By William F. Ward
When the newly elected Unite Executive assembled after the elections the result was unpredictable. But no-one could have predicted the toxic fiasco that ensued.
An initial count of the election seemed to show 27 supporters of Sharon Graham, 23 for the Morning Star-influenced United Left (now rebranded as ‘Members First’) and seven unknowns or independents. Also there were four seats in abeyance due to disputes and reported irregularities.
The first vote of the new EC was whether to even elect to positions such as the Chair or membership of the key committee in the union, the Finance and General Purposes (F&GP), which controls the finances of the union. The United Left (UL) won that vote by 30 votes to 27, which means that many of the independent or unknown candidates rallied to them. Also, it would appear that two candidates who were on Sharon Graham’s slate may have ‘crossed the floor’ to vote with UL.
Once the UL had won the first vote, they pressed home their advantage, moving the election of a Chair. Sharon’s supporters objected, pointing out that the three Civil Air Transport seats were still vacant, and also one from Passenger Transport. Around 65,000 members were therefore unrepresented.
However the UL insisted on proceeding with the election for Chair, and mistakenly, Sharon’s supporters did not make any nomination. Andy Green, from the docks section, was therefore elected by 30 votes with 27 abstentions, as were the union’s two Vice-Chairs.
Furious objections from Sharon Graham supporters
But the worst was yet to come. The new Chair made a ruling that elections to the F&GP would now take place, even though the practice has been to take this election on the last day of a new EC. Over furious objections from Sharon’s supporters on the EC, and Sharon Graham herself, the new Chair repeated that his ruling stood, and he had the votes to prove it. The UL then proceeded to elect an F&GP, which is 100% UL, and to virtually double its size! Sharon’s supporters then walked out of what is described as a “toxic” meeting, convening in a room in the basement of the Unite HQ.
If control by the UL of the F&GP stands, then this presents a major problem for Sharon Graham. This committee oversees all union expenditure as well as senior appointments. Unite will be running with two competing sources of power, this powerful committee and the General Secretary.
All of this is quite in keeping with the Stalinist methods of the UL but was also quite predictable. Whoever was running Sharon’s slate ought to have checked exactly who was making their way onto her slate and should have ensured at the very least that the Chair’s position was contested. We know of at least one excellent independent left who was not even allowed to attend the hustings for Sharon’s slate – because he was a Labour Party member!
In a further twist, three or four right wingers crept onto the EC, either though uncontested seats, or else as part of Sharon Graham’s slate. Once on the EC they constituted themselves as a fraction of their own and made various demands on Sharon, in return for their votes.
Some UL members will not have signed up for machinations
Much now hangs on the rerun elections in Civil and Air Transport, and the disputed seat in Passenger Transport. If all four go to supporters of Sharon Graham she will regain a majority, and maybe elect a new Chair. Also, it is reported that one member of UL has crossed the floor, dismayed at the coup-like tactics they employed. In fact, a good proportion of the EC members elected on the UL slate will not have signed up for these sorts of machinations and may force a change.
Whatever the outcome of the four rerun elections within Unite, the union is entering very dangerous territory. In the last two decades, Unite has been a bastion of the left in the labour movement and has fought admirably for industrial and political policy in the interests of its members and working people in general. That is a record that is under threat from a Stalinist clique on the one hand and from utter political confusion on the other. But it is a record that Unite activists must defend.
