John Edmonds
Non Executive Director

John Edmonds is a Board Member of the Environment Agency and the Carbon Trust. His Environment Agency responsibilities include Navigation and the Thames Region. He chairs the Inland Waterways Amenities Advisory Council which advises the government on waterways issues. John has always taken a particular interest in environmental matters. In the 1970s, he was a member of the Government’s Advisory Council on Energy Conservation, in the 1980s he was a member of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution and in the 1990s a Non Executive Director of the Forestry Commission. John is an Honorary Fellow of the Society for the Environment.

Until the summer of 2003, John was General Secretary of the 700,000 strong GMB Trade Union. He was first elected to that position in 1986 and was re-elected in 1991 and 1996. During that period he was a member of the Executive of TUC and of the European TUC and at various times President and Vice President of TUC. He was the TUC spokesperson on environmental issues and together with the Minister co-chaired the Trade Union Advisory Committee on Sustainable Development.

John is also a Visiting Fellow in Industrial Relations at King’s College London, University of London, where he is making a study of the flexible labour market. He believes that the bargaining agenda should move away from traditional issues towards job satisfaction, skills and security of employment.

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