Usdaw appoints Joanne Thomas as first female general secretary

Retail trade union Usdaw has appointed Joanne Thomas as its first female general secretary.

Thomas, previously the regional secretary for the North East, was elected unopposed and will replace current general secretary Paddy Lillis upon his retirement on 25th July 2025.

Thomas started her career as a workplace representative at Makro and has held various roles within Usdaw, including area organiser and regional secretary.

She has also been involved with the Labour Party National Executive Committee.

Thomas said: “It is a great honour to be elected the general secretary of Usdaw, the trade union I have been a member of all my working life.

“I am proud to be the first woman elected to this role.

“I’d like to thank all the members, reps and officials who have supported me over the years and have prepared me to take on the biggest role in our union.”

Thomas added: “I have a tough act to follow. Paddy has an incredible record of service and led the union through very difficult times, with the pandemic and cost of living crisis.

“Paddy’s leadership of our union has seen us move into a modern new headquarters, he has secured our finances to ensure we can provide a great service for our members and we are now one of the fastest growing trade unions. Paddy has been a real inspiration and mentor.

“I am deeply committed to our members and the values that define our union.”

She said: “The strength of our great movement is in our members and workplace reps, their solidarity and comradeship is really important to me.

“That is what inspires me to seek to negotiate and campaign for change to improve lives and get a better deal for workers. There are many challenges ahead for Usdaw and our members.

“I believe I can bring strong leadership and make a real difference in my new role.”

Lillis said: “I’d like to congratulate Joanne on her election as my successor. She is a first rate official and I couldn’t think of anyone better to lead our union and be a strong voice for our members.

“There are many difficult challenges ahead for the retail industry and our members are still being squeezed by the cost of living.

“The election of a Labour Government is crucial to delivering the change we need on raising pay, improving employment rights to make work more secure, tackling the scourge of attacks on retail workers and delivering equality for all.

“I know Joanne will do a brilliant job as our new general secretary.”