Mick Lynch, the RMT general secretary who gained national notoriety during a series of train strikes in recent years, is to retire.

Lynch, 63, was elected general secretary in 2021 after previously serving two terms as assistant general secretary and another two on the union’s national executive committee executive.

The union boss has become a well-known figure after being the face of RMT strikes since his election to the top job.

Lynch, a qualified electrician, worked in construction and set up the Electrical and Plumbing Industries Union (EPIU) in 1988.

He joined RMT after he began working for Eurostar in 1993.

The RMT said the election of a new general secretary will be completed in the first week of May.

Mick Lynch: ‘It is time for a change’

Lynch said: “It has been a privilege to serve this union for over 30 years in all capacities, but now it is time for change.

“This union has been through a lot of struggles in recent years, and I believe that it has only made it stronger despite all the odds.

“There has never been a more urgent need for a strong union for all transport and energy workers of all grades, but we can only maintain and build a robust organisation for these workers if there is renewal and change.

“We can all be proud that our union stood up against the wholesale attacks on the rail industry by the previous Tory government and the union defeated them.

“RMT will always need a new generation of workers to take up the fight for its members and for a fairer society for all and I am immensely proud to have been part of that struggle.”