Alex Claassens is the New South Wales Secretary and National Executive Member of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union. He was elected to the position in 2010. He is an active member of both the trade union movement and the Australian Labor Party, serving as an executive member of Unions NSW, a member of the NSW ALP’s Policy and Agenda Committee and for six years (2010-2016), the convenor of the NSW ALP’s Building Sustainable Communities Policy Forum. 

Alex is also a director on a number of Boards, including as the employee representative board member for State Super (SAS Trustee Corporation), a Director of Select Encompass Credit Union, as an alternative board member on the Sydney Alliance for Community Building and a member of the NSW Rail Regulator – NSW Branch Operations Forum.

Alex has undertaken the Company Directors Course with the Australian Institute of Company Directors in addition to the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) Core Governance for Superannuation training, various risk management courses and Workcover’s OH&S Course for Workplace Committees.

Alex is passionate about the transport industry and has worked at the heart of public sector transport for all his working life. He began his career as a train driver on the NSW rail network in Lithgow in 1977 and remains a qualified passenger train and steam locomotive driver to this day.