COMMUNITY TRADE UNION - Key Persons
Afzal has been a union member for over 30 years. He works for Capita in Cheltenham and is passionate about people in the finance sector joining trade unions.
Alan has been a member of our National Executive for many years. He was elected by his colleagues to serve as our President for 2015.
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- General Secretary
Job Titles:
- Executive
- Vice President / Dean Cox
Andrew Gutteridge joined the National Executive through a by-election in August 2018. He now serves as Community's Vice President.
Andrew works at Tata's Llanwern steelworks and owns a pub in South Wales.
He previously served in our Armed Forces and helps lead the union's national priority campaign on ending veteran homelessness. You can see him speaking to Labour Party conference as part of our campaign here.
Chris Rice has been National Executive member representing members from London and the South East for many years, having been a member of Community and its predecessor trade unions for most of his working life.
Since joining the union, Chris has held a number of roles within his workplace branch including health and safety representative, branch chair and branch secretary.
When he isn't doing work as a branch delegate for Johnson Matthey, Chris remains an active Labour Party member, helping out whenever time allows. Having grandchildren in Canada means Chris travels to visit family, and in his down time enjoys attending Chelsea football matches at Stamford Bridge.
Job Titles:
- Vice President / Dean Cox
A former carpet worker, Dean is a Community branch secretary in the West Midlands and a longstanding activist and roving rep for Community.
Dean is a former Community's President, elected as Community's President for the period of 2022-2023 having previously served as Vice President for two years.
Dean is also a serving Parish Councillor for Wolverley and Cookly Parish Council.
Job Titles:
- Trainee Organiser, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Dougie Fairbairn has been a part of the trade union movement for over 30 years, becoming a rep in 1984 and later becoming a branch secretary within TATA Steel. He has been a part of our NEC for 15 years presenting the views of steelworkers nationally, and is also a trustee of the union.
In his spare time Dougie enjoys spectating Scottish football, is an active member of the Labour Party and enjoys spending time with his family.
Ian Smith has been one of the Northern region representatives on our National Executive for many years.
In addition to being a full time union official within the steel industry, his full time union work allows him more time to effectively represent and speak on behalf of his members. Ian has always taken pride in his work to tackle health and safety issues in the workplace which he has taken part in for over 20 years. He believes working constructively with employers to solve any issues to the benefit of both parties is the correct attitude of a modern trade union.
Jacqueline Thomas was Community's president for 2017. Jacquie comes from a strong trade union family background and her first memories are of attending her father's branch meetings at the local working men's club in 1970. Trade unionism was so ingrained in her family life that as a young child she helped her mother and other family members to collect food for families affected by the miner's strike in the 70s and 80s. During her student years she actively took part in many debates regarding the strikes and in response to the government's actions.
Janet Sarsfield is awarded the Equality & Diversity Award
Job Titles:
- Regional Organiser, South West
Job Titles:
- Head of Research, Policy and External Relations
Job Titles:
- Learning Organiser, Wales
Nazim Shah - Chief Legal Officer
Job Titles:
- Member of Community Union
Paul McBean has been a member of Community Union and its predecessor unions for over 40 years. He has been an active safety rep since joining in 1979. He moved from committee member to shift rep, becoming branch secretary of the Scunthorpe blast furnace branch in 2007 where he remained up until 2014. He then was elected as the multi-union chair of Scunthorpe works and then to British Steel multi-union chair, where he remains in post.
Paul is a strong advocate for the future of the UK's steel industry. You can watch him featuring in one of our Britain, we need our steel campaign videos here.
In his spare time Paul is a very keen photographer and golfer, playing off a 7 handicap.
Job Titles:
- Head of Health, Safety and Environment
Job Titles:
- Head of IT and Infrastructure
Ross Clark was President of Community 2020-21. He was confirmed as President at Community's National Executive Council meeting in February 2020. Prior to this, Ross had served as Vice President for two years.
Becoming a member on his first day at the steelworks, Ross has seen many changes in the steel industry throughout his career. Holding multiple roles within his union branch Ross is now a branch secretary at Liberty Steel at Dalzell. He previously served as a health & safety representative for his branch. He has sat on Community's National Executive since 2015.
Job Titles:
- Regional Organiser, London
Steven was elected to the NEC for the first time in 2017, taking up his seat in 2018. He now serves as Community's President, having served as Vice President for 2022-2023.
He is the Community branch secretary at RSBi in Glasgow, a supported employment business.
Steven also sits on the TUC Disabled Workers Committee where unions come together to work collaboratively to push for better rights, and an equal world of work for everyone.
Teresa joined Community's National Executive in 2021. She is Vice President of the Education and Early Years sector of Community, known as Voice Community. She currently teaches children with special needs part time in a primary school.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Organiser, Midlands
Job Titles:
- Personnel and Training Director