Unite General Secretary Election - McCluskey Panics

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There is last minute panic in the bureaucracy of Unite.

(Full story www.dearunite.com)

General Secretary McCluskey called the election three years early, surely for no believable reason
except his own benefit. His bureaucracy ran the nomination process over the new year when many
branches are inactive, hoping no other candidate would get enough nominations to stand.

What happened though is that none of the right wing or other self-servers did put up, leaving only
the Grass Roots candidate Jerry Hicks, the man who came second in the last two multiple candidate
elections.

So now it is a clear choice between the highly paid bureaucracy, wanting to minimise union democracy
and maximise their pay, and the candidate who wants election of officials from the bottom up, not
appointment from the top down and will only take the average member's salary.

The panic is evident in McCluskey's published election address - an off the shelf piece of red
baiting claiming Hicks "is a political opportunist relying on the support of the discredited
Socialist Workers Party."

To be clear Hicks is not a member of the SWP but they have decided to support him. Meanwhile
McCluskey is supported the truly loony left 'AWL' - Alliance for Workers Liberty; combining
Trotskyism with Zionism is about as loony as you could ever get. AWL is a dominant force in the
'United Left' which runs the McCluskey election machine.

This unwanted and uncalled for election is probably your final chance to reclaim the union for the
members and restore branch democracy and member control. If McCluskey wins it will be more of the
same, closed branches, top down appointments and decision making and blind support for New Labour
policies. The one way communication between the bureaucracy and the members we have seen for the
last ten years will continue.

Election addresses are available here
http://www.unitetheunion.org/uploaded/documents/0000008-Election%20Addresses%20GS%20Election%2020131
1-8367.pdf
Jerry Hick's site is www.jerryhicks4gs.org

Ballot papers must be returned by Friday 12 April 2013. If you have not received or have lost your
ballot paper contact the union's ballot enquiry service on 0800 783 3856 (0818 333 155 from the
Irish Republic). All you need to do is tick a box and post it, no stamp required.

Members of Unite unite
You have nothing to lose but your overpaid General Secretary (last recorded total salary and
benefits £133,916 as at 31/12/11