National Equality Action Group FAQs

The Equality Action Group will have a laser focus on:

• Campaign action: taking concrete action to inform and inspire regional and branch GMB equality campaigns and to run focused national workplace equality campaigns where it’s suitable.
• Activist leader development: helping to provide opportunities for learning and development of GMB activists from the five equality strands - helping them gain the skills to confidently lead workplace campaigns and lead the union in branches, regions and nationally.

There will be two members from each GMB Region, at least one of whom will be a woman. There will be five national strand leads – each leading one of our five equality strands. Also sitting on the group are members of the GMB Central Executive Council. The members will be on the action group for an initial period of two years.

‘Equality strand’ is the name GMB uses to describe the five groups of people with protected characteristics who we organise:

• Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans + members
• Young workers (under 31 years old)
• Women
• Disabled members
• Ethnically diverse members (known as the race strand lead)

This is term GMB uses for people who have lived experience of being from Black, Asian or minority ethnic groups prone to colour prejudice and racism and that have historically and systematically been underrepresented. Sometimes this is referred to as being of global majority ethnic heritage.

This includes people with physical and mental health conditions, neurodivergent conditions (ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia etc), diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders, limb difference, chronic pain, vision impairment, being deaf or hard of hearing, chronic conditions relating to older age and other conditions not listed here which have a long-term impact on day-to-day life.

You can express interest in a regional role as well as nominating yourself for a strand lead role – but if you are elected as a strand lead, you’ll need to accept that role and withdraw from any regional nomination.

If you want to be a regional rep, you should get in touch with your Regional Equality Officer now.

The nomination form asks you to confirm that you have told your GMB Regional Equality Organiser that you are standing to be a strand lead. A list of Regional Equality Organisers is at the bottom of this page.

The roles need knowledge of GMB’s approach to workplace organising, casework, GMB structure and campaigning.

Having completed GMB rep training and being an active rep will ensure strand leads have the skills to hit the ground running on the new group.

All GMB regions have agreed that candidates should be reps.

This is crucial for a personal understanding of what it’s like to belong to a minority or marginalised group.

Self-organisation is key to union organising – meaning that those impacted by an issue are the ones to organise to overcome the problem.

The email was sent to all active GMB reps who have given the union permission to contact them by email. You can check that you have given us permission to contact you here.

If you have given permission, believe you are an active rep and didn’t receive the email after having checked your junk and spam folders, please contact your region to check that you are correctly recorded as a rep with the right email address.

Your 250-word statement should provide information about your union activity, skills and experience and the reasons you would be a good lead for your equality strand on the National Equality Action Group.

You should refer to the role descriptor for the role and mention work that shows you meet the description of the role.

Give details of the equality campaigns that you have been involved in within and outside the union, the activity you currently undertake in your branch, region or nationally, the union roles you currently hold and what you have achieved in your workplace.

Please keep your own copy of your statement too.

If the strand lead role you are nominating yourself for is contested, your statement will be sent to all voters.

We won’t change anything about your statement. Please make sure you spell out any acronyms that not everyone will know (like ‘REF’ (write ‘Regional Equality Forum’) and try not to use language which some members might not be familiar with, e.g. complicated terms. Do not include any language which could be offensive or defamatory.

Once nominations for the strand lead roles have closed, all valid nominations will be sent to your Regional Secretary – the head of the union in your region – to confirm that they agree you are a suitable candidate for election.

They can agree to as many or as few candidates for each role as they wish.

The deadline is listed on the nomination form and in the email reps received about the opportunity. We’ll also send a reminder email before nominations close.

An initial term of two years.

Yes! It’s planned that there will be training and facilitated sessions to help the group get up and running and become self-organised. This will include setting out the positive culture of the group as well as practical tools to help organise.

The group will meet in person and online throughout the year and members will complete work and keep in touch between meetings. It’s planned that there will be a first short, informal meeting in mid-December 2025 and a formal meeting in January 2026. Candidates for election will be informed of the dates.

No. This group is an action group, dedicated to taking actions to progress equality for GMB members.

This could include running or supporting campaigns, hosting workshops and webinars, producing useful tools for reps and regions – and more.

That’s why the group needs members who are committed to workplace action and moving forward.

There are big challenges to overcome around inequality in the workplace – and lots of opportunities too. But the new National Equality Action Group will be responsible for making a contribution, not fixing all the problems alone.

It won’t be responsible for all of GMB’s equality work – in fact, it will work alongside all the existing work done by GMB activists and organisers across GMB and the labour movement. It will be one more element in our campaigning toolbox.

Please get in touch with your Regional Equality Officer (or your Branch Secretary) to find out what’s happening in your region. Regions have their own local equality groups and events, and there are important roles which you can take on within your GMB branch too – like being a Branch Equality Officer. Your REO can tell you more.

London: lisa.bangs@gmb.org.uk

Midlands: sarah.james@gmb.org.uk

North East, Yorkshire & the Humber: louise.foster-wilson@gmb.org.uk and julie.wynn@gmb.org.uk

North West & Irish: kellie.odowd@gmb.org.uk

Scotland: annette.drylie@gmbactivist.org.uk

Southern: michelle.gordon@gmb.org.uk

Wales & South West: marie.mcdonald@gmb.org.uk

Get in touch with your regional equality officer or email equalityinclusion@gmb.org.uk.