Rene, you “socialist…” have a good Christmas!

I am off to unwrap some presents, I shall also spend some time reading other blog’s, making comments, and drinking some “Shiraz”

Dr S. Pin.
Isle of Skyte

Now that’s got people thinking…

12 strike days would have made a good campaign slogan, but DS was right, it did appear to be “over the top” when compared to the norm.

The issue of keeping track of members is not confined to Unite alone that is why the ballot list is given to the reps on the ground, where they exist, so that they can check the information and the list can be amended. Members could also be helpful by advising the union of a change of address.

However, this appears to be not about record keeping, but about identification. In hindsight a simple poster /letter to members advising them that if they were affected by the voluntary redundancy they should not participate in the vote may have been seen as a “reasonable” action by the union, especially as attempts to gain that information through the employer had failed.

BA did not spot an opportunity, they created or were gifted one, and ballots do fail on “technicalities” that’s why they should always be checked for accuracy.

All is not lost, this issue has not gone away and unless a negotiated settlement can be found, a ballot and industrial action will follow, but let’s hope that an agreement can be achieved for both the employers and member’s sake and I wish the union’s officers and reps who are directly involved the best of luck in achieving this.

Keep focused.

S. Prind

Hicks’ wasted over £1 million of UNITE members money on a pointless election, which Hicks, got forced through (and then lost) by using the bureaucratic High Commissioner and State over lord of trade unions – the Certification Officer.

He took legal action to oppose the rule book and force an election (which the rank and file GEC from both sections had agreed and members from both sections had voted to approve) in the Amicus section of Unite. Lets not forget Hicks self serving desire for an election was only ever valid for a year before the vote for thankfully a single Unite GS in 2010.

The ex -amicus ultra left obsession with the ex -amicus right wing continues to distort their judgement with in Unite and is now trying to poison the United Left which will only damage the United Left candidate for GS Len McCluskey and help the ex amicus right wing candidate, which looks likes it is going to be the dodgy and spiv like Les Baylis.

Why didn’t he listen to the views of the then broad left ex-T&G section activists who generally thought it was a total waste of members money and a display in wanton ego in going to the State High Commisioner for Trade Unions?

Don’t forget when thousands of members are losing their jobs and Unite is shedding membership which is resulting in redundancies at Unite what does Hicks do, he pours away over a £1 million which could have been used for training thousands of shop stewards, funding countless strike actions and employing scores of organisers to organise the unorganised.

Hicks then put himself forward as a United Left candidate (recently formed from ex Amicus AUG and ex T&G Broad Left) for next year’s GS elections and accepted an invite to speak at the United Left hustings.

When it became obvious that he and his handful of ultra left followers could not bus in people for the hustings (I even heard someone at a United Left meeting try to justify the bus in of people by saying the right wing did it in Amicus so the left can do it in UNITE …..er No!)and affect the result they resorted to plan B where Hicks does a pre planned infantile stage managed pathetic walk out.

Hicks and his sectarian followers showed utter comtempt for broad left activists and blew any iota of respect.

Why did he bother? I know its is just what ultra left infantile sectarians who love posturing do but do you really think that is what 2 million members want or need in a General Secretary?