Christine Grace Payne (born 30 December 1956) is a British former

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

leader. Payne graduated from Loughborough University and studied industrial relations at Middlesex Polytechnic. In 1979, she began working for the trade union Equity, becoming the television commercials organiser in 1981. She served as Assistant Secretary (Recorded Performance) between 1991 and 1999, when she became Assistant General Secretary (Live Performance). In 2005 Payne was elected as the union's General Secretary, becoming the first woman to lead the union. Under Payne's leadership, membership of Equity grew from just over 35,000 in 2005, to just under 49,000 in 2020.David Hutchison,
Christine Payne re-elected as Equity's general secretary
, ''

The Stage ''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. Founded in 1880, ''The Stage'' contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at thos ...

'', 4 September 2015 She served on the executive committee of the International Federation of Actors, and the

General Council of the Trades Union Congress The General Council of the Trades Union Congress is an elected body which is responsible for carrying out the policies agreed at the annual British Trades Union Congresses (TUC). Organisation The council has 56 members, all of whom must be proposed ...

. Payne was re-elected unopposed as general secretary in 2010 and 2015, retiring in 2020. She was appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(MBE) in the 2023 Birthday Honours for services to the trade union movement.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Payne, Christine 1956 births Living people Alumni of Loughborough University Alumni of Middlesex University General secretaries of Equity (British trade union) Members of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress British women trade unionists Members of the Order of the British Empire