Women take top TUC jobs

January 23 2003 - For the first time in the TUC's history women have taken two of its top three jobs following the appointment of Frances O'Grady as the TUC's new Deputy General Secretary and Kay Carberry as Assistant General Secretary.

The appointments at today's meeting of the TUC executive follow Brendan Barber's election as General Secretary Elect in December. The Assistant General Secretary post has been vacant since David Lea's retirement in 1999.

Frances O'Grady is the current head of the TUC's Organisation and Services Department and Kay Carberry is the current head of the TUC's Equal Rights Department.

Both positions have wide responsibilities across the TUC's work. The Deputy General Secretary takes the lead on inter-union and organising issues and the Assistant General Secretary on TUC administration and its democratic structures.

TUC General Secretary Elect Brendan Barber said, 'I very much welcome these appointments today. The trade union movement has a proud record of campaigning for equal pay and against sex discrimination, but we have been much less good at appointing women to senior levels in the movement itself. That is why today's appointments are a real advance, even though we all know that we have much further to go.'

Frances O'Grady said, 'It is a real honour and a big responsibility to take up this post. I'll be working hard to get both men and women a better, and more fulfilling, deal at work.'

Kay Carberry said, 'A real dent has been made in the union glass ceiling today.'

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