RMT general secretary Mick Lynch is to retire in the spring.

Mr Lynch, who is 63, will step down in May when his successor has been chosen.

An electrician by trade, his railway industry career began when he joined Eurostar in 1993, having previously helped to run the Electrical and Plumbing Industries Union, which had been expelled from the TUC for making unofficial agreements which were not endorsed by other TUC unions.

He said he was ‘incredibly proud’ to have served the RMT both as a rank-and-file member and an elected officer. Before he became general secretary in May 2021 as successor to Mick Cash, he had served two terms as assistant general secretary and two terms on the national executive committee.

Since then he has overseen several years of troubled industrial relations, when his union staged numerous strikes over pay.

He said: ‘It has been a privilege to serve this union for over 30 years in all capacities, but now it is time for change.

‘This union has been through a lot of struggles in recent years, and I believe that it has only made it stronger despite all the odds.

‘There has never been a more urgent need for a strong union for all transport and energy workers of all grades, but we can only maintain and build a robust organisation for these workers if there is renewal and change.

‘We can all be proud that our union stood up against the wholesale attacks on the rail industry by the previous Tory government and the union defeated them.

’RMT will always need a new generation of workers to take up the fight for its members and for a fairer society for all and I am immensely proud to have been part of that struggle.’