Mark Dickinson, general secretary of Nautilus International, has been elected as the new president of the TUC at the union body’s annual conference in Brighton. He becomes the first ever representative of Nautilus or its predecessor unions to hold the role.
He will serve in the role for a year, presiding over the TUC Congress in September 2025 and chairing the TUC’s General Council and Executive Committee, where he will also continue to represent maritime professionals.
‘It is an honour to be elected TUC President, and I wish to offer my sincere and heartfelt thanks to my fellow General Council members for placing their trust in me,’ Mr Dickinson said. ‘This is an historic moment, as I become the first general secretary of my union to assume this position and the first seafarer since Tom Yates of the National Union of Seamen, in 1958.
'From the lingering cost-of-living crisis to acts of corporate thuggery like P&O Ferries’ illegal sacking of 786 UK seafarers, workers across Britain look to us to ensure fair pay, good conditions, job security, a comfortable retirement and access to training and skills, particularly as we strive towards a just transition.
‘We stand at a pivotal moment, with a new government committed to implementing a new deal for working people. We must work together, collectively across the movement, and with the government, to ensure this new deal meets the challenges that lie ahead.
‘Legislation is not the end we seek, but the means with which to achieve higher union density and higher collective bargaining coverage to bring about fairness. As a movement, we must be ready to demonstrate to workers, particularly young workers and those in non-unionised industries, the value of trade union membership.
‘I look forward to working with all TUC affiliates over the next year to deliver on our mission to create a fairer, more prosperous and more equal Britain for all.’
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