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)

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). 

Why we walked out of UNISON Community Conference? because a man dismissed for bullying & harassing 14 women was chairing it

 

A week ago there was a walkout of UNISON delegates and Service Group Executive members from our annual Community conference, which was being held in Glasgow. This has never happened before in Community.

This was an unplanned and spontaneous walk out since we had no idea until the last minute, that an imposter, pretending to be the lay President of UNISON, Paul Holmes, was going to chair our conference. Despite the fact he has recently been dismissed by his employer, following bullying and harassment allegations by 14 (yes 14) female UNISON members (and also by at least one male who was threatened with violence).

Not only has Paul Holmes been dismissed by his employer for bullying and harassing women but the current majority Group on the UNISON NEC have decided that they will "change" long established union rules to allow him to be our lay President, despite being unemployed, and therefore not eligible under rule to hold office.

The NEC has no right to change our rules to support men accused of such bullying and harassment. Only our annual National Delegate Conference can change such rules.

Paul Holmes has also recently lost an employment tribunal case for what is called "interim relief", which means the courts think it is likely he was fairly dismissed for abusing all these women.

We are a relatively small UNISON Service Group with only 60 delegates representing some 60,000 members. We also had visitors and members of the Service Group Executive.

I think around 25 members walked out including a former Female UNISON President, members of the Service Group Executive, delegates and visitors. Far more would have walked out if we had known in advance about this outrage.

Since then I have been contacted by UNISON members from all over the UK horrified that a man dismissed for abusing so many women can be allowed to hold office. They want him to be at least suspended until there is a proper investigation and process by UNISON into the allegations.

Otherwise it seems UNISON is saying to our 1 million plus female members, that no matter what you say, or how many say it, we won't believe you if you say it about one of our male NEC favourites.

Message to our General Secretary Christina from a female UNISON member

"Hi Christina 

Trust you are well

I'm writing to  express my concern and dismay about the President Paul Holmes  addressing Women's  Conference next week. 

It is my understanding that he has now been dismissed by the Employer following allegations of Bullying and harassment of women he managed. 

I also understand that the two Vice Presidents offer him their unconditional support.  This is unfortunate and they  should  at least have the courtesy to be impartial given the complainants are themselves women and members. 

 I believe this gives the completely wrong message to Women delegates. Women are the life blood of UNISON  and look to our Union for progressive policies; support and leadership on Equalities. 

All Trade Unionists as I do embrace positive change. Sadly the faction group now in control of our NEC, Time for Real Change, seem to have forgotten some of the  fundamentals  that is democracy and accountability.  

I regret I have have had to write  to you but  believe that this can only reflect badly on UNISON in the long-term and we cannot allow women members over 75% to lose trust in our great union. 

With Kind Regards", 

Dave Prentis re-elected as UNISON General Secretary with Massive Majority

 Great news on an otherwise miserable day (the CONDEM "emergency" budget). Centre left moderate Dave Prentis has been overwhelmingly re-elected as UNISON General Secretary. Official result here

"Dave Prentis 145,351 (67.2%)

Roger Bannister 42,651 (19.7%)

Paul Holmes 28,114 (13%)

Dave has been UNISON’s General Secretary since January, 2001, he said:

“This is a vote of confidence in the union and the direction that we have been taking over the past few years.

“We face critical times as a union and it is important that we remain united, strong and focussed on dealing with the challenges that face our members.

“Under the coalition government, public services face an onslaught on a scale unprecedented since Thatcher was Prime Minister. The government is pressing ahead with cuts to public services, to our members’ jobs, pay and pensions, with complete disregard to the serious social consequences.

“We are ready to face the tough times ahead, we are growing in strength and numbers. Together we will stand up for quality public services, for the hardworking people that provide them, and for the poor, the sick and vulnerable people who rely on them for support.

“We will be the people who stand in the way of these ferocious attacks on our public services and the path to creating a fairer society”.

(Check out UNISONactive take on this victory – I couldn’t possible comment on Lord Sutch:)

Ultra-Left Chumpeon

The latest guest post from icepicker100 - which contains some helpful advice for the two contenders, who are each vying to be the “Ultra left” candidate, to take on Dave Prentis in this year’s election for UNISON’s General Secretary.

Headphones or speakers on!

check out and this

UNISON General Secretary Election latest

I received this email today. “Just to let you know that the UNISON Yorkshire & Humberside Regional Council overwhelmingly voted to nominate Dave Prentis as candidate in the General Secretary election.

Paul Holmes who is also seeking nomination and was at the meeting but not in the room at the time also failed later to even get onto the Regional Committee in the General seat elections. He came 16th out of 19 candidates and failed to make any of the 12 seats available.

So some potential General Secretaries can't even get elected to their own Regional Committee never mind nominated!!!”

It’s also good to know that practically the only support for Paul comes from Socialist Worker Party (winning witch hunters faction), Permanent Revolution (ex-posh boys and girls only), the Marxist Voice of Labour and Youth (Saga branch), Jon of the Rogers (trot entryist), Socialist Appeal (please...please can we have a revolution) and Union Futures (for wannabe entryist trots).

nuf said.

"Why I’m backing Dave Prentis"

Check out West Midlands NHS Nurse and UNISON NEC member, James Anthony, at his blog James NEC update.  In his post entitled "Who will put members first?" he goes through the arguments why he is supporting the re-election of Dave Prentis as our General Secretary.

I understand that UNISON National Young members have endorsed Dave, so have the Energy Service Group, West Midland Region, Wales, National Disabled members, Scotland, North West Region, Northern Ireland... and loads and loads of branches from all over the place.

Also my fellow UNISON Local government pension activist and top branch rep, Mark Rayner, has posted on UNISONactive about the “lies, damned lies and voodoo” being put about by supporters of ultra left extremist candidates who are putting out their usual sectarian poison (as instructed of course by their Central Committees:).

Finally - Picture credit thanks to Icepicker100.