Time For Real Change in UNISON: Statement on the Forde Report
As socialists and democrats, committed to the increase of democracy, transparency, and accountability within our own trade union, we were shocked and horrified at the contents of the ‘Labour Leaks’ report (‘The work of the Labour Party’s Governance and Legal Unit in relation to antisemitism, 2014 – 2019, March 2020’), made public in 2020.
The Forde Report, led by the preeminent QC Martin Forde, has now considered these matters and the leaked report for an extensive period and concluded the following:
1. That members of the Labour Party SMT had deplorably factional and insensitive attitudes which were at times discriminatory.
2. That there was undoubted overt and underlying racism and sexism apparent in some of the WhatsApp messages.
3. That anti-Black racism was particularly insidious and a hierarchy of racism went unchallenged.
4. That there was evidence of factionally-based obstruction of the work of other staff reporting to the elected Leader of the Opposition.
5. That this obstruction took on the form of a covert alternative strategy pursued by staff, unelected and without a mandate.
6. That there was a lack of financial transparency and improper use of party funds.
It is well known that some of the individuals who were cited in the Labour Leaks report left the Labour Party’s employment and were appointed to senior management jobs at UNISON.
Time For Real Change believes therefore that the conclusions of the Forde Report provide a serious challenge to our trade union and we must, in turn, respond as both an employer and as an affiliate to the Labour Party in the following ways:
The racist, sexist, and discriminatory attitudes exposed in the report must be unequivocally condemned by UNISON;
UNISON must identify if any individuals employed by UNISON, or those which held Labour Party positions by virtue of their membership of UNISON, in the period of the report were aware of these actions or participated in them;
UNISON must address the underlying discriminatory attitudes for any named individuals who hold positions in UNISON, to retain the credibility of and confidence in those individuals;
UNISON’s National Labour Link Committee must demand action from the Labour leadership to take immediate steps to retain the confidence of our members, who look to the Labour Party to deliver the political change they need.
Time For Real Change has launched an open letter to the leadership of our union and calls for UNISON members to sign it as a matter of urgency and solidarity to those impacted by the behaviours and actions called out in the Forde Report. UNISON must take action and not ignore the Forde Report.
Open letter to Christina McAnea, Andrea Egan, Kebba Manneh, Linda Hobson
Christina McAnea, General Secretary of UNISON
Andrea Egan, National President of UNISON
Kebba Manneh, Chair of UNISON’s National Black Members Committee
Linda Hobson, Chair of UNISON’s National Labour Link Committee
Dear Christina, Andrea, Kebba and Linda,
Re: The publication of the Forde Report
The conclusions of the Forde Report provide a serious challenge to our trade union and we must respond as both an employer and as an affiliate to the Labour Party.
We call on you to ensure the following.
The racist, sexist, and discriminatory attitudes confirmed in the Forde Report must be condemned by UNISON;
UNISON must identify if any individuals employed by UNISON, or those which held Labour Party positions by virtue of their membership of UNISON, in the period of the report were aware of these actions or participated in them;
UNISON must address the underlying discriminatory attitudes for any named individuals who hold positions in UNISON, to retain the credibility of and confidence in those individuals;
UNISON’s National Labour Link Committee must demand action from the Labour leadership to take immediate steps to retain the confidence of our members, who look to the Labour Party to deliver the political change they need.
Yours sincerely
(All in a personal capacity)
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