Countdown begins to find new UCATT general secretary

Members of UCATT will start the process of electing a successor to George Brumwell as general secretary of the union early next year.

Current expectations are that nominations of candidates will be called in March leading to a June ballot. In the event of this necessitating a run-off vote between the top two contenders, a successor could then be confirmed in September.

The winner would then have a year-long running in period of working in tandem with Brumwell until he retires in October 2004.

At this stage, leading contenders have yet to declare their hand. The main candidates, however, are expected to come from the ranks of the union's present regional secretaries.

Brumwell, meanwhile, has won fulsome praise from TUC general secretary John Monks for the way in which he has brought UCATT back from the brink.

Monks recalled that barely six years ago the union was troubled by internal strife, was on the verge of bankruptcy, and its conference had narrowly voted in favour of a merger.

"There was then a very real prospect of a TUC without Ucatt," said Monks. "Since then, there has been a renaissance - a phoenix arising from the ashes.

"Brumwell has held the union together through a very difficult time. He will go down in the annals for that."