New NASUWT general secretary confirmed

Matt Wrack has been confirmed as the new general secretary of techers' union NASUWT, replacing Dr Patrick Roach who is to stand down this month.

Wrack is a longstanding trade union leader who was formerly general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union and President of the Trades Union Congress.

Wayne Broom, NASUWT President said: “We are pleased to welcome Matt Wrack to the NASUWT where he will play a vital role in the next chapter of the Union’s work on behalf of teachers across the country.

Matt Wrack said: “I am immensely honoured to be elected as General Secretary of NASUWT - The Teachers’ Union and I thank the National Executive for recommending me to members.

“I pay tribute to Patrick Roach for his leadership of the union, acting as a powerful voice for teachers and for his wider work in the trade union movement, notably his leading role in the anti-racist work of the TUC.

“Teachers have suffered as a result of 14 years of austerity; so has education as a whole. The Westminster government needs to urgently start investing in education and that includes addressing the fact that teachers’ salaries and living standards have fallen behind. Urgent steps are needed to address the issues of teacher workload and of  behaviour in schools. Addressing these challenges is essential to starting to tackle the recruitment and retention crisis in teaching.

“Professional teachers are absolutely crucial to delivering top class education and all governments across the UK need to fully engage with professional teachers through their union, NASUWT.”