'Fire and rehire': National day of action

TODAY, 26 April, we’re holding a national day of action, demanding the government end fire and rehire now.

While the pandemic continues to create misery, unscrupulous employers – many in profit and some even claiming government financial support — are cynically exploiting the crisis to force workers to sign up to thousands of pounds of wage cuts and worse conditions or lose their jobs.

It’s estimated that one in 10 workers have already been threatened with fire and rehire, and many more will be as furlough comes to an end.

We need Unite members to come together, up and down the country, to show solidarity with members under threat of fire and rehire and make clear to bullying bosses that we won't stand for it.

Businesses have been supported by government. Workers should be treated fairly too. Yet although some government ministers have described fire and rehire as “bully-boy” tactics, it’s still legal. That’s why Unite is calling on the government to bring legislation to outlaw fire and rehire.

We will be working with the Unite group of MPs to maximise all available opportunities in Parliament. With your support your MP will get the message loud and clear – this intimidation should be banned.

There are a number of ways that you can support this campaign:

1) A socially distanced, covid-safe group photograph with a banner/posters – materials are available in regional offices.

2) Distribution of leaflets within workplaces

3) Share images and videos on social media using #EndFireAndRehire hashtag and tag @UnitePolitics

4) Invite your local MP/Councillor candidate to visit demonstrations to show solidarity

7) Write to your local paper

8) Email your MP and get them to sign this Early Day Motion (EDM) in Parliament.

Resources such as leaflets will be available on www.endfireandhire.com

Please do get involved, and help us show that Unite members are front and centre of the fight against this abhorrent practice.

We are winning the fight in workplaces, now let’s win it in Westminster.

Workers fighting fire and rehire

Aerospace members refused to be bullied

Strikes at the aerospace parts firm SPS have been called off after a deal was reached to end ‘fire and rehire’ threats that would have resulted in staff losing up to £3,000 a year.

Read more.

Jacobs Douwe Egberts bosses acting like they’re in Victorian times

Despite a forty per cent increase in profits, bosses at coffee-makers Jacobs Douwe Egberts (JDE) are threatening their workers that they could be fired and rehired. They are now trying to stop workers from taking summer holidays to thwart industrial action taken in response to these threats. Read more.

Elections across the UK on 6 May

With last year’s elections postponed due to the pandemic, polling stations will be open across the whole of the UK on 6 May as directly elected mayors, councillors, London assembly members, the Scottish parliament, Welsh Senedd, and police commissioners are all up for elections.

This is a huge set of elections, please make sure you vote and have your say. Unite Hospitality's political power

Ahead of the Scottish parliamentary elections, our hospitality branch in Glasgow provided a great example of just what can be achieved through member-led organisation that uses politics to achieve industrial aims. They organised a hospitality hustings, inviting politicians from across the political spectrum to talk about what they, and their parties, will do if elected to support hospitality workers.

Caitlin Lee, Chair of Glasgow Hospitality and Service Industries Branch said: ‘Getting those politicians in a room and pledging support for our Charter will make the industry a safer, fairer and better industry. Organising in this way gives us so much more power and clout. As trade unionists, we should be engaging politically.

“It was so important this was a member-led, member-organised hustings. It was us, as workers, who are bringing the pro-active change towards our industry.

“Our industry is one that we struggle for equality, health and safety, and this year financially, and the only way you can get accountability for these situations is to get the stories out there and get politicians to understand. We got all six candidates to sign up to our Charter, and we can now move forward in making Glasgow a Fair Hospitality city by 2022.” Workers Memorial Day

Workers' Memorial Day, held on 28 April every year, brings together workers and their representatives from all over the world to remember the dead and fight for the living. This year’s theme is: Health and Safety is a fundamental workers' right

Read more about how to get involved on our website

Thanks for reading this month's update! For more updates, follow Unite Politics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Unite drop dishonesty allegation against Turley.

Anna Turley

UNITE the UNION have withdrawn the allegation of 'dishonesty' that they made against Anna Turley who has brought a High Court libel action against Unite and Stephen Walker, who runs the blog, Skwawkbox.  Unite has now withdrawn a claim that Ms Turley lied about receiving union mail.

Anthony Hudson QC, representing the union and Mr Walker, told the judge that he had been instructed to withdraw an allegation that Ms Turley had lied about receiving mail from the union.

Turley, the then Member of Parliament for Redcar, had  incorrectly applied to join the union under a Community membership category, which is for people not in paid employment. Mr Hudson, told the court that Turley would have known this, but she has told the court that she thought she was entitled to join.

Ms Turley said:  'My reputation for honesty and integrity are of the upmost 'importance to me.'

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UNITE says support Ian Allinson at Fujitsu

SUPPORT Ian Allinson ! :

THE ‘DISCRIMINATION’ of union reps sparks 11 days of strike action at Fujitsu in Manchester 11TH, January  -  More than 250 Unite members in Manchester have voted for 11 days of strike action at IT giant Fujitsu in one of the longest running industrial disputes in the UK.  One of the features of this dispute has been a ‘victimisation culture’ of union reps, which has included the dismissal of Unite rep of 26 years standing Ian Allinson read more   Keep up to date with Unite: Our union in Fujitsu website.

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Alec McFadden asks Unite to behave 'gracefully'

The statement below is Alec McFadden's legal 
representative's response to Alex Flynn,  Head of Unite 
media and campaigns: 

‘Mr McFadden’s challenge was not technical.  It was based not merely on his vehement denial of the trumped up allegation but also on the blatantly unfair procedure used against him which included the refusal of both the disciplinary and the appeal panel to even call the complainant to appear before them, thus preventing them or Mr McFadden questioning the complainant.  It was based also on the refusal of the appeal panel to even consider evidence that the allegation against Mr Mc Fadden was fabricated. Unite charged Mr McFadden under a rule which Unite, which the ACO (Assistant Certification Officer) held did not apply, and he rejected Unite’s remarkable defence that the rule meant the opposite of what it said. 

 

‘To suggest now that Unite may bring another, different charge under a different rule more than two years after the allegation was made, demonstrates nothing less than persecution of Mr McFadden.  It is impossible to see how the Unite disciplinary process (already found by the ACO to be fatally flawed) could ever have the appearance of justice if it is to rest on bringing repeated charges at two year intervals until a conviction is finally secured.  Unite has spectacularly failed to conduct its disciplinary proceedings fairly or in accordance with its own rules and it should now accept the CO’s findings gracefully and let Mr McFadden return to his valuable work for the union.’

Union Bosses Who Blackballed Their Members!

 Why hasn't McCluskey probed bent officials before?

Why didn't Mrs. Cartmail interview Whistleblower Wainwright?

Why are blacklisted workers still waiting for justice?
by Brian Bamford
***

GUARDIAN journalist. Rob Evans last Monday wrote that  'blacklisted workers want an inquiry by a legal expert to interview trade union officials and victims, and see if information was handed over deliberately.'
Now Unite, the UK's biggest trade union, is facing calls to set up an inquiry into claims that union officials gave information to a clandestine blacklisting operation funded by major firms and enabling them to deny jobs to certain workers.
Long suspected details of the alleged complicity have emerged in documents prepared for a high court action following which construction firms apologised and paid compensation totalling around £75m to 771 blacklisted workers. The evidence of the complicity of trade union officials and managers has led to a group of 41 blacklisted workers to call on Unite to commission an independent inquiry into the claims.

  Why hasn't McCluskey probed bent officials before?

The election for the new Unite General Secretary closes on the 19th, April, and the existing general secretary Len McCluskey has said that he will  'set up an independent union inquiry to investigate all evidence made available' to him of collusion by union officers in blacklisting.  But Mr. McCluskey has been the general secretary of the Unite union for years, why has it taken so long for him to offer an inquiry?  Couldn't he have done this earlier?
Meanwhile, the Unite union's acting general secretary, Gail Cartmail has said: 'Only a full public inquiry with judicial authority will fully explain the depth to which the state and employers colluded to deny construction workers employment.'
'Unite has campaigned legally, industrially and politically to win justice for blacklisted workers and to ensure the disgusting practice of blacklisting is ended once and for all. Blacklisting is an industrial crime, the blame for which lays squarely at the door of the construction companies..'
Yet, Ms Cartmail herself conducted her own investigation in 2011 on behalf of the Unite union, and on the 2nd, November 2011, this Northern Voices Blog stated that her report 'cleared the union officer':
'THE Report and investigation into 'alleged Officer collusion in Blacklisting in the construction sector' conducted by an Assistant General Secretary of Unite, Gail Cartmail, has concluded that: 'Despite considerable effort I have not discovered evidence against officers' of the union. She writes that while 'I accept that this may disappoint some activists, who are justifiably angry and who have suffered ... great injustice arising from Blacklisting', she urges that 'workers officials of the union are also entitled to dignity at work and in the absence of any proof I trust that such allegation of collusion (in Blacklisting) will now desist.'
She was telling us to 'desist'  is asking questions about collusion in 2011, but now she's calling for a public enquiry because she knows the victims of blacklisting are still disgruntled and telling people to 'desist' is not politic.

In her report in 2011 Mrs. Cartmail wrote 'Alleged collusion by union officials' seems to place great stress on the allegations of one man Mr. James Simms, who was a former employee of a predecessor union and has since been employed by Beaver Management Services Ltd and has claimed to have a 'CD-ROM with the names of union officers on it complicit in the Blacklisting of members'.  She concluded that Mr. Simms that getting information from Mr. Simms was like extracting teeth.
But Jim Simms was not the most promising whistleblower with regard to the expose of the blacklist in the British building trade.  The credit there must surely go to the former electrician and whistleblower, Alan Wainwright, not Jim Simms?

 Why didn't Ms. Cartmail interview Whistleblower Wainwright?

THE whistleblower Alan Wainwright wrote a letter to Gail Cartmail, on Monday, the 23rd, July 2012 which he has placed on his own Blog: July - alan wainwright & the construction industry blacklist - blogger www.alanwainwright.blogspot.com/2012_07_01_archive.htm : 

:
Dear Mrs Cartmail

Re Construction Industry Blacklisting

'I was the whistleblower in this matter and provided the evidence which eventually exposed this via David Clancy at the ICO in March 2009. Three years on and we now appear to be making a start at holding the companies accountable for this, but I cannot help but feel that we could have saved at least three years if Mr Simpson had acted when he first came into possession of the evidence in 2005/2006.

'I'm therefore now writing to appeal to you to investigate Derek Simpsons' lack of enthusiasm to investigate and act upon this in 2005/2006 and provide the reasons behind this...

'I've held senior positions at Crown House Engineering (National Labour Manager), Drake & Scull and Haden Young and during those periods of employment the companies paid the union subscriptions of the members as part of a benefits package. The union also received two pounds per week for every agency worker placed on the sites as part of an 'agency workers membership scheme' set up by the Luton office under Harry Hughes. This was a simple head count system and payment made monthly if I recall correctly. I understand the unions received in excess of one million pounds a year from the companies in question under these schemes at the time.

'Although Mr Simpson has now retired, I do believe he receives a handsome pension and a luxury house to live in. I cannot see how this can be justified, as in my opinion he was in a prime position to do something about this and chose not to do so. Mr Clancy had no more or no less evidence than Mr Simpson three years previous but Mr Simpson chose to do nothing about this.'

Mr. Wainwright concluded his letter:
'As you may be aware, Guney Clark Ryan are about to lodge their case to the courts. We may never get full justice for these people, but I think they are at least owed some honesty about why a major union of which many were members did nothing to help them.'

Yours sincerely

Alan Wainwright

Mrs Cartmail in her reply wrote:

 '.... The purpose of your letter was specifically in relation to what you identify as a wasted opportunity on the part of the retired Amicus/Unite General Secretary Derek Simpson who you believe should have done more arising from your correspondence in 2005/2006.

'As you point out Mr Simpson is now retired. The union has no capacity to secure Mr Simpson's cooperation in an investigation. The union recently reviewed Mr Simpson's post retirement benefits, which were subsequently adjusted to the extent that this was possible.

'I empathise with your frustration however do assure you that Unite now gives priority to representing members known to be Blacklisted and is proactively working to achieve better law.'

Kind regards

Gail Cartmail

Readers must decide for themselves why Mrs. Cartmail didn't interview a vital witness such as Mr. Alan Wainwright when she was doing her investigation for the Unite union into blacklisting in 2011?

 Why are blacklisted workers still waiting for justice?

TO better understand Gail Cartmail's growing involvement within the campaign against the blacklist, we need to understand the development of the Blacklist Support Group, and how the Rank and File construction worker's campaign began to have political impact, prominence and profile.  At some point Mrs. Cartmail recognised this and decided to assimulate herself within the workings of the Blacklist Support Group.    

This can clearly be detected in her letter responding to Alan Wainwright in 2012:

Dear Alan

'Your effort and those now organised within the Blacklist Support Group has been tremendous in exposing the practice of Blacklisting in the Construction Industry.

'Since February 2011 I have led for the union as AGS for a number of sectors including construction. Over the past 12 months I have learned about different aspects of the ICO raid of the Consulting Association, subsequent litigation and legislative changes introduced by the Labour Government. In the process I have met and come to know many workers who have been the victim of Blacklisting in the industry.

'Both Unite's predecessor unions supported numerous members complaints to their employment tribunal where their application to the ICO showed they were on the Blacklist.  We have renewed encouragement to members to bring cases forward. Unfortunately as you probably know the settlements in respect of such cases is relatively low and poor comfort to workers who struggle to find employment commensurate with their qualifications.

'Over the past we have endeavoured to campaign against Blacklisting and work with the Blacklist Support Group on a number of fronts including legal challenges on grounds of disclosure of information and human rights...'

 A very sugary response indeed, and one intended to seduce!  

Yet the truth is that the conversion of the of the Unite leadership and that of the politicians within the Labour Party to the campaign against the blacklist for those of us who stood on the lonely picket lines in Manchester, was indeed a slow uphill  process.  It was only when the Blacklist Support Group became a political bandwagon following the raid by the Information Commissioner in 2009 of the offices of the Consulting Association run by Ian Kerr that things took off.

Alan Wainwright was clearly aware of this in his correspondence with Mrs. Cartmail in 2012:
'I note your comments about the current contribution from the union, but this is simply too little too late and is perceived by some I speak to as just jumping on the bandwagon. I put it to you again that these people are at the very least owed an explanation and an apology of why a major union of which many were members did nothing to help them at the time.'

Jumping on a political bandwagon is one thing Mrs. Cartmail, delivering justice is quite another!

Allinson on BBC 2 Daily Politics!

Workplace activist, Ian Allinson, who is standing as a "grassroots socialist" candidate for the position of General Secretary, of the trade union, Unite, was interviewed yesterday by Jo Coburn, on the BBC2 'Daily Politics' show. Both Gerard Coyne and Len McCluskey, who are also standing in this election, declined to appear.

Allinson, is the only candidate in this election who is not a full-time paid trade union official. An employee of the global tech firm Fujitsu, in Manchester, and a trade union convenor, he is the underdog in this election having fewer branch nominations than the other two candidates. If elected, as General Secretary of Unite, Allinson has vowed to forgo the six figure salary that goes with the job and to work for his current pay. He also wants to see all Unite officials elected, rather than appointed.

Questioned by Coburn about being the favoured candidate of the 'Socialist Workers Party' (SWP), Allison said that he had a broad range of support within Unite. Nevertheless, Allinson's political background is within the SWP.

During the run up to the election, there has been a certain amount of mudslinging between two of the candidates. Gerard Coyne, the West Midlands, Regional Secretary of Unite, accused McCluskey of taking a loan off the Union to buy a property in London and  he claims that McCluskey, is more interested in Jeremy Corbyn, and the Labour Party, rather than Unite members. His brother, Kevin Coyne, is  also a national officer of Unite.  

Coyne, is seen as the candidate of the Labour right and the one candidate who is most acceptable to New Labour and the bosses. He was recently given column inches in Rupert Murdoch's "Sun" newspaper, to present his election address, entitled - "I'll get your union back." He says in his election address to Unite members - "Just last year, Unite put £417,000 of your money into a luxury London apartment for his (McCluskey's) personal use."

Writing for the Murdoch press, is hardly likely to endear Coyne to many British trade unionists, given the way in which, the Murdoch press have vilified trade unionists over the years. Rupert Murdoch also backed Donald Trump in the U.S. Presidential elections and News International, was also embroiled in the phone-hacking scandal.

Unite have stated that the loan made to McCluskey was a -"shared equity arrangement made with officials required to move to London with the property being sold after the official left the post." However, prior financial assistance of £90,000 was given to McCluskey in 1994, to buy a house with his then partner, Jennie Formby. In 2013, Formby was appointed Unite's political director on a salary of £75,000.

Len McCluskey, has been General Secretary of Unite since 2011 and until his resignation, in December 2016. In his election address, McCluskey says - "I'm overwhelmed that nearly 1200 branches - more than 80% of the total - have nominated me... I regret that this election has been marred by so many smears and lies by Mr Coyne, aided by the right-wing anti-union media, designed to undermine your union to further his own ambitions..."

Yesterday, on 'Daily Politics', Allinson said that he felt that Unite had not put up enough fight against government austerity policies and the recent Trade Union Bill. Like many Trotskyists, he believes that English workers are always itching for a fight but are being restrained and held back by the likes of trade union leaders, like McCluskey. He said that he was in favour of the free movement of labour across countries and opposed Trident. He feels that the money could be used to create sustainable jobs and to build more council housing. Asked about the allegation that McCluskey, was intending to affiliate Unite to 'Momentum', which supports Jeremy Corbyn, he said this was utter nonsense as only a Unite conference or the NEC, could make that decision.

Len McCluskey recently stated that Jeremy Corbyn should be given 15 months to see if he could improve Labour's opinion poll ratings. If not, he feels he should be replaced by another leader. Allinson, supports Corbyn unequivocally, in spite of his shambolic performance as leader of the opposition. Although Labour held Stoke in a recent by-election, with a reduced majority, it also lost the safe Labour seat of Copeland, which went Conservative.  At the Richmond by-election held in December 2016, Labour lost its deposit and got fewer votes in the constituency than there were Labour Party members.

Jeremy Corbyn, leads a party that was pro-Remain and pro-EU, yet he's been a life-long opponent of Britain's membership of the European Union. After the vote for Brexit last summer, he stupidly called for Article 50 to be invoked immediately. John McDonnell, also claimed that Britain leaving the EU was nothing less than an "enormous opportunity." In February, having seen all their amendments defeated, Corbyn led his Labour MPs into the House to vote alongside the government for its Brexit bill. However, some Labour MPs, opposed the three line whip and voted against it.It was reported that immediately after Labour voted for the Brexit bill, some 7,000 Labour members stopped their standing orders and packed it in. Caroline Lucas of the Green Party, said that the un-amended bill was the "blueprint for an extreme Tory Brexit and Labour waved it through."

Already there is speculation as to whom might be the next Labour leader. Keir Starmer, Clive Lewis, and Rebecca Long-Bailey, have all been tipped as future Labour leaders.

Ballot papers for the 2017 election of Unite General Secretary were sent out on Monday 27th March.

Unite leadership supporters clash at London HQ

Clashes broke out between supporters of rival candidates for the Unite leadership on Monday outside the union’s London headquarters.
Backers of Gerard Coyne had planned a peaceful protest, but the atmosphere became heated when supporters of Len McCluskey, the incumbent general secretary, arrived for a counter-demonstration.
One Coyne supporter claimed he was assaulted, while McCluskey’s backers said the protest was poorly timed given the acquisition of Vauxhall – although its new owners tried to assuage concerns over job losses for Unite members working there on Monday.
The Coyne campaign arrived with lifesize skeletons to highlight “skeletons in Len’s closet”, in a nod to claims the general secretary had borrowed union funds to help him buy a £700,000 central London flat, with the authority of Unite’s executive council.
Some of McCluskey’s supporters were seen attempting to remove skeleton masks worn by Coyne campaigners, pulling down placards and using phones to film them.
Gerard Coyne is challenging McCluskey for the union leadership.
Coyne, the union’s West Midlands regional secretary, claims McCluskey used Unite funds to finance Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership campaign and has increased members’ subscription costs by a total of £10m.

For more go to 

Supporters of Unite leadership rivals clash outside London HQ

The Guardian-6 Mar 2017

 

Ian Allinson now on Ballot for Unite Secretary Job

by Ian Allinson

IT's great news that I've now had notification from Unite that we have have passed the 50 nominations threshold - so I will be on the ballot paper. With this notification came a list of the nominations they have accepted. Your own was not on this list.

If you haven't yet sent off your nomination, please do so without delay - if they aren't received by Wednesday they won't count. For branches, the best way to submit the nomination is online - either using a link in the email sent to branch secretaries on 13 January, or the codes on the letter you received. Workplaces have to do it by post.

For nominations you need the following information:

• Ian Allinson
• Membership number 30439666
• Branch NW/55

Bullying, Positive Behaviour & Culture

ALMOST a year ago, a report was disclosed to the Bury Times that claimed one in ten council staff at Bury MBC had been bullied in the last 18-months up to March 2016, and a quarter felt unable to cope with their work demands.
Last Monday (23rd, January 2017), a body entitling itself the Positive Behaviour Task Force met to consider the situation.
The Bury Positive Behaviour Task Force is in theory composed of representatives of the unions UNISON and Unite the Union, as well as representatives of management and HR (Human Relations).  Initially the Unite union which is the biggest union at Bradley Fold Waste Depot, was not invited to participate on this Task Force, more recently however, after complaints from the Unite Commercial Branch, a full time officer was incorporated onto the Task Force but has yet to attend.
In a response to a question about the level of alleged bullying up to March last year a Council spokesperson said:  'The Council takes any allegations of bullying and harassment very seriously and we place the utmost importance on dignity and respect for all our employees... (I)n response to this question 26 Dignity at Work complaints have been investigated in the past three years (6 since April 2015) and there have been 18 cases which have been handled via the mediation route (4 since April 2015).'
The spokesperson then added:
'In terms of taking action, a positive action taskforce has been established along with an Employee focus group to make our policies work effectively on the ground in practice.  We have a further survey planned for the autumn which will be anonymous as are all of the staff surveys we carry.'*
Speaking to the Bury Times (2nd, March 2016), Labour Councillor, Sandra Walmsley, said:
'I don't think there is a culture problem at the council with bullying.  If that was the case, we would have known about it before the survey.... I am hoping the taskforce will get to the bottom of this issue.'
At Bradley Fold Waste Depot there has been various complaints of forms of harassment over the last decade or so, yet at the time of writing the Unite union which represents the bin-men has not had an update or as yet seen any of the minutes of the meetings of the Positive Behaviour Task Force.  Nor, as yet, has the Bury Unite Commercial Branch representing the Bury bin-men seen the results of the 'further survey planned for the autumn (2016)' promised by Bury MBC.
This must be troubling.  
*  https://councildecisions.bury.gov.uk/documents/.../Questions%20responses%20web.p

Ian Allinson on Unite Nominations

THREE weeks in to the five-week nomination period and we know of 33 nominations so far, but at least one has been disqualified and probably many more will.
To be sure of getting on the ballot paper we need to redouble our efforts, particularly for workplace nominations - if your branch covers more than one workplace then each workplace is entitled to make a nomination too. There is updated guidance on nomination meetings etc here: http://www.ian4unite.org/how-to-nominate-me/
The other key step to ensure a real contest is to ensure that all the paperwork for nominations has been submitted accurately and promptly. If your branch or workplace has nominated me, please check that it has been sent off and that you have had an acknowledgement from Electoral Reform Services. I'd be grateful if you could let me know progress on submission and acceptance of nominations so we have as accurate picture as possible.
There are still lots more nomination meetings taking place - please send in details of any you know of. I'm planning to visit Stevenage, London and the West Midlands this week to speak at some and visit workplaces. This will include three meetings with Fujitsu members (not all nomination meetings) as we have a national industrial action ballot opening on Friday. If you're near Heathrow or Manchester Airport (T3) please show your support for members at BA Mixed Fleet fighting poverty pay and the two-tier workforce that resulted from the 2011 deal.
This week some women members produced a statement welcoming my release of the report on the treatment of women officers in Unite. They are asking other women in Unite to add their names too.
The best argument for Len McCluskey is Gerard Coyne. This article provides some useful points to address people's fears about "splitting the vote" and letting Coyne in. If McCluskey genuinely believed the right could win the election, why did he trigger it in the first place? If he is genuinely worried about the impact of media support for Coyne, why won't he agree to livestreamed hustings in every region? We could enable thousands of members to join the debate without filtering it through a hostile media.
Finally, we still have plenty of leaflets left. Let us know how many you want and where to send them. If you provide a postcode we can also suggest workplaces you could visit. Even if they have already nominated, this is a chance to discuss key issues facing members and how together we can make Unite a stronger and more effective union.

Solidarity

Ian (Allinson).

Threat to Labour Leader in Unite's Election?

LEN McCluskey stepped down early as general secretary of Unite, Britain’s biggest trade union, so as to stand again for a third term.  The New Statesman writer, Stephen Bush wrote in January that 'The contest has potentially far-reaching consequences for the Labour party. McCluskey was elected in 2013 to serve a five-year term; but his supporters hope that the move will allow him to stay in post until the next general election.'

Unite is the largest affiliate to the Labour Party. That makes it a power player in the party’s internal politics, although, writes Bush in the New Statesman of Unites leadership 'their reach and influence may often be overstated.  It is the GMB, a trade union from the party’s centre, which has dominated parliamentary selections so far in this parliament.'
McCluskey, who is 66, has some believe been handicapped by the idea, which Unite's press officers briskly deny, that he favoured Andy Burnham, not Jeremy Corbyn, in the 2015 Labour leadership election:  see the New Statesman, 6th, December 2016.  In the end Unite backed Corbyn.
In the last leadership election for Unite's top job, it was the left-wing candidate, Jerry Hicks, that threatened McCluskey most, and since then McCluskey has been a solid supporter of Corbyn, and it seems Unite 'underwrote much of the Islington MP's second leadership bid' last year.
Yet, according to the journalist Stephen Bush:  'the perception that he is a fairweather friend of the Corbyn project still lingers in some circles'.
The great hope for Labour’s Corbynsceptics and the right-wing centre is Gerard Coyne, the regional secretary in the west Midlands.  It has been said that allies of McCluskey hoped he could be bought off with a parliamentary seat, but  that hasn't happened and some are worried that a victory for Coyne would upset the current political complexion of the Labour Party.
We now know on the left, that Jerry Hicks will not be a contender in the current election for Unite General Secretary, but he has promised that he will support the new left-wing candidate Ian Allinson for the job.
Ian Allinson is Fujitsu's Unite convenor in Manchester, and has been involved in Unite and its forerunners for 25 years. He also has a blog, which records his union activities since 2007.  Whereas Len and Gerard are both entrenched in the union bureaucracy, Ian Allinson makes a claim to being the closest to trade union rank and file membership.  Here is the shop-floor Manchester lad to take on the tired union establishment. men.
The result of this election could well have wider consequences for British politics.

Public Interest & Trade Union Disciplinaries

Editor's Statement:

AN Anonymous commentator referring to our publication of a post on this Blog entitled 'Trade Unionist Discipline: Alec McFadden case'  questioned our decision to publish Mr. McFadden's account of what happened to him.  We did this after an approach was sent  to us by the 'Defend Alec McFadden' campaign. 
Our Anonymous critic wrote: 
'You said you don't have enough evidence to form an opinion. You shouldn't then be posting this as it makes you look like you're supporting him and endorsing this article. on Trade Unionist Disciplined: Alec McFadden case.'
We published both the statement from Mr. McFadden's campaign and followed it up with a response to Northern Voices from Gail Cartmail,  Assistant General Secretary of Unite the Union in which she declared:

'In response to your email, Unite does not comment on its internal disciplinary proceedings at all, beyond saying that we believe all the correct procedures were followed in the case highlighted.'
Regards,
Gail (Gail Cartmail,  Assistant General Secretary , Unite the Union,)

Northern Voices took the view that it was in the public interest to release the McFadden statement, as the story had already been reported in the Liverpool Echo (13th, Sept. 2016), when we came to publish the story on the 19th, Oct. 2016.  We leave it to our readers to decide for themselves on the justice or not of the case against Mr. McFadden.

Unite Assistant General Secretary Responds

FOR purposes of balance on behalf of Northern Voices, I wrote an e-mail to the Assistance General Secretary of Unite the Union, requesting the union's response to the statement from the Alec McFadden Defence Campaign.   See below for the details which are self-explanatory: 

Dear Gail, 

I'm sorry to send this to you but Mick Whittley (North West regional officer) is not available at present.  The Northern Voices Blog has already published a post defending Alec McFadden from Liz Epps without comment:  see below.  Can you please give me the Unite position on this case?  We want to be balanced in our reporting of this case.

Brian Bamford:  Joint-Editor of Northern Voices 

Brian, 

In response to your email, Unite does not comment on its internal disciplinary proceedings at all, beyond saying that we believe all the correct procedures were followed in the case highlighted.

Regards,
Gail
Gail Cartmail,  Assistant General Secretary , Unite the Union,

128 Theobalds Road, 
London. WC1X 8TN

North West Union Boss Banned From Office

ALEC McFadden, a prominent figure in the North West trade union movement, has been forced out of office following allegations of 'inappropriate behaviour’ on a march from Wirral in Merseyside to the Tory Party Conference in Manchester last year. 
Mr. McFadden, as well as being a leading member of the Unite union in the North West, has been for many years the North West regional representative on the Joint Consultative Committee of the Trade Union Councils in the UK*.   It is now clear that Mr. McFadden has also had to stand down from this position on the TUC-JCC, and that nomination papers have been sent out for the affiliates to the Trade Union Councils in the North West to nominate a replacement for this position as well. 
Talking to the Liverpool Echo on the 13th, September this year, Mr. McFadden, a high profile member of Unite, strongly denied any wrong doing. 
But following a disciplinary hearing of the Unite union Mr. McFadden has been told that he can’t hold any position of power within the union. 
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo McFadden said: 
‘It is correct that I was subjected to a disciplinary process in relation to charges I firmly denied and continue to reject in their totality.’ 
McFadden added: 
‘There was an agreement that I should attend an equalities training course which I am delighted to do.  I have sought details of available courses and am awaiting responses.  My membership of Unite was never in doubt and the fact that I remain a member of Unite has been confirmed in recent correspondence from the union.’ 

He said that he had been contacted by national newspapers ‘which report having been told that I was expelled from my trade union Unite’.

He said:  ‘That allegation is false.’ 

The 4-day People’s March Against Austerity 2015 began in Holylake in the constituency of former Tory MP Ester McVey.

Organised by trade unions, including Merseyside TUC & MrMcFadden, they joined a group of marchers who had started in south Wales.

A  Unite union spokesman said:  ‘Unite does not tolerate sexual harassment in any form.  Unite can conform that the matter has been dealt with in line with the union’s disciplinary procedures.  We are supporting the victim & the individual concerned has been removed from holding office in Unite.’
At the time of writing Northern Voices does have the precise details of the alleged offence Mr. McFadden is supposed to have committed, and while we do not condone any form of sexual harassment, we cannot at this moment comment on the basic justification for the charge against Mr. McFadden.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/mersey-union-firebrand-alec-mcfadden-11881611#ICID=sharebar_facebook

*  Trades Union Councils' Joint Consultative Committee:

Trades Union Councils represent an important form of union organisation: local trade union branches acting together in pursuit of a common agenda within the community. The capacity for a reinvigorated Trades Union Council to take action and to mobilise workers in support of campaigns is vast. Trades Union Councils should act on this by working with trade union branches to build organisation locally, but they must also take a lead in forging links with other parts of the community. Crucial to this is identifying issues on which unions and other organisations share a common agenda – an agenda based on the pursuit of social justice.
Our argument has to be that only through union strength can we win rights at work and deliver a better quality of life for people throughout society. Trades Union Councils need to make the case for a broad coalition, which tackles injustices, both in the workplace and in the community. 

Blacklist Trial on 7th, June

IN the High Court yesterday (Wed 4th May), Lord Justice Supperstone ruled that the blacklisting High Court trial start date will be postponed until 7th June. This is after Anthony Hudson QC representing the remaining UNITE claimants requested the delay.  The multi-million pound settlement of several hundred claimants last Friday means that Guney, Clark & Ryan solicitors, GMB and UCATT have now withdrawn from the group litigation, meaning Thompsons solicitors will now have to carry out all of the tasks which until last week had been divided between all 4 legal teams.  

The confirmation of the new timetable means that Cullum McAlpine, the disgraced businessman at the centre of the blacklist scandal, will be forced to give evidence on Tuesday 21st June.  The public and press gallery will be packed for that day of the show trial - especially after McAlpine refused to answer so many pertinent questions when appearing before a Select Committee investigation into blacklisting in 2013. 

In total there are 97 UNITE claimants still involved in the litigation including 7 lead cases that will be used to assess the value of the compensation for all remaining blacklisted workers in the litigation. The High Court was also told that there is one blacklisted construction worker who is now participating in the trial as a 'litigant in person'.

It was also confirmed that the Information Commissioners Office has only in the past day or so released further additional documents seized during the 2009 raid on the notorious Consulting Association as part of a Third Party Disclosure Order.  This evidence was supposed to have been fully disclosed years ago - not less than a week before the trial was due to start. 

Steve Kelly, blacklisted electrician from Essex and Blacklist Support Group co-chair commented:

'My claim is still live in the High Court and I cannot wait to see Cullum McAlpine squirm in the dock. In his lust for profit, that pillar of the establishment has violated our human rights:  he deserves to pay for what he has inflicted upon our families.

'The British legal system has always been stacked in favour of big business and because of the destruction of mountains of documents, some blacklisted workers have been forced to accept settlements that fall a long way short of justice. But our fight has never just been about compensation. 

'Even to this day, workers are victimised for standing up for their basic legal rights by the very same companies that have publicly apologised for their role in the blacklist.  We demand jobs for blacklisted workers on major projects.  We demand our rights on sites.  Until we get proper justice, we will mobilise to fight them industrially and campaign politically for a public inquiry.  I make a promise, whatever happens in the High Court, the fight against blacklisting isn't over.' 

Unite statement on High Court ‘blacklisting’ trial adjournment

Unite director of legal services, Howard Beckett said: 

'Unite applied for an adjournment at the High Court today (Wednesday 4 May) and this was granted by Lord Justice Supperstone until Tuesday 7 June.  The reason for the application was that the four claimant teams have now become one which meant that it was impractical for the trial, estimated to take 11 weeks, to start on Monday 9 May. In addition, some late disclosure has come in from the Information Commissioner’s Office and this evidence needs to be considered and evaluated by our legal team.  Unite understands that the date for Cullum McAlpine, the alleged architect of the "blacklisting" scandal, to give evidence is Tuesday 21 June.  Unite still represents about 90 members whose jobs were ruined and lives turned upside down by the ‘blacklisting’ scandal.  Unite has not reached any settlement although we continue to negotiate to achieve justice.  The key question that has to be asked of the construction firms, which made an unprecedented admission of guilt last October, is why have they not yet settled?  Unite continues to seek maximum compensation and justice on behalf of our members following those admissions.'

Blacklist Support Group

Unite statement on 'blacklisting'

UNITE director of legal services, Howard Beckett said:

'Unite is continuing to litigate on behalf of those construction workers whose lives were ruined by the 'blacklisting' scandal.

 'Unite has issued a witness summons for Callum McAlpine, the alleged architect of 'blacklisting' and a named defendant, to give evidence at the High Court trial next month. He has, so far, steadfastly refused to give a statement in response to the serious allegations made against him.

 'Last October, the construction firms involved in blacklisting made an unprecedented admission of guilt and Unite intends to seek justice and compensation to the maximum extent on behalf of our members following those admissions.'

29/04/2016 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 29/04/2016 19:23  

UNITE Report on Cullum McAlpine!

‘Blacklisting mastermind’ refuses to give evidence

Shaun Noble, Tuesday, April 12th, 2016

THE alleged architect of the construction ‘blacklisting’ scandal, Cullum McAlpine, has declined to give evidence in the High Court case, due to start next month, to establish the extent of wrong-doing in the industry.

Unite condemned the decision by Cullum McAlpine not to take the witness box as ‘a further gross insult’ to the thousands of construction workers who have lost their jobs because of the machinations of the secretive Consulting Association and Services Group of the Economic League.

The revelations about Cullum  McAlpine, a director of Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd, came when the companies’ evidence was filed for the High Court  trial which is due to start on Monday May 9 – and is expected to last 11 weeks.

The complex multi-strand case will centre on a number of key legal issues, including defamation, breaches of the 1988 Data Protection Act, conspiracy and misuse of private information. The outcome of the trial will determine the level of compensation those ‘blacklisted’ may receive.

Unite is supporting the claims of about 290 construction workers for damages for years of lost income because they were ‘blacklisted’. The claims are against Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd, Balfour Beatty Engineering Services and more than 30 other firms.

Unite also pledged to challenge Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd every time that the company tenders for future public procurement contracts, unless Cullum McAlpine gives evidence at the High Court.
 
'Despite last October’s unprecedented admission of guilt by construction firms involved in blacklisting, those that masterminded this campaign of blacklisting are still twisting and turning to avoid appearing in court where the media and public will be present,' said Unite director of legal services Howard Beckett.
 
'It is Unite’s belief that that Cullum McAlpine, as founder chairman, was the key architect in the operation of the Consulting Association until it was raided by the Information Commissioner in 2009.
 
'The fact that he is refusing to give evidence to help bring closure for the suffering that our members and their families have endured is shaming.
 
'You judge the character of a person if they are prepared to stand up and defend their actions in open court – you don’t skulk in the legal twilight protected by a platoon of expensive City lawyers,' Beckett added.
 
'How can a company run by a man who hides from his victims and the justice system ever hope to convince ministers that they have learnt from the sins of the past and deserve to be involved in public procurement contracts.
 
'Unite says loud and clear to Cullum McAlpine: Turn up and give evidence or expect your dispute with us to go on long after this litigation has concluded. We will object at every turn to your company benefiting from public procurement contracts.
 
'It is only now after sustained legal action, with the support of Unite, that the lid is being finally lifted on a scandal which has ruined countless lives and led to hardship for many more,” Beckett noted.
 
'However, the stain of blacklisting won’t be removed until there is a full public inquiry and the livelihoods of the blacklisted are restored by the firms involved giving them a permanent job,” he added.
 
'Many Unite members, who are the victims of blacklisting, have rejected the employers’ financial offers. The employers make mention of headline figures in regard to their top offers, but the reality is that they continue to attempt to buy off the majority of claims with low offers.
 
'The employers need to understand that compensation is only one part of the blacklisting struggle and until the employers are prepared to issue unreserved admissions as to the practices they undertook, prepared to disclose all documentation they hold regarding the blacklist and show a willingness to positively intervene in favour of employing victims then the fight goes on.'
 

Local Vermin & the Bury Times!

Dear Editor (Bury Times),

WHILE members of the Bury Unite Commercial Branch welcomes the letter of support from Councillor Dorothy Gunther (Opinion Thursday, Feb. 11^th, 2016), we fear that the concerns of  binmen, councillors and residents about the increased sightings of vermin in Bury since the introduction of the new bin collection scheme will not have any impact unless we all speak more loudly about the dangers.   This will require something of a campaign in the forthcoming months.

Naturally, the vermin of Bury do not have a vote, but if they did, surely they would vote for the Labour councillor who pronounced in July 2014 that ‘There is no evidence there will be a detrimental impact on public health such as vermin, unpleasant smells and fly tipping’ as a consequence of the new system. 

Politics often involves some self-deception, and political wishful thinking; consequently the Labour leaders in Bury have been more inclined to listen to managers and officials, who may wish to promote their own agendas, rather than hear the views of their own rank and file binmen.   The citizens of Bury deserve better than this.

Yours sincerely,

Brian Bamford:  Secretary of Bury Unite Commercial Branch

UNITE Against Trade Union Bill

MPs are voting on your rights today!

HELP STOP THE TRADE UNION BILL

Last week we asked you to email your MP to make sure they understood exactly why they should say NO to the Trade Union Bill.
This bill will give bad bosses the green light to make working life harder for everyone - and it’s a threat to all of our rights at work.
Many thousands of you have already taken action – thank you!  But stopping this bill is going to take all of us. It’s easy to do – just click here.
You can read all about the plans here. Many of you have already been shocked by what you have read the Tories want to do: 

       .   allow employers to use agency workers to break strikes

• forcing you to tell your employer what you’ll be posting on Facebook or Twitter and if you’ll be taking banners on peaceful protests
• or landing you with a £20,000 fine if you fail to wear an armband!
• making it much harder to take strike action when you’re being mistreated.
• and, in the public sector, capping facility time used to support workers and ending ‘check-off’, the easy way to pay your subs. 
• All of this is going to make it much harder to defend your job, defend or improve your pay and working conditions. And the above is just some of what they want to do. No wonder opposition inside and outside of Parliament is already growing. 
  They are voting on these plans TONIGHT – so take the 30 seconds to email your MP NOW! 
  It’s your voice at the work the government is trying to silence – but use your voice now to tell MPs to say No to the Trade Union Bill.
  Thank you,
  Steve
  Steve Turner
  Assistant general secretary

Blacklisting book exposes collusion between bosses and unions in the UK building trade!

As Dave Smith and Phil Chamberlain point out in their excellent book on blacklisting, (Blacklisted: The Secret War Between Big Business And Union Activists), being a union activist who worked in the British construction industry, was the primary reason why a person was included in the blacklisting files of the Consulting Association.

The authors, however, do not accuse any union official of any illegality or deliberate collusion in blacklisting, even though the names of certain trade union officials, are identifiable as a source of information in the Consulting Association files. But as they point out, even if entries in the files can be attributed, it is often difficult to prove intent.

It is clear from these files that certain trade union officials were having conversations with construction bosses and that these conversations were being reported back to the Consulting Association, which was closed down following a raid by staff from the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) in 2009. What was reported back often had a detrimental effect on construction workers. Yet was this down to loose tongues or deliberate complicity in blacklisting? 

The authors of the book contacted a number of union officials to ask how their names arrived on the files as sources for information. Some declined to comment. Others claimed that they were unaware of blacklisting or the Consulting Association, or that their conversations with the construction bosses, were being recorded. Many of these people have now retired on generous union pensions and in some cases, are now working for the construction companies that were involved in blacklisting.

These kind of excuses hardly bare scrutiny. It is difficult to believe that experienced trade union officials could have been so naïve as not to know about blacklisting in the British construction industry or that you should be careful what you say about people to the bosses. However, it is known that certain practices existed in the British construction industry that tended to create a culture of collusion between the bosses and the trade unions.

The so-called JIB agreement between the EETPU and the Electrical Contractors Association (ECA) which was established in Britain in 1968, effectively regulated the working conditions of electricians working for JIB companies. Under this legally binding 'social partnership', imported from America, every electrician working for a JIB company was enrolled into the EETPU and the firm paid his union contributions. In return the union agreed to discipline its own members, improve productivity and eliminate strikes. In 1987, the EETPU and the ECA, even set up their own employment agency, ESCA services. 

This cosy relationship between the bosses and the union officials, effectively led to a culture where some union officials saw it as their job to police the sites to exclude trade unionists who were thought to be militant. Conversely, some employers seemed to think that the union was their union because they paid the workers' union contributions.

Moreover, as Smith and Chamberlain point out, many union officials were also happy to take advantage of corporate hospitality: free meals at hotels and gentleman's clubs, free tickets to sporting events, free piss-ups, boat trips on the Thames, were all on offer as sweeteners to union officials. George Brumwell, the General Secretary of the construction union, UCATT, told one union official that taking corporate hospitality was okay because "sometimes you got more from sugar than salt."

Entries in the files which are referred to in the book, record such damning stuff as: "EETPU says No", "Reported by local EETPU officials as militant", "AEEU describes as f.evil as far as internal union dealings are concerned", "Not recommended by Amicus."

In February 2013, Steve Acheson, an electrician from Denton, Greater Manchester, spoke at a meeting in Liverpool. During his speech he was continuously interrupted by a group of officials from UCATT, who accused him of making allegations of union complicity in blacklisting without any real evidence. He was challenged to name the names. Acheson then read out notes that had been written by Ian Kerr, who had been employed to run the Consulting Association blacklist on behalf of the 44 construction companies affiliated to it. On the note Kerr had written:

"AA (Alan Audley of Vinci) met George Guy of UCATT NW Reg Sect + 2 others - who thought a storm in a tea cup. G Guy. Would you employ St Acheson? I bloody wouldn't. We've known for years - just a question of when it would happen. AA unions will have a problem now as they will get on site and cause problems." UCATT's response was to threaten to sue Acheson for slander.

George Guy denies the allegation and claims that he never discussed  Acheson with Audley or any one else. He told the authors that he has a statement from Audley (who is implicated in the blacklisting scandal), confirming this. Alan Audley of Vinci, "was a guest at the UCATT conference in Scarborough in 2012, three years after his company's involvement in blacklisting was known."

When the Scottish Affairs Select Committee began to investigate blacklisting in June 2012, Alan Ritchie, of UCATT, was one of a number of senior trade union officials who regularly met with committee members to discuss strategy. Curiously, at these meetings it had been agreed that certain aspects of the blacklisting scandal would not be covered. It was agreed that alleged union involvement in blacklisting would not be looked into nor would the involvement of the police and security services in blacklisting. The Chairman of the committee, Ian Davidson MP, told the authors of the book, that these and others aspects of blacklisting, were not investigated because it was felt they would have diverted attention away from the consequences of blacklisting on working people.

Both UCATT and Unite the Union, carried out internal investigations into union complicity in blacklisting. The authors point out that some people refused to be interviewed or agreed to be interviewed, only under "tight preconditions" and that both investigations, relied on "fragmentary documentation." UCATT commissioned Keith Ewing to investigate blacklisting. His report, "Ruined Lives: Blacklisting in the UK construction industry", was published in August 2009.

Unite, appointed Gail Cartmail, the Assistant General Secretary of the union, to carry out an investigation which was published in September 2011. Having read her report, one cannot help but feel that she started off with a conclusion and tried to fit the facts around it. The most obvious lacunae in her report, is that she failed to interview the important whistleblower, Alan Wainwright and Derek Simpson, formerly joint-General Secretary of Unite. Mr Wainwright, who had an intimate knowledge of how the blacklist operated in the British construction industry, claims that he wrote to Simpson about blacklisting in the construction industry in 2006. In a letter to Cartmail, he wrote:

"I'm therefore now writing to you to appeal to you to investigate Simpson's lack of enthusiasm to investigate and act upon this in 2005/2006 and provide reasons behind this. To the best of my knowledge, he did nothing." Cartmail replied:

"As you point out Mr Simpson is now retired. The union has no capacity to secure Mr. Simpson's co-operation in an investigation." Wainwright replied:

"I put it to you that this evidence was deliberately withheld to protect the financial relationship between the union and these employers in the hope that it would go away."

In concluding her report, Cartmail says: "Despite considerable effort I have not discovered evidence against officers." However, she told the Blacklist Support Group (BSG) at their AGM in November 2011 that union collusion may have taken place in the past - "It shouldn't have happened" and "offered the blacklist workers present, an apology."

Brian Bamford, Secretary of Tameside TUC, and a Unite member, wrote to Cartmail about her investigation into blacklisting in September 2014, but failed to get a satisfactory reply to the questions he posed. (see Boys on the Blacklist - Derek Pattison & Brian Bamford).

The authors of the book say that despite numerous requests, both verbal and written, asking UCATT for a response to questions raised in the blacklisting files, its officials have refused to provide any substantial comment for publication.

A class action which has been brought by over 100 construction workers against Sir Robert McApline and other major construction companies, is due to go to full trial in March 2016. The issue of alleged union complicity in blacklisting, may well become a prominent feature of the court case.