GENERAL SECRETARY

Bill Jordan became General Secretary of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions in December 1994. The ICFTU is the World'’s TUC with a world-wide membership of 125 million members in 141 countries.

Mr. Jordan was born in Birmingham, a city in the industrial heartland of the United Kingdom, in 1936. He started work as a machine tool fitter in 1951, subsequently joined the engineering union and went on to serve as shop steward, Convenor at GKN and District President.

In 1977 he was elected as the Divisional Organiser for the West Midlands division, the largest in the union.

In 1986, he was elected as National President of the Amalgamated Engineering Union (AEU), a union formed in 1851. Among his achievements as president, he led the union in a successful campaign for a shorter working week.

He also campaigned for a merger between the AEU and the electricians' union to form the Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union, and became its first president.

Mr. Jordan was a member of the General Council of the British TUC, and served on all its major committees, including the Finance and General Purposes Committee, the International Committee, Economic Committee and the European Strategy Committee, which he chaired.

He served on the National Economic Development Council and chaired its Engineering Industry Committee, was on ACAS Council and member of Foundation for Manufacturing and Industry.

He was President of the European Metalworkers' Federation and was Executive member of the International Metalworkers' Federation and the European Trade Union Confederation.

Bill Jordan has a wide range of interests outside the trade union movement. He is member of the Victim Support Advisory Committee and Board member of English Partnership, on Winston Churchill Trust and was until very recently member of the Board of Governors of the BBC.

He has always been a keen advocate of training and education, he is a governor of the London School of Economics and of Ashridge Management College, is a member of RSA and was member of National Training Task Force, NACEET, EITB and UK Skills Council.

In 1993, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Central England, and in 1995, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Cranfield.

His hobbies include reading and sports, especially soccer. He is a keen supporter of his home team, Birmingham City Football Club.