General Secretary

The role of the General Secretary is to lead, direct and manage the union. Take overall responsibility for strategy and direction within a democratic framework. Delegate areas of responsibility to ensure effective results. To influence key decision makers at the highest level within AEGON UK, AEGON NV, government bodies and the trade union movement.

To achieve our ambitions, I must work closely with the full time Aegis officers throughout every day. I consult with the Aegis Executive team, sometimes weekly but at least every month. I work with and put forward proposals and recommendations to the Aegis Central Council to decide upon. I’m in constant contact with Aegis’s workplace Reps through queries, divisional meetings, Reps’ briefings, individual representations, restructures and training initiatives. On a daily basis, wherever I am, I talk to, listen to, and act on behalf of our members.

Key accountabilities
On a daily basis, my work will involve any of the following key accountabilities:

• Strategic direction and development of Aegis and its Representatives
• Consulting and negotiating with senior management of AEGON UK businesses & HR
• Networking and representing Aegis and (AEGON UK) with senior representatives of unions, government and external agencies
• Implementation of strategic initiatives and projects
• Planning and responding to employer initiated activity, such as restructures

Strategic goals
To help drive Aegis forward, I have taken ownership of the six key objectives Aegis set out last year to achieve our strategic goals, namely:

• Deliver a consistently high quality service through our representative network
• Revolutionise the way we communicate
• Increase our membership to 85%
• Build our external profile through new and existing channels
• Be financially placed to fund our own trade union activities
• Develop our administration capability to achieve Aegis goals

The role involves constant contact with Employee Relations, almost daily, working on policy, restructures, consultations and negotiations. I meet up with the CEO and HR Director on a monthly basis, plus HR Business Partners and HR Consultants regularly to keep abreast of company strategy and direction and I will almost certainly work with most of the senior management team at some point on a consultation

The actions agreed by the General Secretary can directly impact all staff and influence business outcomes. Externally, the General Secretary’s opinions may be considered as fact and will reflect on Aegis and AEGON UK.

The responsibilities and implications are huge. The agenda is always full with mountains of work still to do. Every day brings fresh challenges and searches for solutions, whilst the variety of the role is immense.

I love everything about the role and the people I work with. It’s all about people, fairness and representing our members! It’s a pleasure for me to lead the Aegis team, but I am only part of the team.

Aegis is now thirty six representatives strong! We are all here to represent the Aegis membership to the best of our ability.

I am very proud to lead the current Aegis team and represent the Aegis membership at the highest level.

Brian Linn, General Secretary