Not In Our Name: Emergency motion to UNISON Greater London Regional Council on TRFC faction attempted Coup

On Tuesday 2 November there will be a virtual meeting of the UNISON London Regional Council. All branches can send delegates to this meeting. 

At this meeting we will debate the following Emergency Motion 1 Received from the Greenwich Local Government Branch 

NOT IN OUR NAME 

We note with extreme concern the actions taken by the NEC at their meeting of the 6th October 2021 to vote to amend UNISON rules in breach of Rule N1 which states “Rules shall not be amended except by a resolution passed at a National Delegate Conference by two thirds majority of those delegates voting in favour or in the case of a card vote, at least two-thirds of the votes cast.”

Therefore exceeding their authority and breaching UNISON rules. Furthermore the NEC has no mandate to make these decisions which potentially puts UNISON in legal jeopardy. 

The actions of the NEC in voting for rule changes and thereby bypassing the sole power invested in National Delegate Conference to change rules as set out in Rule N1 brings our union into disrepute and likely to discourage our membership. 

One of the aims of UNISON as set out in Rule B2.5 “To promote and safeguard the rights of members to have an adequate opportunity to participate in the initiation and development of policy making, through meetings, conferences,, delegations and ballots, and to encourage the maximum democratic debate, together with the right to campaign to change policy, while at all times acting within the rules and agreed policy.” 

The actions of the NEC to try and amend rules without any consultation with the wider union also seems to breach this rule as well, at least in spirit. 

Celebrating their majority in the NEC, “Time for Real Change” candidates stated #TimeForRealChange has a collective vision for change. UNISON members are at the heart of that vision. We are determined to make ‘member-led’ more than just a turn of phrase in UNISON.” 

Obviously “member-led” and “members are at the heart of that vision” does not involve consulting any of the Devolved Nations, Regions, Branches or members about any changes. the NEC propose.

We ask Regional Council to agree the following: 

1.To register the disgust of the Greater London Regional Council about the misuse of power by the newly elected NEC members and the flagrant breaching of UNISON rules by trying to amend UNISON Rules and bypassing National Delegate Conference. 

2.To request the roll call of NEC members who attended the meeting and how they voted at the meeting. 

3 To call upon Greater London UNISON branches to pass motions to request that the General Secretary call a Special Delegate Conference in line with UNISON rule D 1.2.2
(D 1.2.2 A Special Delegate Conference shall be convened on receipt by the General
Secretary, within any two-month period, of requisitions to that effect, stating the business to
be transacted, from branches representing not less than 25% of the Union’s membership) 

To debate the breach of rules and to insist that in future the NEC apply the rules of the union in the correct and proper manner and take account of any legal advice they receive from UNISON’s in-house legal team".

Latest on extremists attempts to destroy our union's democracy, stop us winning strike ballots over pay (& take our money)

Check out personal report below by former UNISON President and current NEC member Maureen Le Marinel. 

It is incredible in the midst of us mobilising to take on the Tories and win strike ballots over pay, the ultra left are attacking our General Secretary and deliberately provoking a civil war. 

"This is my personal page, the views are my own.

‘UPDATE’ on NEC Resolutions.

Many of you will have seen the ‘Opinion’ provided by John Hendy QC to the NEC, as requested by the Presidential Team, which has been posted by the “Time for Real Change’ organisation. Firstly I believe that as this ‘opinion’ was provided to the NEC it is ‘privileged’ and not for wider circulation, until the NEC had agreed it could be and the NEC should have had the opportunity to discuss and fully understand the content in a ‘legal’ sense, we are not lawyers. This was taken away from us by the publication.

The NEC was provided with ‘legal advice’ on the resolutions by Stuart Brittenden on the 5th October with verbal confirmation of this at the NEC meeting on the 6th October, this I was informed was privileged and not for wider circulation. Following the NEC meeting I reported that the legal advice conflicted with view of the Presidential Team, and as I now understand it, their ‘legal advice’ prior to the NEC meeting on 6th October which I asked for at the meeting and have again requested, as in the Statement from ‘Time for Real Change’ on the 7th October confirmed that they had legal advice and also in tweets from John McDonald MP also confirmed that “they had legal advice at every stage”.

Since receiving the email from the Vice Presidents containing Hendy’s advice this morning, the NEC has received an email from the General Secretary, which contains updated legal advice from Stuart Brittenden on Hendy’s advice. Brittenden’s advice is ‘privileged’ so again I cannot share this with you, but the upshot is that it reaffirms his original advice and conflicts with Hendy’s advice. The email also contains another document of an ‘independent’ legal view from a leading QC Michael Ford, which also does not accept that Hendy’s advice is ‘definitive’ as the Vice Presidents say it is and that is put out by the ‘Time for Real Change’.

I am told that I am bound by ‘collective responsibility’ by the Vice Presidents on the NEC decisions, but as I said earlier this is my personal FB Page and these are my personal views and I make them in a ‘personal capacity’ a term I have never used but now feel that I need to to protect my position and one widely used by members of ‘Time for Real Change’ when they do not agree with decisions made and speak against them on various platforms.

My personal view is that given the information that I have there are still serious questions on the validity and the legality of the decisions taken by certain members of the NEC in respect of the resolutions of the 6th October and I believe that I am duty bound to inform members of the union of this under my duties and responsibilities as a member of our union and a member of the NEC under rule.

I ask that you do not accept the spin’ of ‘Time for Real Change’ and that you continue to support the position taken by a number of NEC members including me as we continue to question the validity of the resolutions and their breaching UNISON Rule.

Thank you".

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