Mark Dickinson, general secretary of Nautilus International, has been elected president of the UK’s Trades Union Congress.
During his one-year term he will also chair the general council and executive committee.
Speaking after his election at the annual conference in Brighton, Dickinson said: “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.
“This is a historic moment, as I become the first general secretary of my union to assume this position and the first seafarer since Tom Yates, National Union of Seamen, in 1958.”
Pointing to the cost-of-living crisis and P&O Ferries’ sacking of 786 seafarers, he said workers across Britain look to the TUC to ensure fair pay, good working conditions, job security, retirement benefits and access to training.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
Nautilus activist
Dickinson joined the British Merchant Navy at 16, beginning a 40-year career in the maritime industry at sea and onshore.
He worked at sea as a navigating officer before joining the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) for 12 years. He was assistant general secretary from 1995.
In 2000, he joined the National Union of Maritime, Shipping & Transport as executive officer. This eventually became Nautilus International, where he has been general secretary since 2009. He is now serving his fourth term.
While working at the ITF and Nautilus, Dickinson was heavily involved in developing the Maritime Labour Convention, which established minimum working and living standards for seafarers.
He is also director of the Nautilus Federation, which brings together 22 maritime trade unions and associations supporting their members in the global shipping industry.
Dickinson has a keen interest in motorcycling and enjoys taking long walks with wife Keiko and Parsons Russell Terrier Billy.
