Elections 2024

Our union's strength comes from being led by our members. That’s why, as well as electing representatives for our own branches, once a year we elect officials to represent us all and sit on the Executive Committee.

Elections in the IWGB are organised by the Democracy subcommittee with the support of 'returning officers' from the staff team. Click here to read the full election rules. If you have any questions you can email the Democracy Subcommittee: democracysubcom@iwgb.co.uk.

Central Union Manifestos

Click on the links below to jump down the page. Click here to find out more about each position up for election.

General Secretary

President

Vice-President

Treasurer

Branch Support Officer

Women and Marginalised Genders Officer

BAME Officer (unreserved position)

BAME Officer (reserved position)

General Secretary

This role will be elected by all delegates at the AGM.

Henry Fabian Chango Lopez

My name is Henry Chango Lopez

I have been the General Secretary for the last three years. Since being elected, I have been working hard to implement an organising model in the union that puts power in the hands of the workers to bring about real change.

I want to continue to build on the foundations laid over the last years by focusing on:

1. Developing and empowering members! Educating and upskilling our members is key to building a strong union that is able to respond to the challenges we face in our struggles. I want to continue supporting our members through educational programs that are focused on union strategies to build their level of confidence and skills needed to build a strong workplace and a sustainable union
2. Strengthening structures! As we continue growing in membership we have also grown in organisation in workplaces and officials. I want to focus on supporting the organisation by improving our internal structures through better processes, resource allocation and by working on clear strategies of development and organising across workplaces, branches and union departments.
3. Solidarity matters! When we come together we realise the power we hold, and that our struggles have similar root causes. I want to continue supporting our members by building communities in every workplace to build real solidarity across industries and communities.

If re-elected I look forward to supporting members across the union to build power and launch campaigns in order to win improvements to all of our lives.

President

This role will be elected by all delegates at the AGM.

Alex Marshall

I’m Alex and I am re-standing to be IWGB President.

I was a courier before becoming President in November 2020, working and organising in the gig economy for 8 years. I have fought many campaigns and use my experience to help empower workers to build power and lead campaigns.

If re-elected, I will focus on:

1. Developing and empowering members! Over the next two years we will continue to bolster our training, education and mentoring programs for all members. We have seen many workers become engaged and active after attending trainings and we want to upscale this to keep building power across workplaces
2. Strengthening structures! From workplace reps to branch committees to the Executive Committee of the IWGB, we need to build frameworks that support the sustainable, smooth running of the union. We will support members to create structures that encourage and activate members while building power to win campaigns.
3. Solidarity matters! Over the next 2 years we will hold various community events, trainings and workshops that will bring members from all branches together. We need to build cross branch relationships to ensure that when there is a call to action, the support comes out in force no matter what sector you work in!

I feel incredibly honoured to be part the IWGB and will continue to work hard to maintain the energy and vibrancy of this union. I look forward to continuing the fight against structural oppression by building unity, resilience and power to bring about positive change.

Vice-President

This role will be elected by all delegates at the AGM.

Maritza Castillo Calle

I’m Maritza and I’m re-standing as IWGB Vice-President.

Before being elected as Vice President, I worked as a university cleaner in London where I was part of our successful in-house campaign at University of London.

1. Developing and empowering members! Over the next two years we will continue our exciting training program that is educating and developing members. I will continue working specifically on education around sexual harassment and issues affecting women and members from marginalised genders. So far we have seen many of these members taking on leadership roles and I look forward to upscaling this important work.
2. Strengthening structures! We are building a grassroots union led by workers that is fighting against some of the most exploitative employers in the UK. We will support the building of strong structures to ensure that our organising and campaigning are sustainable so we can go the distance to achieve justice in every workplace.
3. Solidarity matters! We will create more spaces for workers to come together and start to dismantle the many barriers that divide us. Language barriers are something I have experienced first hand that divide us and I will do more to bring different communities together.

I am always so inspired witnessing first-hand the power of workers joining together and leading their own campaigns and initiatives. Over the next two years I would like to continue to facilitate this as well as work to empower members from a similar background as me.

Branch Support Officer

This role will be elected by all delegates at the AGM.

Helio Santos

My name is Helio Santos, originally from Brazil and living in London for the past 23 years.

For many of us immigrants, despite trying to find new opportunities to live in the  UK it is visible that laws to protect workers in the UK can be weaker compared  to many other places that we came from.

I grew up in a Slum in Sao Paulo and I'm very proud of it. Coming from a Slum helped me understand my community but back then coming from a Slum there were a lot of prejudices attached to it.

In my experience I can say that depending where you live in the UK prejudice still is a massive problem, as it will impact your education options, commuting, access to Health and access to Housing.

Since I became a member of IWGB through UPHD, sometimes I do find myself in  constant clashes mentally because with IWGB I'm learning first to engage, listen and most importantly how to take action collectively. It is almost like a church, but the members are all from different religions with one purpose, this is very special.

As a branch support member for IWGB I hope to continue to learn, contribute and fight collectively but one of my main goals is to contribute.

Whatever work we do as a group, I aim to inspire others to fight against this EVIL GREED in our society that now more than ever is enslaving men and women with working conditions that are constantly becoming more and more unbearable.

Dominic Sztyber

Having served in multiple elected officer positions, including the Couriers Branch Chair, and working as a staff organiser for two years, I have been committed to the growth and success of the IWGB.

Over nearly seven years of membership I have developed a deep understanding of how the union works and a wealth of campaign experience.

I believe a unified approach to our resources and education will give us all a clearer direction. All based on what branches need and adapting to their uniqueness.

Resources - Uneven support levels and big knowledge gaps between branches are an exciting opportunity for members to share experiences and skills. Whether it's recognition agreement templates, phone banking tips, negotiation advice or how to do company research. We can all benefit from pooling our work, breaking the silos and sharing a lot more.

Education -  A program built by members can unlock the lived experiences of hard fought campaigns. Wins and losses. We need spaces to share tactics and strategies, ambitions and obstacles. Film and reading clubs, talks, workshops, case studies and everything in between. A 'learn it, do it, teach it,' model can help us put theory into practice and scale up members as teachers.

Direction - Helping branches develop a clear understanding of what they can achieve now and what evidence-led approaches they can take to build to be stronger is essential. As more members understand a branch's purpose and aims they are more likely to be involved to help spread the message and develop them.

Treasurer

This role will be elected by all delegates at the AGM.

Max Dewhurst

I’m Max and I’m re-standing to be IWGB Treasurer.

I was the Couriers Branch Chair and the IWGB Vice President before standing for this role in September 2021. I have worked as a courier for 13 years and have extensive campaigning and union knowledge. I use this everyday to support the work of the IWGB’s leadership and staff teams.

If re-elected, I will focus on three things:

1. Developing and empowering branch treasurers! I enjoy helping support the branch treasurers to administer their funds properly and democratically. Over the next two years we will continue to bolster our support and training for treasurers and ensure we meet all of our obligations.
2. Strengthening structures! From workplace reps to branch committees to the Executive Committee of the IWGB, we need to ensure that our members’ money is spent wisely and properly, and that budgets are realistic, in order to facilitate the smooth running of the union.
3. Security matters! It is important that all branches and the central union have secure finances because despite the autonomy we celebrate, if any of us struggle, then we all struggle.

It is so inspiring to be part of such an incredible union. I have been involved in the union in different roles for almost a decade and over this time I have seen the importance of building strong finances in order to fund our bold vision. Members lead the change, but we need to have the resources to support our ambitions.

Women and Marginalised Genders Officer

This role shall be elected by women and marginalised genders delegates at the AGM.

Kirby Fullerton

“Sexism and racism are fundamental to the injustices of late capitalism” (Sara Ahmed). An attention to this is essential when fighting for justice for workers across the UK and beyond. Without it, we only fight for limited liberation or some. I see the role of women and marginalised genders officer as keeping this attention central to the work of IWGB as a Union. I will bring my academic background in Gender Studies to the role, which has given me an intersectional understanding of how power operates to exclude, silence, and render less visible women and marginalised genders in the workplace, as well as within social movements and unions.

I will also bring my experience campaigning as a union rep at the RSA, organising and mobilising workers to go on strike, and negotiate for fair pay.

I would love to keep learning and growing as an organiser as part of the IWGB central committee, and work alongside other committee members to expand this role as a meaningful avenue and lens for the work of IWGB.

BAME Officer (unreserved position)

This role shall be elected by women and non-binary delegates at the AGM.

Martin Johnson Wogido

My name is Martin Wogido and I'm re-standing for BAME officer. I’m a Security officer at UCL University and a University of London Branch member.

I have years of experience organising and fighting the discriminatory practices of outsourcing at my workplace. During my first year as BAME officer i was central to a relentless battle against fire and re-hire in my workplace.

I have lived experience fighting oppression and discrimination as a migrant worker in my own  workplace. I really understand the need to keep building a stronger union where our members understand the importance of solidarity and how together we can break the barriers of a system that keeps us divided.

If re-elected I would like to focusing on:

1. Developing and empowering members! I have experienced oppression in the workplace first hand and want to use this experience to help support others that are experiencing the same injustices. I also want to create spaces where we can share ideas, experiences and issues that affect BAME workers.
2. Strengthening structures! Equality and diversity is paramount in every structure of society. I want to continue supporting BAME offices across branches to be more active and participative when addressing issues linked to racial and minority ethnic representation in the workplace.  We must ensure that our union structure is reflective of the membership we represent.
3. Solidarity matters! We are building a movement and it is important to bring all communities together to ensure we are powerful enough to fight and win on multiple fronts.

BAME Officer (reserved position)

The union did not receive any nominations for this post.