Tim Gooden was elected President, Zeta Henderson was re-elected as Vice President in the Affirmative Action position and Mark Craven as the other Vice President in contested positions for three senior officer positions in Geelong Trades Hall Council (GTHC) on February 15.
The elections had been delayed since the middle of last year due to COVID-19. Council rules stipulate that delegates must vote in person, as proxy votes are disallowed.
Gooden, a former GTHC Secretary for 12 years, is currently a Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union shop steward. He has helped run nearly every picket line in Geelong for more than 20 years. He is also active in the refugee movement, the Environmental Jobs Alliance Geelong and is a member of the Socialist Alliance.
Henderson is a nurse, trainer and a delegate at the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation. She has been part of a very active team running the Geelong Women Unionists Network, organising conferences and the highly successful March4Justice rallies. She is also a member of the Socialist Alliance.
Craven is a wharfie and delegate from the Maritime Union of Australia. He has been an active unionist all his life, a Health and Safety Representative, a public housing activist and is a member of Socialist Alliance.
“It’s a good way to kick off the year by getting everyone together,” Gooden told Green Left. “We’ve got a lot of struggles ahead of us, not least the fightback to protect our safety, jobs and wages in the COVID-19 era. I’m looking forward to working with everyone to get things moving.”