The Real Unite

So the “UL Supporters’ Group” have had their day in court, in a desperate attempt to unseat Chair Andy Green, and lost on every count. The problem is, it’s the members who will pick up the bill for this farce.

As we reported previously, at the last EC meeting a group of 31 individuals – the “United Left Supporters Group” – stormed out on the first morning. Many of them then spent the next four days on holiday in the hotel bar drinking on the members’ dime.

They stormed out after a failed attempt to unseat the union’s Chair, Andy Green. Initially backed by the UL block, Andy saw through the nonsense and started supporting the General Secretary’s drive to tackle alleged corruption. This has made him the new Enemy Number 1 for the faction, who have vowed to get rid. (Read the Chair’s statement here.)

The problem they have is this. It’s clearly set out in the Union’s rulebook, that where silent the Unite will be guided by Citrine’s book of chairmanship. In that tome it states clearly that a 2/3 majority is needed to remove the chair. Why? Because in cases where a body is split, using majority voting could lead to a challenge to the Chair every time one or two people pop out for a fag! This would make it all but impossible to conduct any business.

Whereas the “UL supporters’ group”, when they all made it out of bed, managed to rustle up the slimmest of majorities. Sadly, the EC is split right down the middle, hovering around 31 to 29. But that’s not two thirds.

So, after the hotel hangovers finally wore off, did they take a quiet moment to reflect, accept the reality, and agree to get back to the real business of the Union? Things like winning strikes, negotiating the pay round, organising new industries?

Fat chance. No, they decided to take another pointless court case, targeting Andy Green personally and seeking a High Court injunction to oust him. Despite the advice of the Legal Director, who clearly told them they had no case. And despite any lingering trade union principles they might have once had.

Should an internal faction be taking internal debates over union democracy to the High Court?

So they had their Big Day in the High Court last Monday 14 April. As expected, they lost on every single count. The Court ruled that, yes, Andy Green is the chair, now please stop wasting everyone’s time. (We look forward to reading the full written judgement, hopefully coming soon.)

For sheer tragi-comedy, here’s one extra piece of evidence that came up. It turns out Andy Green had text messages from the UL plotters, back from when he was still their candidate, assuring him that no one would be able to get rid of him as chair …Why?… because it would take a two thirds majority!!

It’s easy to dismiss this whole thing as a sordid farce. But there’s one very sour note that sticks in the craw. Court cases are expensive. And who pays for all this mess?

Sadly, the Union foots the bill. That means us the members. Yes, once again, it’s the bin workers, dockers, NHS cleaners and others who end up carrying the can for this nonsense.

Enough is enough. If these EC UL factionalists had any self-respect, they’d listen to the obvious. It’s time to stop playing stupid games. Buckle down and work with the current GS and Chair. Join us in trying to rebuild our union. Or if you really can’t manage that, here’s an idea: step down and call a fresh election. But stop wasting members’ money on your clan like feuds and pointless legal cases.