Andrea Egan Wikipedia, Biography, Age, Education, Career, UNISON, Salary, Net Worth, Husband, Family

Family and Personal Life

Family Background

Andrea Egan comes from a family with a strong sense of duty. Her father’s service in the military and her mother’s resilience as a single parent in a council estate were formative influences. She often speaks of her “working-class roots” as the primary driver behind her activism.

Husband and Children

Regarding her immediate family, such as her husband or whether she has children, these details are not publicly disclosed. Andrea has maintained a clear boundary between her public role as a union leader and her private life, focusing her public presence almost exclusively on her work as a social worker and activist.

Personal Interests

In interviews, Egan has been described as having a “shock of red hair” that she dyes herself, and she is often noted for her “fresh set of nails”—a personal style that stands in contrast to the traditional, often male-dominated image of trade union leaders. She is a supporter of “The King of the North,” Andy Burnham, and has expressed a fondness for her local community in Bolton.

Education and Professional Qualifications

Academic Journey

Andrea Egan’s path to professional qualification was characterized by determination and a desire to serve the vulnerable. Initially, she had aspirations of becoming a police officer, but because she was too young to join the force at the time, she pivoted toward social work. She enrolled in a local college in Bolton, supported by a bursary from the local council, which allowed her to pursue her studies while gaining practical experience.

Social Work Qualifications

Her professional training was a mix of academic study and on-the-job learning:

• Early Placements: At the age of 19, she began her first work placement in a residential care home.

• Qualified Social Worker: She worked as an unqualified social worker for several years before Bolton Council funded her formal training.

• Certification: She became a fully qualified and registered social worker approximately 15 years ago, though she had already been working in the sector for over two decades by that point.

Professional Career and Social Work

A Three-Decade Commitment to Care

Andrea Egan’s career is rooted in the “care” sector. For over 30 years, she has worked within the social services framework of Bolton Council. Her professional life can be broken down into several key stages:

• Residential Care: She began as a low-paid children’s residential care worker, supporting some of the most vulnerable youth in her community.

• Management Roles: Her expertise and dedication led her to rise through the ranks, eventually becoming a manager at a children’s residential care unit in her 20s.

• Social Work Specialist: After qualifying, she transitioned into full-time social work, handling complex cases and navigating the increasingly strained resources of the local government.

The “Lay Member” Distinction

What makes Egan’s career unique is that throughout her ascent in the union, she remained a practicing social worker. This “lay member” status means she lived the same reality as the members she represented—dealing with budget cuts, staffing shortages, and the daily pressures of public service.

Trade Union Leadership and Rise in UNISON

From Shop Steward to Branch Secretary

Egan’s involvement in trade unionism began in the 1980s. At the age of 22, while working in children’s residential care, she became a union shop steward. Her leadership skills were quickly recognized, and she took on increasing responsibilities within the Bolton Local Government branch:

• Convenor: She served as a trade union convenor for the council’s children’s services department.

• Branch Secretary: She eventually became the secretary of the UNISON Bolton local government branch, a position she held for many years.

National Recognition and Presidency

In 2017, Andrea was elected to UNISON’s National Executive Council (NEC), the body that governs the union between its annual conferences. Her impact at the national level was immediate:

• UNISON President (2022–2023): She served as the national president of the union, a high-profile but largely ceremonial and strategic role. During her tenure, she championed the “Disabled Workers’ Passport” and supported the implementation of the union’s first race discrimination panel.

• Industrial Action: She was instrumental in leading UNISON’s first strike action against the academisation of schools as far back as 2008, establishing her reputation as a leader who was not afraid of industrial conflict.

The 2025 General Secretary Election

In late 2025, Andrea Egan launched a bold campaign to unseat the incumbent General Secretary, Christina McAnea. Her campaign, backed by the “Time for Real Change” faction, focused on a radical departure from the status quo.

Key Election Pledges

• Salary Reduction: In a move that resonated with many low-paid members, Egan pledged to only take the salary of a senior social worker (approximately £50,000) rather than the standard General Secretary package of £181,000. She promised to donate the remainder to union welfare and strike funds.

• Strike Readiness: She campaigned on making the union “strike-ready,” promising to shift resources from the central bureaucracy to local branches to support industrial action.

• Political Independence: She advocated for a review of UNISON’s relationship with the Labour Party, arguing that the union should not give “blank cheques” to politicians who do not support workers’ interests.

The Historic Victory

On December 17, 2025, it was announced that Andrea Egan had won the election with nearly 60% of the vote (58,579 votes). Her victory sent shockwaves through the UK political establishment, as it signaled a shift toward a more confrontational and independent trade union movement. She is set to begin her five-year term on January 22, 2026.

Political Views and Affiliations

Expulsion from the Labour Party

One of the most controversial aspects of Andrea Egan’s biography is her relationship with the Labour Party. Despite being a member for over a decade, she was expelled in November 2022. The expulsion was triggered by her sharing articles from Socialist Appeal, a group that had been proscribed (banned) by the Labour Party leadership. Egan and her supporters argued the expulsion was a “bureaucratic witch hunt” and a retrospective application of rules, as the articles were shared before the group was officially banned.

Stance on the Starmer Government

As General Secretary Elect, Egan has been vocal in her criticism of Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his cabinet. She has hit out at Health Secretary Wes Streeting over his handling of the resident doctors’ dispute and has called for an end to the “subservience” of the union to the Labour leadership. She represents a wing of the labor movement that believes unions must be the primary voice of the working class, regardless of which party is in power.

Net Worth and Salary

Estimated Net Worth

The exact net worth of Andrea Egan is not publicly disclosed. As a career-long public sector employee and social worker, her wealth is likely consistent with that of a senior local government professional.

Salary Details

As mentioned, the standard salary for the UNISON General Secretary is approximately £181,000 (including benefits). However, Egan has explicitly stated that she will only accept the wage of a social worker—around £50,000—to ensure she remains connected to the financial realities of the union’s members.

Conclusion

Andrea Egan’s story is a compelling narrative of a local activist who rose to lead one of the most powerful organizations in the United Kingdom. Her transition from the council estates of Bolton to the head of UNISON illustrates her deep-seated belief in the power of the public sector and the necessity of militant, member-led trade unionism. As she prepares to take office in 2026, her leadership promises to be a period of significant change, potentially altering the political landscape of the UK by challenging the long-held assumptions of the Labour-Union link. Whether she succeeds in her goal of making UNISON “strike-ready” and more politically independent remains to be seen, but her election alone has already made her a historic figure in British labor history.

FAQs

Who is Andrea Egan?

Andrea Egan is a British social worker and trade unionist who was elected as the General Secretary of UNISON in December 2025.

What is her professional background?

She has over 30 years of experience in social work, specifically in children’s residential care and local government services in Bolton.

Why is her election historic?

She is the first “lay member” (a non-professional union official) to be elected as the General Secretary of UNISON.

Was Andrea Egan expelled from the Labour Party?

Yes, she was expelled in November 2022 for sharing articles from a proscribed group, Socialist Appeal. 

Where is Andrea Egan from?

She is from Bolton, Greater Manchester, and spent part of her childhood in Germany.

What is her age?

Her exact birth date is not public, but she is estimated to be in her early 60s as of 2025.

Is Andrea Egan married?

Information regarding her marital status or children is not publicly disclosed.

When does she start her term as General Secretary?

She is scheduled to begin her five-year term on January 22, 2026.