Laura Davison elected next general secretary of the National Union of Journalists
National broadcasting organiser wins ballot at what she calls "a critical time" for journalists
NUJ national broadcasting organiser Laura Davison has been elected as the NUJ’s next general secretary at what she called, “a critical time for the organised voice of working journalists to be heard.”
Following a ballot of members, Davison will take over from outgoing general secretary Michelle Stanistreet, who announced in July she was stepping down after three terms.
The vote - which was held via postal ballot as necessitated by current UK legislation - closed on 9 October, with the other candidate being NUJ president Natasha Hirst.
Davison has been a full time official of the union since 2007, having joined from the BBC, where she was a lay rep and then an assistant organiser in both broadcasting and publishing.
She was NUJ national organiser for newspapers and news agencies for ten years - during which time she led and was part of negotiations at The Financial Times, The Guardian, Reach, National World, Newsquest, Thomson Reuters and many others - until this summer when she took over the broadcasting brief.
Davison said: “I’m delighted to be elected as the new general secretary of our incredible union. I take heart every day from the crucial collective work we do to stand up for journalism, show solidarity and win improvements for our members.
“At a critical time for the organised voice of working journalists to be heard, I want us to grow and strengthen our union, maximising new opportunities created by legislative change and our legal, policy and industrial work. Every one of us has the power to encourage and support others to get involved and be part of something bigger than themselves.
“I’m looking forward to getting stuck in, working with everyone who contributes to the success of the NUJ and meeting more of our brilliant reps, members and activists over the coming months. Thank you to everyone who has worked on this election process and supported me during the campaign, and particularly to my fellow candidate Natasha Hirst.
“A special thanks to Michelle Stanistreet whose outstanding leadership has steered the NUJ over the past 13 years. I look forward to imbibing her knowledge and experience as much as possible before stepping fully into this new role.”
Davison’s career began as a BBC trainee and she worked within BBC Local Radio for seven years, including a Millbank attachment.
During her campaign for the role, Davison said she was inspired to pursue a trades union career, “during my time as an NUJ rep in BBC local radio. The training, encouragement and solidarity I experienced as an NUJ rep, and seeing the difference the union made in the BBC, inspired me to apply to work for the union.”
Davison takes over from Stanistreet, who was elected general secretary in April 2011 and was the union’s first woman general secretary, having previously served as deputy general secretary from 2008-2011.
Stanistreet worked as a journalist for ten years at the Sunday Express newspaper as feature writer and books editor and was NUJ mother of the chapel at Express Newspapers and national representative for newspapers and agencies on the NUJ's ruling NEC. In 2007-8 she served as the union's president.
NUJ general secretary Michelle Stanistreet said: “Congratulations to Laura who brings enormous experience, energy and fresh-thinking to this role. I know that she will provide the leadership that our union requires in the coming years.
“This has been an enormously positive election that has generated interest and engagement throughout our membership, and I thank both Natasha and Laura for the effort and engagement in their respective campaigns. I look forward to working with Laura in the coming weeks to ensure a seamless handover.”
Civica, the organisation appointed as the independent scrutineer for the election, reported a 12.3% turnout.
NUJ General Secretary 2024 RoV 091024.pdf
Results-U2264_1-Election General Secretary.csv