Two of Leeds TUC’s delegates recently won awards presented to them at the Yorkshire & Humber TUC AGM this month.
Haydn Moody – Long Service Outstanding Acheivement Award
Haydn worked in transport for all of his working life starting at the age of 16 when he joined the TGWU and remaining an active Trade Unionist throughout both his working and retired life.
He has worked in both the haulage industry and in public transport and was a bus driver for First Bus for over 20 years working at Kirkstall, Torre Road, and Cherry Road garages during which time he took part in and lead a number of strikes.
He was on the First Bus negotiating committee travelling around the country to gain better conditions for his comrades. For a number of years he was the Chair of the Bus Branch (at
the time when our late comrade Ian McDonald was the Secretary.)
He has been a delegate to Leeds TUC for 17 years the last 12 of which he has been treasurer.
Haydn is now 73. That equates to 57 year of loyal service to the Trade Union movement which is truly both a long and an outstanding achievement
Ben Mayor – Bill Ronksley Award for Young Trade Union Representative of the Year
Ben is currently the Leeds UNISON Branch Young Members Officer and a Steward in the
Community and Voluntary Sector. Ben has worked tirelessly to recruit and build in the third sector: a particularly difficult area in which to organise. His employer doesn’t currently recognise Unions but Ben became a work place steward through building support and confidence in the membership, organising work place meetings, and increasing density by doubling the membership in his workplace to the extent that UNISON will soon be in a position to write to the employer seeking recognition.
When a student studying Social Work at Leeds Beckett University he was not just involved in his students union but also as a member of UNISON to which he recruited a number of other students.
He campaigned enthusiastically for his Students Union to take an active part in the student movement, lobby them to get transport to support free education demos winning a referendum on this issue laying the basis for transport for health students to protest the removal of their bursaries and for support for free edation to become their policy.uc
Ben is also currently the Leeds UNISON Branch Young Members Officer. He has revived the interest and enthusiasm for young activists to get involved including organising a successful social evening at a popular local venue with a mixture of Music and Politics upon which he now plans to build.
Ben has involved himself in wider Trade Union activities, writing and debating motions at Branch Committee and more recently becoming a delegate to Leeds Trades Union Council
Leeds TUC 