Paul Mackney

Joint General Secretary, University and College Union

Paul taught in Further Education Colleges from 1975 to 1992. In the 1970s he taught Social Studies at Poole Technical College and established ESOL courses at Hall Green Technical College. From 1986 to 1992 he was Head of Birmingham Trade Union Studies Centre at South Birmingham College.

Paul has a BA (Hons) Politics, a Wolverhampton FE Cert Ed, an RSA DipTES/FL and an MA in Industrial Relations from Warwick University.

Paul became Joint General Secretary of the University and College Union in June 2006 when NATFHE and the Association of University Teachers merged to form UCU - the world’s largest post-16 education union, with 120,000 members. For health reasons Paul is not standing for the new post of UCU general secretary due to take office in June 2007.

Paul was first elected General Secretary of NATFHE in December 1997 and was re-elected in 2002. He was previously NATFHE’s West Midlands Regional Official from 1992-1997. Paul’s lay trade union experience includes four years as President of Birmingham Trades Union Council (1980-85) and many years as Birmingham Secretary of NATFHE.

In 2002 Paul became the first NATFHE General Secretary to be elected to the TUC General Council and serves on many of their committees, eg Learning and Skills Task Group, Organising and Representation Task Group, Public Service Unions Liaison Group and Race Relations Committee.

Paul is a Board member of LLUK, an NUS trustee, a member of the FE Ministerial Standing Group, the Government-TUC Public Services Forum and its Learning and Skills Task Force. He was a founder member of the Commission for Black Staff in Further Education and is an officer of Unite Against Fascism.

Paul has been invited to serve on the new NIACE Commission for Disabled Staff in Lifelong Learning.

The Commission is supported by: