Previously Burke, who has been in print for 43 years, was the key go-to figure for the print industry.

National officers Steve Sibbald and Peter Ellis will now be the senior figures for print and paper, which Burke will continue to oversee.

Burke undertook an apprenticeship at Dean Print in Stockport in the late 1960s before going on to work in commercial and newspaper printing. In 1990, he became a full-time union official.

He said: "I will certainly miss the day-to-day dealings with the print industry, but this is a sensible restructure for the union. The industry has changed so much since I was an apprentice – a lot of the big companies have gone in that time.

"But the technology that is available now is unbelievable. I believe the industry has shown the excellent level of union organisation we have in print and paper; we have a lot of good, dedicated and highly skilled people and it is a very important part of UK manufacturing."

Burke will now head up a team of ten national officers covering aerospace, shipbuilding; engineering; print, paper and packaging; automotives and components; metals; IT and communications; chemicals and oil, pharmaceuticals, textiles; electronics and electrical engineering.

He will also remain one of Unite's representatives on the TUC's executive committee and ruling general council.