Paddy Lillis says: “It has been a great privilege to lead Usdaw, the union that I joined at the start of my working life and that I’ve been a part of ever since. Since I became general secretary in 2018, the union has faced some huge challenges, with the Covid pandemic, the last years of an anti-union Tory Government and the cost-of-living crisis impacting on our members and their families. I’m so proud of the way we have supported our members through those challenges together as a union.
“We have returned to membership growth, putting us in a stronger position to get the best possible deal for our members. We have a Labour Government that is delivering on its promises through the Employment Rights Bill, and we’ve had some important wins for our members, including the Tesco Supreme Court case, where we showed employers that fire and rehire tactics have no place in modern industrial relations. None of these things have been easily won, and none of them would have been possible without the commitment and support of our members and reps, who I’m extremely grateful to.
“When I took my first step as an Usdaw rep, as a shop steward in Abbey Meats in Newtownabbey, 43 years ago, I could never have imagined I would be leading this organisation. This is a bittersweet moment for me, not least because I will not be sharing my retirement years with my beautiful wife, Jacqueline, who sadly passed away in March 2024. I will, of course, do what she would have wanted me to do and share them with our wonderful sons, their wives and our 11 beautiful grandchildren, who I have no doubt will keep me busy.
“We have a fantastic leadership team now coming in with Joanne, Rab and Darren joining Nick. I wish them every success for this union going forward and I look forward to seeing what the union achieves. While I may be leaving Usdaw, I know that Usdaw will never leave me. I will remain a member, a supporter and friend of Usdaw for the rest of my life. My final message is a very simple one - always stand together, always support each other and always remember - unity is strength!”
Notes for editors:
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is one of the fastest growing unions in the TUC and the UK's fifth biggest trade union with around 360,000 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: www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Bluesky @usdawunion.bsky.social and Twitter/X @UsdawUnion