Philip J. Jennings became General Secretary of the world's newest trade union organisation, Union Network International (UNI) in January 2000.

UNI was created on 1 January 2000 following a merger of four Internationals, the International Federation of Commercial, Clerical, Professional and Technical Employees (FIET), the Communications International (CI), the International Graphical Federation (IGF) and the Media and Entertainment International (MEI). Union Network International (UNI) has 15 million members from 1000 affiliates in 150 countries.

The merger of AOL Time Warner shortly after the creation of UNI and the Vivendi Universal merger later in the year illustrated how the UNI partners anticipated change, with convergence making a growing impact on business structures.

In a world economy characterised by regional integration, dominated by multinationals and linked by technology, UNI has a global, regional and sectoral structure. With over 200 agreements in multinationals, UNI will develop union co-operation in these enterprises.

UNI's aim is to make local union members global players. UNI has a global IT network.

Under his leadership, UNI is now developing new union policies for the emerging new economy, which cover convergence, concentration, regulation, employment policy, new rights for working people and how to bridge the digital divide.

Philip J. Jennings joined the Geneva-based FIET's staff in 1980, following a four-year spell with the Banking and Insurance Union the United Kingdom. He became General Secretary of FIET in 1989 and was re-elected to this position at World Congresses in San Francisco in 1991, in Vienna in 1995 and in Sydney in 1999.

Philip J. Jennings is a member of the ICFTU Executive Board, the ETUC Executive Committee and the Accreditation Agency of the Council of Economic Priorities.

Philip J. Jennings has an M.Sc. in Industrial Relations from the London School of Economy. He was born in Wales, United Kingdom, in 1953 and is married with two children.