2005 was the 125th anniversary of the formation of ASLEF. At the for the first time there was diversity in the members elected to chair the union’s Annual Assembly of Delegates (AAD) .
Tony Venson (district 6), who was a member of the BEM Consultative Committee, was the first BAME member to Chair AAD.
Pauline Cawood (district 4) of the Women’s Consultative Committee was elected as the Vice Chair.
Who would have thought 125 years ago that this would ever happen? ASLEF has only a handful of black and ethnic minority members and only 500 women members, yet it is a credit to ASLEF’s equalities structures and the opportunities that they have created for greater involvement of members from under represented groups that Tony and I were elected.
pauline cawood, vice chair of aad 2005
ASLEF Equalities 20 