Unite General Secretary Election

[hitmouse]

Jess Philips has come out in support of Coyne. Unfortunately for him she has done so by sending out messages to people whose details she had via her work in the Domestic Abuse Bill. So it is a clear breach of the data protection act. A breach of which also happened last time Coyne won and led to him being sacked as an official.

Christ. Although I think there might be a slight mistake in your post there?
Had a quick look and this seems to be the source:

 

[magneze]

Got my ballot paper. So how much chance is there of Coyne coming through the middle of a split between Turner & Graham? Could he be disqualified due to

 

[two sheds]

Jess Philips has come out in support of Coyne. Unfortunately for him she has done so by sending out messages to people whose details she had via her work in the Domestic Abuse Bill. So it is a clear breach of the data protection act. A breach of which also happened last time Coyne stood and led to him being sacked as an official.

Cunning.

 

[friendofdorothy]

Ok have just read the last 5 pages here. Thanks for the discussion and links, I know who I want to vote now.

 

[hitmouse]

From facebook, so obviously unverified etc, but an electrician says they've received a threatening phone call from a regional Unite officer, apparently for being a Graham supporter:

NO TO ESO (UNSKILLED LABOUR) | Facebook

This group is about the constant attacks on Electricians, by Balfours and Baileys, 2 corporate companies, who put profit before safety and have been found guilty in the High court of the UK, of...

www.facebook.com

 

[Smokeandsteam]

From facebook, so obviously unverified etc, but an electrician says they've received a threatening phone call from a regional Unite officer, apparently for being a Graham supporter:

NO TO ESO (UNSKILLED LABOUR) | Facebook

This group is about the constant attacks on Electricians, by Balfours and Baileys, 2 corporate companies, who put profit before safety and have been found guilty in the High court of the UK, of...

www.facebook.com

Can well believe it. Thankfully we know the more the bureaucrats push Turner the less popular he becomes with the rank and file.

 

[splonkydoo]

I am still disgusted by the Irish section on this. I wouldn't mind but they have done absolitely fuck all in the last ten years. Yet they have found ample time to smear SG over the last few months, off the back of vague promises from HB in supporting some vague aul bollix. And to think these cunts are paid full-time...

 

[Smokeandsteam]

I am still disgusted by the Irish section on this. I wouldn't mind but they have done absolitely fuck all in the last ten years. Yet they have found ample time to smear SG over the last few months, off the back of vague promises from HB in supporting some vague aul bollix. And to think these cunts are paid full-time...

That’s not exclusive to the Irish section, it’s the same here. Lazy, useless wankers are giving it the big one for Turner/HB as well. Given their track record, and once you drill down below the radical sounding posturing ‘vague aul bollix’ is precisely what’s being offered.

But their problem is their lack of a track record. The fact that they’ve not been seen or done anything for years (except take the cash). Bar the idiots who were going to support Beckett anyway and a layer of ageing facility time rich stewards my sense is that it’s not cutting through. Turner hasn’t got the name recognition either.

 

[hitmouse]

Yeah, looking around the Blacklist Support Group fb group there's also a few disgruntled comments from people feeling that the recent HS2 demo seems more designed as a publicity platform for Turner than something that would actually put any pressure on the bosses. And similarly, the Morning Star write-up of it does seem a bit like a party political broadcast on Turner's behalf:

Union activists protest against HS2 construction bosses refusing reps' access to workers

www.morningstaronline.co.uk

 

[Smokeandsteam]

Turner and Graham interview in Red Pepper. The difference in approach and emphasis is illuminating:

Red Pepper Magazine - Red Pepper

Red Pepper magazine is a quarterly publication and website of left politics and culture. We draw on feminist, green and anti-racist politics.

www.redpepper.org.uk

 

[belboid]

12% turnout apparently, very disappointing.

 

[Sprocket.]

12% turnout apparently, very disappointing.

Is there another change of the union name in the pipeline?
Apathy perhaps!

 

[hitmouse]

Missed it until now, but here's the Daily Mail hitpiece about how Graham is too mean to employers (archived version to avoid giving the pricks clicks):
Unite leadership contender who is a favourite to replace Len McCluskey is embroiled in row over 'bully boy' tactics after she targeted family of chemicals tycoon Sir Jim Ratcliffe

One of the favourites to succeed Len McCluskey as boss of the giant union Unite was last night caught up in a row over ‘bully-boy’ tactics to target the family of one of Britain’s richest men.
Sharon Graham was challenged to disown a plan to win a bitter battle with Ineos chemicals tycoon Sir Jim Ratcliffe. The controversial tactic was drawn up in 2013 during a bitter industrial dispute between Unite and Ineos at its Grangemouth oil refinery.
The ‘private and confidential’ plan, devised by Ms Graham’s own national organising and leverage department at Unite, talked of opening ‘dialogue’ with Sir Jim’s former wife as well as checking where one of his sons, who worked for Ineos, played rugby.
The powerful union even proposed enlisting the support of former Manchester United manager and Labour backer Sir Alex Ferguson, as Ineos boss Sir Jim is a fan of the team.

Last night, Left-winger Ms Graham, one of three candidates bidding to succeed ‘Red Len’ as general secretary, insisted she did not write the plan and was not in charge of the union’s action. But she made no apology for targeting the families of entrepreneurs in some cases.
Her spokesman said: ‘Employers never think of families when they fire and rehire workers at will.
‘Company owners’ families are included in a campaign only if they have major business links to the company concerned. If employers object to that, it is hypocrisy.’
Gerard Coyne – the favoured candidate of Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s – condemned the draft plans. He told The Mail on Sunday: ‘The targeting and harassment of people’s families is totally unacceptable.’

I wonder how a private and confidential Unite strategy document could have ended up in the hands of the Mail? Hmm, it's a real mystery that one.

 

[Smokeandsteam]

Is there another change of the union name in the pipeline?
Apathy perhaps!

Are you surprised? 3 senior bureaucrats with campaigns run by other full timers/lay bureaucrats. The fact that 88% of us couldn’t be arsed to vote seems to prove beyond reasonable doubt how relevant and in touch they are.

 

[Sprocket.]

Are you surprised? 3 senior bureaucrats with campaigns run by other full timers/lay bureaucrats. The fact that 88% of us couldn’t be arsed to vote seems to prove beyond reasonable doubt how relevant and in touch they are.

True, I’m not at all surprised. Let the union continue spending members funds on projects and court cases that do not benefit the membership.
I am so disappointed with it all. Again.

 

[Smokeandsteam]

True, I’m not at all surprised. Let the union continue spending members funds on projects and court cases that do not benefit the membership.
I am so disappointed with it all. Again.

Default setting for me pal.

The respective campaigns in Birmingham that I saw were:

Coyne: senior lay bureaucrats and some stewards loyal to him ran the campaign
Turner: FTOs giving it the big one supported by lay bureaucrats long remote from the workplace
Graham: mainly stewards but there was no organisation/coordination

None of the campaigns really connected with workers. None engaged with the shopfloor. The real issue facing the union isn’t projects/the Labour Party/a tv station/almost everything the candidates have been harping on about: it’s the massive and growing disconnect from the membership, the long term and serious decline of the activist base and the wholly top down culture in the union.

We have to take some responsibility. A genuinely independent stewards networks just does not exist outside of micro informal ones. Building one is a massive task- and building one would likely incur opposition from those who control the union - but until it’s done everything else is just noise.

On a positive note it looks like the 3 candidates are neck and neck (backed by around 4% of members each: what an endorsement and legitimacy) so Graham could still win this, which would offer a glimmer of hope

 

[killer b]

On a positive note it looks like the 3 candidates are neck and neck (backed by around 4% of members each: what an endorsement and legitimacy) so Graham could still win this, which would offer a glimmer of hope

this looks promising:

 

[killer b]

fwiw I did some sampling at count tables at a local election count a few years ago, and even with my fairly rough & ready sampling I got the vote right for each ward I covered. If she's ahead on every table she's almost certainly going to win IMO

 

[andysays]

Can anyone remind me when the result is expected to be announced?

 

[killer b]

Thursday according to that Mirror journo above

 

[andysays]

Thanks

 

[Smokeandsteam]

Yes, Thursday formally but you can expect it to be leaked tomorrow.

 

[belboid]

Yes, Thursday formally but you can expect it to be leaked tomorrow.

Depends how close it is, could still go on till thursday. Even a 12% turnout is more than they normally count.

They aren't meant to be doing any count today, jut dumping them all into named, but uncounted, piles. So I'd be wary of Rachel Wearmouth

 

[Smokeandsteam]

So I'd be wary of Rachel Wearmouth

but…

 

[killer b]

but…

I liked the bit in the thread about 'recriminations have already started' in the other candidate camps most

 

[ska invita]

if she wins what might this mean for the rest of us?
( i havent been following)

 

[hitmouse]

Yeah, made it to a proper Mirror article now:

Unite's Sharon Graham eyes surprise victory as union race goes down to the wire

The contest to replace Len McCluskey is now thought to be a three-horse race between Gerard Coyne, Steve Turner and Ms Graham

www.mirror.co.uk

This bloke (never heard of him, but apparently works at huffpost) says similar:

 

[hitmouse]

if she wins what might this mean for the rest of us?
( i havent been following)

Full communism by Friday lunchtime.

Short answer is that I'd say it's definitely the best possible result, and a better one than I would have expected. Of the three candidates, Coyne's a total Blair/Starmer-esque shit, Turner is essentially the continuity McCluskey machine/don't rock the boat candidate, Graham ran on a - it'd be a stretch to call it syndicalist, but kind of syndicalish-leaning platform stressing rebuilding the union's presence in workplaces and among grassroots members, and as mentioned above had a campaign that was powered much more by stewards and activists rather than the bureaucracy.

 

[ska invita]

Full communism by Friday lunchtime.

Short answer is that I'd say it's definitely the best possible result, and a better one than I would have expected. Of the three candidates, Coyne's a total Blair/Starmer-esque shit, Turner is essentially the continuity McCluskey machine/don't rock the boat candidate, Graham ran on a - it'd be a stretch to call it syndicalist, but kind of syndicalish-leaning platform stressing rebuilding the union's presence in workplaces and among grassroots members, and as mentioned above had a campaign that was powered much more by stewards and activists rather than the bureaucracy.

and is there any sign as to what her election might mean in relation to Starmerism?

thanks hitmouse

 

[Sprocket.]

It will be interesting to see the how many votes of the 12% turnout were for Sharon Graham.
I just hope we see a return of the workplace and grassroots reflected under her leadership.
We’ve been waiting too long.