Unite: The Empire strikes back
mail...@dearunite.com
The union's executive have banned two of the Grass Roots Left candidates from standing for the
executive in this year's election.
Ray Smith, secretary of Newcastle Central 1901 branch, and David Beaumont, secretary of Hounslow and
Feltham 1404M branch have both been ruled ineligible to stand. They received a personal message from
General Secretary Len McCluskey:
"The Executive Council decided that you were not eligible to stand for election at its meeting
on 29 to 31 January 2011. The minutes of its meeting are not yet available."
Ray wrote back:
"Dear Len,
Thank you very much for this.
This matter is in the hands of the Certification Officer. For the avoidance of any doubt I
assert for the reasons given in my complaint to the Certification Officer that you have, maybe
personally, broken the rules of the union.
Let me say also that you are beginning to be reminiscent of the Derek Simpson and the employers
in the shipyards and the building sites where I used to work.
Why can you not honour election pledges and return the union to the democracy that previous
incumbents have stolen."
The two have been banned under rule 6.2 and 6.3:
6.2 In order to be eligible to be a candidate for election to, or hold office on, the Executive
Council and/or any committee, council, or other body of the Union provided for by these rules, the
member in question must be an accountable representative of workers.
6.3 The definition of the term "accountable representative of workers" shall be in the exclusive
power of the Executive Council, which is empowered to take into account changing industrial
realities and the unique nature of some industries (e.g.construction,contracting, leisure, rural
etc) in formulating such a definition. It must nevertheless include Branch office-holders who are in
employment, shop stewards, health & safety and equalities representatives.
McCluskey claims Ray and David are not 'in employment'. Ray is a self employed engineer and David a
self employed IT consultant. The union had previously taken the extraordinary step of demanding (and
receiving), their tax returns, to establish that they were really self employed, which they are.
Just to rub it in that this really is a vindictive and selective move against the two, and against
Grass Roots Left, the union added "This should not be taken as meaning that self-employed members
are automatically ineligible to stand for lay office." Read David's complaint of breach of the
union's rules here.
Both candidates had already received more than enough branch nominations to stand.