Mick Lynch announces retirement as head of RMT

Mick Lynch, caput of the country's largest railway union, has announced his retirement.

He became wide caput of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers successful 2021, and nether his enactment the national staged a bid of strikes implicit wage successful 2022 and 2023, culminating successful a woody with the caller Labour authorities this summer.

Feted by supporters for his straight-talking style, helium was attacked by critics for his £84,000 wage and for the disruption caused by the union's concern action.

In a statement, Mr Lynch did not springiness a crushed for lasting down but said it had "been a privilege to service this national for implicit 30 years successful each capacities", adding it was present "time for change".

Mr Lynch volition enactment successful his relation until May, erstwhile RMT members elite a caller wide secretary.

He said determination was a request for a beardown national for obstruction workers, but that a beardown organisation needed "renewal and change".

He said helium was arrogant of serving the union, adding: "This national has been done a batch of struggles successful caller years, and I judge that it has lone made it stronger contempt each the odds."

At 16, helium left schoolhouse and trained to beryllium an electrician, earlier uncovering enactment successful construction.

As concern enactment ebbed and flowed successful the 1980s, Mr Lynch became progressive successful a breakaway national and was secretly blacklisted by constructions companies, leaving him struggling to find enactment for years.

When the blacklist was exposed decades later, Mr Lynch was compensated with a cheque for £35,000, a transcript of which hangs framed connected his bureau wall.

He went connected to recovered the Electrical and Plumbing Industries Union (EPIU) successful 1988, earlier joining the RMT.

He took complaint of the RMT astatine a clip of deep interior divisions.

Mr Lynch's predecessor arsenic wide secretary, Mick Cash, retired successful 2020 aft six years successful the job, blaming a "campaign of harassment" by elements of the membership.

Mr Lynch was appointed acting wide secretary, but soon stood down himself, accusing elder national members of "bullying" and creating "an intolerable, toxic atmosphere".

He past returned and won predetermination to the relation permanently successful May 2021.