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“Time waits for no one” as they say so looking towards the future, was the opening line of Derek Maylor's final message to the co-ord and to Unionsafety, in his role of Chairperson of the H&S Co-ordinators Committee he has led for over 15 years!
"I have stepped down from being the Co-ord Chair and the role is now to be covered by John Marsh who has been a member for many years. I will not be leaving the Co-ord in the immediate future so will carry on attending meetings without being the Chair. Over the years the decreasing amount of CWU branches has meant a decreasing delegate list to the Co-ord, however if we are to introduce a new ladder, for example, the hazards are the same whether it is used by one person or fifty. Consequently, the work of the Co-ord is the same but being done by less people, John as the new Chair may be able to address that. The CWU and other major unions, look ahead with a modernising agenda to suit the new challenges such as artificial intelligence, driverless vehicles, increased use of nanotechnology, smart wear and all the other workplace issues that are coming over the horizon, and quickly, we need trade unions to remain relevant to the UK both within the workplace and outside of it. Strong in the workplace and strong in the community. I see my role shortly to be towards the latter of these two." The Committees new Chair, John Marsh pays tribute to the work Derek has done over the years in his first 'Chairperson's Message': "I would like to take this opportunity as the newly elected chairperson of the NW BT Union Health and Safety Committee to thank Derek for his years of undeniable dedication to the committee and the members of our union. His expertise and knowledge of not just health and safety issues within our industry and union but also from a Regional, National and European perspective has been, and still is, invaluable. I know that Derek has decided to start taking things a bit easier and start planning for his retirement but hopefully it’s still a couple of years off and I know he is still going to be a key part of our committee and my mentor." Website editor, Chris Ingram said that he will miss working with Derek as Chair: "When I retired from BT in 2004, and started producing the Unionsafety website, Derek was a great inspiration and supporter of the work that I do as web editor and has contributed greatly to the content of the site. His knowledge of Health & Safety legislation, foresight into how it needs to develop and the political arena in which it inevitably has to survive both within the CWU, BT, and our society as a whole; has made his advice invaluable to me and the Co-ord. I wish Derek well in his continued role as a Co-ord member and I know that as the Co-ord moves on with it's new Chairperson, John Marsh; we are once again in safe hands." In closing Chris added:
He like Derek has great H&S knowledge and experience, and I look forward keenly to working with him as website editor and a member of the Co-ord." You can read about both Derek's and John's background and experiences in the Committee Members pages of this website.
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Announcing his retirement from this post, but not from the H&S Co-ordinators Committee totally, Derek told Unionsafety: 
"Our new Chairperson John Marsh has been a member of the Co-ord for as long as Derek has been, and he too has provided invaluable support and advice to the Co-ord and played a significant role in the issue of environmental health & Safety.