Letter to the NEC - Re-Open the Kirklees Investigations /Hearings

 

"Dear Kirklees 15 supporter,

As many of you will have heard Mr Holmes has now been told he cannot hold office due to the recent rule change governing unemployed members.  A small win in a bigger battle.

Mr Holmes, I am sure, will seek any way around this up to and including trying to gain employment to dodge the rule.

For this and the reasons of trade Union good practice we need to lobby the NEC to ask for the rule I investigation to be reopened and brought to a full and fair completion, it is simply not good enough to abandon the case. 

To this ends we ask you all to spare a moment to send a letter to the NEC via the General Secretary, C.McAnea@unison.co.uk,  marked 'for the urgent attention of the NEC'  It would be very good if this email was sent before the next meeting of the NEC on Monday the 18th.  

For your ease we have written a proforma letter, which you may like to use, or certainly feel free to write your own.

Many thanks in anticipation of your support 

The Kirklees 15

Letter to the NEC  - Re-Open the Kirklees Investigations /Hearings

Dear NEC,

We are writing to you ahead of the NEC meeting on 18th July 2022.

We wish to bring to your attention the events at the UNISON NDC 2022.

Many delegates exercised their frustration with some of the Events and actions by the NEC, particularly in relation to the former president Mr Holmes which resulted in a motion of no confidence in the NEC being passed.

In your statement to conference, the  NEC said. “we have listened and apologise’’.

We hope you are still listening to your members and delegates, and fully accept the sovereignty of conference, as we now ask that you Restore the UNISON rule I Investigation into the conduct of Officers within Kirklees UNISON.

This week it became clear that within the Tory Party an investigation was held into the behaviour of an MP, this investigation found there was a case to answer. It was also by a decision of members of a committee this was not taken further, and the case was closed.

We cannot be seen to act like the Tory Party. The day we draw any parallels with UNISON and the Tory party is a sad day indeed.

Trade unionists in Unison from all ends of the political spectrum call upon the NEC to do better.

Reopen the rule I investigation and show your values in action. We do not tolerate this behaviour in the employers we deal with.

Nothing short of the investigation being heard and allowing the conclusion of a Trade Union process will suffice for the whole Union. The many stewards and staff over numerous years have a case and It Must be Heard.

(picture from massive fringe meeting at NDC supporting the Kirklees 15)

UNISON National Delegate Conference 2022 - Monday evening

This evening UNISON National Delegate conference 2022 in Brighton started off with Regional briefings for delegates and visitors. Greater London met in the Holiday Inn chaired by our ace Regional Conveyor Yvonne Green. Our new Regional Secretary, Jo Galloway was also on the top table. 

I gave a plug at the end of meeting for the Labour Link fringe tomorrow with Angela Rayner MP (and offered to have a chat on motions to anyone who asks)

After the briefing I went to the packed "Kirklees 15" fringe (see top left) where hundreds of delegates listened to the frankly appalling accounts of alleged bullying and harassment of mostly female UNISON members and branch employed staff by our current lay president. 

It was one of the most powerful campaign meetings I have ever attended.  Despite some grandstanding and point scoring by those who should know better (nuff said), it is clear that the failure to even investigate, the so many complaints of bullying, harassment and threats of violence by our so called "President" is a disgrace and brings UNISON into disrepute.

This is someone who has been sacked by his employer for bullying, harassment and threats of violence on the evidence of UNISON members and UNISON branch employed staff. Incredible. 

Tomorrow is the start of conference and as a branch delegate I look forward to taking part in debates but also more than happy to help and assist anyone with speech writing, practices etc. 

Support the Kirklees 15 at UNISON conference - Believe women & how can we allow allegations of bullying & harassment to be not even investigated???

This is incredible and a shameful stain on our union but 15 UNISON members (14 women and 1 man) have made complaints of bullying and harassment against the current lay President of UNISON. This includes threats of violence. This man has since been dismissed by his employer because of these complaints but the UNISON NEC have decided to not only ignore longstanding rules that unemployed members cannot stand for such offices but have also decided to drop all charges against him. See what the Kirklees 15 say about this and lets support them at NDC conference.

Check out their Facebook page

"We have seen some branches have passed this Emergency Motion to Conference which of course we fully support. It will have to go through the process of Standing orders to see if it will be allowed onto the Agenda of Conference.

Emergency motion for UNISON conference

This conference opposes the decision of the March 15 meeting of the National

Executive Council to summarily dismiss the serious complaints made against the President of the union by 15 union members and branch office staff without any explanation or reasons given.

Disgracefully, while the complaints were first received by the national union in 2019 (whilst Dave Prentis was still General Secretary) - over two and a half years later the complainants still do not know how the union investigation assessed the issues that they raised and now, on what basis that they were dismissed.

Regardless of the contestability or otherwise of the outcome of the parallel process of the disciplinary action taken by Kirklees council against the President our union must be seen to take allegations of bullying and intimidatory behaviour seriously and reach its own independent conclusions on whether the allegations have substance and how the union should respond.

Unison’s own investigation officer stated that there was ‘a case to answer’ and that an internal Unison disciplinary hearing should take place, which was also supported by the Lay Chair of the NEC committee which deals with union disciplinaries.

We call on the NEC to re-open the investigation to give the opportunity both to the complainants to make their case and to the President to defend his position and for both sides to be given full access to its results.

Support the Kirklees 15 - Believe Women (& Men) who report bullying and harassment & give them Justice

Donate here for the Kirklees 15

"On behalf of the Kirklees 15, we are fundraising to help us build awareness of our campaign for justice in our Union, Unison. We are made up of Unison members and branch employed staff past and present.

Our Complaints of bullying and harassment against the Branch Secretary of Kirklees Unison were made 2.5 years ago, the Union dragged their feet in investigating our complaints, but the investigating officer did recommend the case moved to a hearing. The NEC of Unison have met on March 15th, 2022, and summarily dismissed all our complaints without any basis or reason why.

This is in our opinion a dreadful abuse of power and corruption, totally ignoring everyone of us who have actually suffered horrendous sexism and misogyny over a number of years. The Hearings must be carried out, and we are appealing to all Unison members to support our cause.

The Funds will be used to help support our colleagues attending Local and National Delegate Conference, in accommodation and travel fees, for leaflets and materials to be produced to put our case. Also, funds for any future legal case".

Elected as Greater London General Rep for UNISON Community (Charities, Housing Associations & Third Sector) & I will support the Kirklees 15

 

I was really pleased to be notified on Friday that I had been elected unopposed for the Greater London General seat on the UNISON Community National Service Group Executive. 

This means I will represent all UNISON members in London who work in Charites, Housing Associations or the Third Sector. There are a number of national employers whose headquarters are in London and are therefore part of London region as well. 

I am looking forward to representing the interests of London Community members at this national body and will do whatever I can to hold the present Community NEC members to account for their actions in particular the complicity and failure to stop the victimisation of the Kirklees 15.

This is about 14 female UNISON members and 1 male, whose complaints of bullying and harassment against our so called current "President" Paul Holmes, have been dismissed by our NEC without any due process for them. This is despite the fact that he has been sacked by his employer for bullying and harassing them. 

I will also challenge them for supporting the bullying of UNISON staff, including threating to sack them, breaking the union rules, fiddling procedures and using "union busting" tactics against our recognised trade unions. Incredibly they have also failed to completely condemn Putin's fascist war of aggression against Ukraine.

Watch this space.

(Picture of some of the many Community delegates who walked out of our recent conference in Glasgow last month when Paul Holmes was chairing it).