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Gerry Morrissey has been elected as the new general secretary of broadcasting union Bectu.

Morrisey was unopposed in the election, which took place following the death of the union's leader, Roger Bolton, in November 2006 after a long battle with cancer.

He joined the Associated Broadcasting Staff's union (a forerunner of Bectu) in 1977 while working as a catering buyer at the BBC. He was appointed assistant general secretary in 1998, a post he held up until last week.

"I am honoured to have been elected general secretary of Bectu, which I've either been a member of or worked for since I was 17," Morrisey said.

"The industries in which we organise face many challenges and I will be ensuring that the view of our members are taken on board by employers and politicians in the years to come."