Smith, who first became General Secretary of the MU in 2002, will serve a further five year term. He has also been re-elected as President of the International Federation of Musicians (FIM).
After studying at the Royal Academy of Music in London from 1968 to 1971, Smith joined the orchestra of English National Opera in 1974 and remained there, as Principal Tuba, for almost 20 years.
He is a performer director of PPL, a director of the British Copyright Council and also on the boards of UK Music and the Educational Recording Agency (ERA). He is also a member of the TUC General Council and the TUC Executive Committee.
Smith said: ‘I am delighted to have been re-elected as MU General Secretary and I look forward to continuing my work over the next five years. In the current difficult economic climate, the MU is more important than ever and I am committed to ensuring that we continue to give the best possible service to our 30,000 members.
‘Musicians are currently facing some very difficult issues – such as increasingly being expected to work for free, dealing with devastating cuts to arts funding and facing the damaging effects of illegal downloading. Seventy-six percent of musicians earn less than £30,000 a year, and my priority over my next five year term is to improve pay for musicians across the board.’
After studying at the Royal Academy of Music in London from 1968 to 1971, Smith joined the orchestra of English National Opera in 1974 and remained there, as Principal Tuba, for almost 20 years.
He is a performer director of PPL, a director of the British Copyright Council and also on the boards of UK Music and the Educational Recording Agency (ERA). He is also a member of the TUC General Council and the TUC Executive Committee.
Smith said: ‘I am delighted to have been re-elected as MU General Secretary and I look forward to continuing my work over the next five years. In the current difficult economic climate, the MU is more important than ever and I am committed to ensuring that we continue to give the best possible service to our 30,000 members.
‘Musicians are currently facing some very difficult issues – such as increasingly being expected to work for free, dealing with devastating cuts to arts funding and facing the damaging effects of illegal downloading. Seventy-six percent of musicians earn less than £30,000 a year, and my priority over my next five year term is to improve pay for musicians across the board.’
