Dave Callow elected SWU general secretary following controversial election process

Dave Callow has been elected as the new general secretary of the Social Workers Union (SWU) following an election process that became the subject of formal complaints and criticism from some stakeholders.

SWU announced that Callow had secured 563 votes against 285 for fellow candidate Calum Gallacher. Of 12,509 eligible voters, 850 votes were cast, with two ballots deemed invalid, representing a turnout of around 7%.

The union said the declaration of the result had been delayed after two formal complaints were submitted to independent election scrutineer and returning officer Civica UK regarding the conduct of the process.

In a statement accompanying the result announcement, SWU said: “While SWU remained fully confident in the integrity and robustness of our process, we agreed that Civica UK should undertake an independent review following the formal complaints lodged.”

The union added: “SWU was able to respond comprehensively to the allegations raised and, following a thorough examination of the election procedures, Civica UK concluded that SWU's election process had been conducted appropriately and in accordance with the required standards.”

Incoming general secretary Dave Callow thanked members following the result.

“Thank you for the trust you have placed in me as General Secretary of the Social Workers Union. We believe in solidarity and belonging - the values of social work and of your trade union SWU.”

Callow also paid tribute to outgoing general secretary John McGowan, who has led the union for the past decade.

“I would like to thank John McGowan for his dedication to SWU as General Secretary this past 10 years and his guidance in ensuring SWU has become a truly specialist union that understands and responds to the needs of Social Workers.”

McGowan described Callow as having made a “significant contribution to the union’s growth, strength, and effectiveness” through his previous involvement with the organisation.

“I am delighted that Dave Callow has been elected as the new General Secretary. His long-standing commitment to SWU, both as an active member and more recently as Chair, has made a significant contribution to the union’s growth, strength, and effectiveness.”

Alongside the result announcement, SWU published a detailed statement seeking to address criticism that had circulated on social media during the election campaign, including concerns about communication with members, ballot distribution, endorsement procedures and the format of hustings events.

The union defended its use of an endorsement process involving a written statement and skills test, arguing that the general secretary role carried significant governance, financial and legal responsibilities beyond frontline social work practice.

It stated that one candidate, Calum Gallacher, had chosen not to complete the skills test and therefore did not receive endorsement, but stressed this “did not prevent either candidate from standing in the election or affect their eligibility to be nominated”.

SWU also rejected claims that members had been systematically excluded from the process due to communication failures, saying only two members had contacted the union about not receiving election emails and that email delivery rates were typically between 98% and 99%.

The union said its decision not to use social media as an official communication channel was taken to ensure election information remained “accurate, constructive, and accessible to members”.

The union also defended the turnout figure, noting that low participation was common in trade union elections and that general secretary elections across the sector typically attracted between 5% and 12% turnout. It said it would explore ways to improve engagement through a new union contact development programme.

However, concerns about the election process continued after the result was announced.

Christian Kerr, a senior lecturer in social work and social and community studies, questioned whether issues raised during the complaints process had been fully addressed.

Writing on LinkedIn, Kerr said: “The Social Workers Union election result and statement have been published, yet, despite previously stating it would delay announcement until any complaints had been addressed, SWU has not responded to the matters raised by me in my response to SWU's initial response.”

He added that the union’s published statement “makes no reference at all” to the concerns and questions raised in his open letter, sent on 29 April.

“Something has clearly gone wrong somewhere and I have emailed Civica and SWU this evening to seek clarity.”

SWU acknowledged that the election had “not been without challenges”, referring to what it described as “unfair and inaccurate criticism” during the campaign period.