A social worker has been elected to lead UNISON.
Andrea Egan defeated incumbent Christina McAnea to become general secretary of the country's biggest union in a ballot that concluded last month, winning 60% of the vote.
Egan, who is a registered social worker, has 15 years' experience in the profession, having previously worked as a residential care worker with children.
She first became a union steward and most recently served as secretary of UNISON's Bolton local government branch. Egan, who will begin a five-year term as general secretary on 22 January 2026, also served as UNISON's president from 2022-23.
Taking a social worker's wage
During her campaign, Egan pledged not to take the full £181,000 pay package for the general secretary, instead receiving an average social worker wage and donating the rest to the union's industrial action and member welfare funds.
She also warned that the union's leadership had taken a "subservient" approach in its relationship to the Labour Party and pledged to review the link to ensure UNISON got "value for money" and used its influence to advance its agreed policies.
Following her election, she said: “I’m honoured to take up the post of general secretary at UNISON, and I’m grateful for the trust placed in me."
She added: “We are going to need everyone – members, branch reps, grassroots activists, and our staff – pulling together. Then we can transform our union, and with it the lives of public sector workers across this country.”
