A whistleblowing judge who won a landmark battle against the Ministry of Justice will lead the UK’s first trade union branch specifically for judges.
District judge Claire Gilham, who is now retired, was elected president of the judges’ branch of trade union GMB last week. Master Victoria McCloud, a High Court judge, was elected branch secretary.
Other elected office-holders will cover youth, race, equality, disabilities, mental health, fee-paid judges, social mobility, and health and safety.
GMB senior organiser Stuart Fegan said: ‘This is yet another landmark day as GMB continues to break new ground in offering trade union support to an industry where this has never previously been possible.
‘GMB will now be reaching out to the Ministry of Justice, court service and the relevant ministers and others as well as the senior judiciary, Judicial Office and professional bodies to forge constructive working relationships in the interests of its members.
‘This historic election marks the beginning of a new period of improved professionalism and independence in the representation of all judges' interests and that of the court and legal system.’
Gilham, who went public with her concerns about the justice system, won a seven-year battle against the Ministry of Justice in 2019 after the Supreme Court ruled that excluding judges from whistleblowing protections breached their human rights.
11 Readers' comments