Blacklisted Manchester Electricians Opt for Jerry Hicks

ON Monday, the North West 1400/ 7 Manchester Contracting Branch of electricians at its February Branch meeting nominated Jerry Hicks for the Unite General Secretary in the coming election. It seems that there are only two candidates with sufficient nominations at the moment. There was no seconder at the meeting for Len McCluskey.

Len McCluskey, is the current Unite General Secretary, and is the other candidate, and it was him who sought the renewal of his mandate after serving just 2-years in office, when he had 3 years still to serve. Jerry Hicks insists that in order to keep the Unite union untainted there ought to be an election.  In his letter seeking the nomination he writes:
'Unless there is another candidate, Mr McCluskey will be "elected" unopposed, efectively extending his term of office without members actually voting until 2018 by which time he will be 67.' 
He then asks:  'Perhaps this is why the election was brought forward 3 years instead of 1 or 2 years.'

On the far left the Socialist Party and the Broad Left is supporting Len McCluskey, and the election of Mr McCluskey will mean that Unite will continue to give financial backing to the Labour Party.  Jerry Hicks has been less supportive, but as yet to say definately that he will withdraw backing if he is elected.