At an emergency meeting of the National
Executive of the Unite union in October a decision was made to postpone the
implementation of the Unite Rulebook until May 2008 and to call an election for
a twelve month period of office for a Unite-Amicus section General Secretary.
The decision, supported by both current Joint General Secretaries of Unite,
Tony Woodley and Derek Simpson, was made as a result of the legal challenge by
former Bristol Rolls Royce convenor Jerry Hicks over the extension of office of
Derek Simpson without election until December 2010. The Instrument of
amalgamation voted for last year by members of the Amicus & TGWU provided
for the new union rulebook to be in place by the 1st November this
year.
The successful challenge from Jerry Hicks
would have forced an election for a new general secretary of the whole of Unite
next year with both Simpson and Woodley having to stand down early. It was this
prospect that led to the row between the two at the TUC in September with both
announcing in the press they would stand for election against each other. The
decision of the Executive to delay the new rulebook and call an election for
just Amicus section members has removed this possibility. But the decision has
been challenged by several branches of the union, who say that the Executive
has acted beyond its power in overturning a member’s ballot for the Instrument
of Amalgamation. If the branch complaints are upheld it could then result in an
election for a general secretary for the whole of Unite next year.
Simpson was elected by members of the AEEU
following his own successful legal challenge to Sir Ken Jackson over the same
issue of extending office beyond retirement without an election. He criticised Jackson during the election in
2002 saying “the Policy Conference was
misled about the legality of Jackson continuing without an election. Having a General Secretary over 65 years of
age and working in two jobs is not the best way of pressing the case for a
shorter working week and earlier retirement.” He also argued that
the majority of AEEU members were unable to vote during Jackson’s election in
1995 with only members of the EETPU section allowed to vote.
Members of MSF were unable to vote in 2002
and there have been further mergers with former print workers union GPMU and
banking union Unifi. The merger of Amicus and the TGWU in 2007 to form Unite
means that over 80% of Unite members have been unable to vote in an election
for Derek Simpson.
Simpson has departed from many of his 2002 election
promises. During the election he wrote “I
want to see a return to elected officials that are answerable to the members
and not to some corporate strategy handed down by a General Secretary whether
that is Sir Ken Jackson or myself. They can split the Labour Movement with
blind support for Blair and New Labour when they pursue policies that are not
in the interests of workers. This is why they wanted to get rid of elections of
officials so that they could appoint their cronies to consolidate their power
and control”. Soon after the election of officials was passed at the 2005
Amicus rules conference Simpson began to undermine the decision, finally
abandoning the principle altogether in the merger with the TGWU.
He also complained about “the closing of many branches”. Since his
election over 600 Amicus branches have been closed and recently an attempt was
made to confiscate £1 million from the former GPMU branches, the money only
returned after a threat of legal action by the GPM Sector committee while
Simpson claimed he knew nothing about the move.
Under Simpson’s election leaflet headed “Has Jackson and the Executive gone mad?”
Simpson wrote “Closing many local offices
proves to be false economy and placing Full Time Officials in distant locations
serves neither the best interest of officers or members. The bulk of the income from contributions
seems to be spent on Head Office and as a result benefits to members are at a
record all time low. They want to spend £5 Million on a corporate Head Quarters
in London. A fat lot of good that will be to you! Just think what that amount
of your money could do for our members in the localities.” He promised to “bring an end to centralised control”
and to “put the union back in the
districts”. But over the last few years over 40 regional offices have been sold
for an estimated £14 million while millions of additional pounds has been spent
on ‘renovations’ at the ‘corporate Head
Quarters in London’.
Simpson argued “I want to see legislation to prevent the destruction of manufacturing
jobs and better protection for our members and will insist that this is a
priority in exchange for continued support of New Labour. Instead of having one
eye on what the employers want and the other eye on what Downing Street wants
we should have both eyes on what our members want”. Yet during the Labour
Party leadership election last year he refused to give backing to John
McDonnell, instead backing Gordon Brown, the architect of New Labour and PFI.
Following the walkout of Simpson supporters at
the Amicus Unity Gazette AGM last May a new centre right organisation called
‘Workers Uniting Group’ has been set up at a meeting in October addressed by
Simpson. Jerry Hicks legal challenge to force an election was opposed by the
remaining members of the Amicus Unity Gazette who called it a ‘distraction’
that had little chance of success. Since the success of the challenge and the
calling of the election the Gazette have chosen to back a former right winger Laurence
Faircloth, who was elected onto the AEEU Executive in 1998 as part of Jacksons right
wing AEEU United group, always voted solidly on the Executive with the right
wing and was rewarded with a job by Jackson in 2000. Faircloth has never been
actively involved with the left and only attended his first Gazette meeting to
be selected! On the day of the emergency Executive meeting he had approached
two NW Gazette EC members to canvas their support for his candidature. The
selection meeting in Preston was determined at a pre-meeting of the North West
group, held a fortnight before, with the decision to back Faircloth and
instructions to their supporters who turned up to vote for him or face
expulsion. Procedures drawn up in advance by the Editorial Board obliged any
candidates to stand down if not selected at the meeting. As a result of this
travesty of democracy Jerry Hicks made the decision not to attend the meeting.
Socialist Appeal supporters will be backing Jerry
Hicks in the election for general secretary as the only credible left candidate.
He does not call for disaffiliation from the Labour Party but does call for an
end to slavish support for the Brown government. He wants the union to have
better value for money by only supporting those candidates that pledge to
support Unite polices. He stands for repeal of all anti-union legislation, public
ownership and opposition to privatisation of jobs and services and a programme
of building affordable council homes for rent. He supports the election of all
officers of the union and he has pledged that he will only draw an average
skilled member’s wage if elected. He wants increased lay-member democracy in
the union. The election will take place in February and March next year.
