- Jonathan Baume
Jonathan Edward Baume (born
13 July 1953 ,Wakefield ) is a Britishtrades union leader. He has been General Secretary of theFDA (trade union) since 1997 and a member of the General Council of theTrades Union Congress (TUC) since 2001.Education
He was educated at
Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield , andKeble College, Oxford (BA Hons 1974; MA). While at University, he was active in student politics and joined theBroad Left student movement.Career
*
Oxfordshire County Council , 1974–77
*Department of Employment Group, 1977–87
*Trades Union Congress (Organisation and Industrial Relations Department), 1987–89
*FDA (trade union) : Assistant General Secretary, 1989–94; Deputy General Secretary, 1994–97Government advisor
Jonathan Baume is generally regarded, by the Government and the press, as the spokesperson for Senior Civil Servants, who are necessarily very discreet and cannot speak for themselves. He is thus often consulted by the Government on matters relating to the Civil Service. He has served on three Government advisory groups:
* Ministerial Advisory Group on Openness in the Public Sector 1998–99
* Ministerial Advisory Group on Implementation of theFreedom of Information Act 2001–present
* Age Advisory Group,Department of Trade and Industry 2004–presentHe is also frequently interviewed by the media about Civil Service related matters.
Outside interests
He is a member of the
Campaign for the Protection of Rural England and the National Trust, and a Fellow of theRoyal Society of Arts . After suffering from back problems, he took upyoga . His other hobbies are post-warjazz , world music and rambling. He is a member of theAthenaeum Club .Controversy
As Assistant General Secretary, he was editor of FDA News. He published an article about public sector trade unions in
Israel , intending it to be for general information. However, he was accused of taking sides in Israel-Arab disputes and hence breaking the FDA's rules on political neutrality (although these rules only cover domestic issues). In a subsequent issue, he included an article about Palestinian trade unions.Following the announcement of
Elizabeth Symons ' resignation as General Secretary, the FDA National Executive interviewed several candidates to replace her and agreed to propose Jonathan as her successor. However, former FDA memberTony Engel (who had not been a candidate) demanded a ballot of the whole membership to decide between himself and Jonathan. Jonathan received 68% of the votes cast.References
* Debrett's People of Today
* Who's Who
* FDA News, various issues 1990-8
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