FDA general secretary Dave Penman has been re-elected to serve a further five-year term at the helm of the union for senior civil servants and other public sector leaders.
Penman was first elected as the union’s general secretary in 2012 and has now been re-elected three times.
Members of the FDA executive council backed Penman as their preferred candidate to continue leading the union following a presentation in December last year. However, unions have a legal duty to hold elections for certain positions every five years and the FDA offered members the opportunity to stand against Penman in an election this spring.
Nominations opened last month and closed on Wednesday this week. No valid nominations from challengers were received, so Penman was re-elected unopposed.
Penman, who writes regular columns for Civil Service World and also serves on the council of conciliation and arbitration service ACAS, said he was delighted to secure five more years at the helm of the FDA.
“It is truly a privilege to serve as general secretary of the FDA and I could not be prouder to be re-elected for another five-year term,” he said. “The challenges never cease but neither does the inspiration in representing the dedicated public servants who make up our growing membership.
“Over the last decade the union has grown by 72%, frozen subscription rates for members, and increased resourcing to support members. As a result we have never been in a stronger position to face the many challenges facing the civil service over the course of this next term and beyond.”
In addition to the civil service, the FDA has members in a range of public-sector bodies, including the National Health Service, transport, museums and in parliament.
The union currently has more than 25,000 members.