress and I am sure that whatever he chooses to do in the future he will be very successful.”
 
Charlie Gough says: “Young members are the lifeblood of our union. If we don’t get more young people involved in our movement, it will cease to exist. It is really important that young workers join the union to ensure they are fully protected and represented at work. That is why I am so keen to talk to young workers and recruit them to Usdaw.
 
“I never thought that this work would result in a national award and I am overwhelmed having won it. I was honoured to be nominated by my general secretary and thank the TUC for the recognition they have given me today. It will really spur me on to continue to organise and recruit workers.”
 
Notes for editors:
 
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fifth biggest trade union with over 350,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemical industry and other trades www.usdaw.org.uk
 
For Usdaw press releases visit: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter @UsdawUnion