UNISON NEC Elections 2019: Nominate John Gray & Denise Thomas for Community Seats (1)

NEC Elections 2019: Community General Seat & Female Seat Nomination Request

John Gray                                                                                         Denise Thomas

RMS 3083288                                                                                  RMS 8688788

7 January 2019

Dear Branch Secretary

Your branch is entitled to nominate candidates to the two Community seats for this year’s National Executive Council elections. We request that your branch considers nominating John Gray for the General Seat and Denise Thomas for the Female seat.

Denise is currently the Major Charities representative on the Community Service Group Executive (SGE). She is also a grassroots UNISON activist holding positions as Branch Black Members Officer and Welfare officer for Ymlaen/Forward Cymru Wales.  Ymlaen/Forward Branch has over 4500 Community members in over 400 organisations. Denise is the secretary of the UNISON Black Workers Self Organised Group and sits on her regional committee and women’s committee. 

John is currently the Community NEC General seat representative and has been an activist in UNISON for many years and held a number of branch and regional positions including Treasurer, Health & Safety, Welfare, Labour Link, International officer and Assistant Secretary.  He is employed by a large Housing Association and is the Branch Secretary of the Greater London Housing Associations Branch which has over 3000 Community members. Recently he led a successful campaign that resulted in UNISON winning a ballot by a massive majority in favour of trade union recognition.

Denise has a background working in the Voluntary and Community sector for the past 26yrs supporting Adults with learning disabilities. As a branch activist Denise has focused on organising, recruitment and representing members to get a fair pay deal within her organisation.  As a regional activist and SGE member she has fought to promote equality and inclusive work places.

John has served the union as a NEC member on the Policy and Development Committee, Trustee on the UNISON staff pension fund, National Labour link and is a trustee of UNISON “there for you” (Welfare) fund Committee & Vice-Chair Industrial action committee.

(more details to follow)