PA Media
Mick Lynch, president of the country’s largest rail union, has announced his retirement.
He became general secretary of the National Union of Rail, Shipping and Transport Workers in 2021, and under his leadership the union organized a series of wage strikes in 2022 and 2023, reaching an agreement with the new Labor government this summer.
Praised by his supporters for his outspokenness, he was attacked by critics for his £84,000 salary and for the disruption caused by the union’s industrial action.
In a statement, Mr Lynch did not give a reason for his resignation but said it had been “a privilege to serve this union for over 30 years at all levels”, adding that it was now “time to change.”
Mr Lynch will remain in office until May, when RMT members will elect a new general secretary.
He said there was a need for a strong union for railway workers, but a strong organization needed “renewal and change”.
He said he was proud to serve the union, adding: “This union has been through a lot of struggles over the past few years, and I believe that has only made it stronger despite all the difficulties.”
At 16, he left school and trained as an electrician, before finding work in construction.
As social movements swirled in the 1980s, Mr. Lynch became involved in a breakaway union and was secretly blacklisted by construction companies, leaving him struggling to find work for years.
When the blacklist was revealed decades later, Mr Lynch was compensated with a check for £35,000, a copy of which hangs on his office wall.
He then founded the Electrical and Sanitary Industries Union (EPIU) in 1988, before joining the RMT.
He took over the leadership of the RMT at a time of deep internal divisions.
Mr Lynch’s predecessor as general secretary, Mick Cash, retired in 2020 after six years in the role, blaming a “campaign of harassment” by some members.
Mr Lynch was appointed acting general secretary but quickly resigned, accusing senior union officials of “intimidation” and creating “an intolerable and toxic atmosphere”.
He then returned and won election to the permanent position in May 2021.
