Mr Curran started out as a welder

Kevin Curran, who succeeds John Edmonds, is not a fan of Downing Street and wants to review the relationship his union has with Labour.

When a private company has to choose between profit margins and providing a first class public service, they will choose the former Kevin Curran New GMB chief

Since the 2001 election, the Labour Party has had an increasingly fraught relationship with its traditional allies in the union movement.

Public sector pay levels and government policy to increase the role of the private sector in areas such as health and education have added to tensions.

Mr Curran, 48, ran on an election platform that included a "membership-led review of the GMB's relationship with government," compulsory private pensions, and a minimum wage of �5 per hour, rising to �5.40 in October 2003.

He is firmly pro-euro and describes himself neither as Old nor New Labour but as 'Sensible Labour' having been in the party for 25 years.

A spokesman said: "Kevin is happy to talk to the government, he is happy to talk to employers, he is happy to talk to the CBI but he is not frightened to put the boot in where necessary."

Boilermaker

Mr Curran left school to train as a welder, working first in East London and then around the country, installing boilers in power stations.

He first became involved in union activity as a shop steward when he took up the issue of asbestos, gaining clean conditions for the workforce after a walkout at the Thurrock Power Station.

Mr Curran won a trade union bursary to study at the London School of Economics in 1979, but found conditions in the industry very different when he tried to return to his previous occupation.

He was effectively blacklisted by the employers, and found it impossible to find work as a welder.

After six months of unemployment, he got on to a job training scheme teaching others welding skills - rising eventually to run the project.

In 1988, he became the GMB's full-time health and safety officer in the London region, working with his future rival, Mr Kenny.

Northern adjustment

He has praised Mr Edmonds as "a hard act to follow" and pledged to continue his campaign against the privatisation of public services.

His key achievement in Newcastle has been securing ship-building work from the government.

In an article in Tribune, the Labour left newspaper, Mr Curran has made it clear that he is opposed to further privatisation of public services.

"Our members understand the private sector because they work in it. When a private company has to choose between profit margins and providing a first class public service, they will choose the former. They always do. It is called capitalism."

Mr Curran says he regrets the way that Labour has "departed from the values that union members recognise".

He says the government's lack of trust in unions is compounded by their lack of understanding of their role.

He argues that in a world which "has become increasingly disengaged, the union movement shines out as an example of the benefits of inclusiveness and democratic engagement."

His new job pays �67,000 a year.