I'm pleased to see that there's now a proper leaflet out seeking nominations for Laurence Faircloth, the candidate backed by Amicus Unity Gazette, the broad left in our union. It gives the lie to the claim by Derek Simpson that there are no policy differences between the candidates.
My own branch decided unanimously to nominate Laurence at its meeting last week.
When any union activist is victimised, we should all be quick off the mark to support them.
The campaign to defend Karen Reissmann, the UNISON activist and Manchester mental health nurse, has the added dimension that she was victimised for speaking out in defence of the NHS. It is in the interests of every supporter of the NHS as well as every trade unionist to support her campaign.
The strike and ongoing campaign in defence of Karen has made a real impact in Manchester, helping rebuild the traditions of solidarity and the networks that we all need.
Karen has had to launch a financial appeal to fund her tribunal case, after UNISON disgracefully withdrew support. You can download an appeal letter and collection sheet. The photo below is from the press launch of the appeal.
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Nominations are now open for the election for a UNITE Joint General Secretary from the Amicus section, for a 1-year term of office from 23rd December 2009 to 23rd December 2010.
As I've previously pointed out, this is an election we could have done without. Indeed, on the UNITE Executive Council I voted against the rule changes that brought it about. However, the decision was taken so we now need to ensure the outcome is as beneficial to members as possible.
There are four candidates who have declared:
1) Derek Simpson, the incumbent.
2) Jerry Hicks
3) Laurence Faircloth, who is backed by Amicus Unity Gazette, the broad left grouping
4) Kevin Coyne
I'll be trying to ensure my branch nominates Laurence, who was selected as the left candidate at an open national meeting of the Amicus Unity Gazette yesterday. Neither Jerry nor Derek sought support from the left.
I supported Derek in his original election campaign, and have absolutely no regrets about doing so. It was a significant step forward for our union at the time. However, time has moved on, and so have the issues and the individuals. I believe Derek is now obstructing the integration process for the sake of influence over the more important election for General Secretary Designate, which will take place during 2010. The original argument for Derek staying on to 66 was to help with continuity with the merger. What we're seeing now is the exact opposite. In a context where jobs are being lost by the thousand, I don't think "everything in UNITE is fine - carry on" is a good argument.
Kevin is the Regional Secretary for the North-West. He is very capable, which is reflected in his professional web site and campaign. However, he has always been closely identified with the right-wing in the union, and moving even closer to New Labour doesn't really seem the best plan at the moment!
Derek recently broke from Amicus Unity Gazette to launch a new right-wing faction in the union called the "Workers Uniting Group", bringing together his close allies with those who had always been openly on the right, including Kevin. Personal ambition from both Derek and Kevin seems to have exceeded their commitment to their new political project, as they are standing against each other.
Jerry was a courageous fighter on behalf of his members, who was victimised by Rolls Royce. I would agree with many of the points Jerry makes in his election address. Unfortunately, Jerry has become increasingly out of touch since his victimisation, which must have contributed to bad decisions such as launching a court case against his own union. To make our union better, we need change at every level, not just one person at the top.
Laurence is currently the Regional Secretary for the South-West. He was briefly the Regional Secretary in my own region - the North-West, where he proved to be a very capable officer. He was only selected as the left candidate on Saturday, so there is relatively little material out about his campaign yet. At the meeting he confirmed that he was standing on the basis of Gazette policies, such as: