Andrew Little will formally step down as national secretary of the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU) tomorrow as he seeks to become a Labour Party MP.
Mr Little, the national secretary since 2000, resigned after winning the right to contest the New Plymouth seat for Labour.
Mr Little, who was also Labour's president until April this year, should become an MP regardless of whether he wins New Plymouth as he is number 15 on Labour's list.
He was prominent in the EPMU's campaign for a 5 percent wage rise for workers in 2005, the negotiation of a multi-employer contract in the mining industry and in a successful negotiation with Air New Zealand to retain its heavy maintenance work in New Zealand after the company had planned to move those operations to China.
Bill Newson, a former EPMU assistant national secretary, was elected unopposed to replace Mr Little and will assume the position tomorrow.
