NOVEMBER'S Socialist Outlook reported on the de-recognition of UNISON activist Bernie Hynes by British Gas.
Since then, Bernie's branch has passed a resolution (reprinted below) in his defence. This resolution was duly forwarded to the Secretary of UNISON's District Gas Committee, but strangely the Secretary appears to have lost the resolution and not included it on the agenda of their next meeting on 4 December.
It is clear that at least one UNISON full-timer was complicit with management in Bernie's derecognition, and it is quite likely that they will use this opportunity to replace him with a right-winger more acceptable to management and the union bureaucracy.
If the British Gas management think they can get away with choosing who the workforce has to represent them, then this practice will become commonplace.
All those who believe that the workers themselves should decide who represents them should take the following resolution to their trade union or other organisations.
"This branch/organisation calls upon British Gas Service management, both at Leicester Area Service Centre and at the Staines Headquarters, to rescind the de-recognition of Bernie Hynes as a UNISON Staff Representative. and to restore trade union facilities to him.
«We further call upon UNISON at all levels to campaign to get this de-recognition rescinded and to win the restoration of trade unien facilities as a matter of urgency. We demand that UNISON gives full legal backing to the Industrial Tribunal application, and that no attempt is made to undermine the application.
"We support the decision of the local staff representatives not to replace Bernie Hynes as a staff representative or as the chair of the local Joint Committee Staff side, and call upon the Reaional Gas Committee not to replace him on the Service Sector Executive or the National Joint Committee Staff Side.
«We call upon the Regional Health and Safety Committee to take up the campaign with particular regard to his derecognition as a health and safety representative".
Resolutions should be
passed to: * British Gas HQ, 30 The Causeway, Staines, Middlesex, TW18 3BY * British Gas Leicester Area Service Centre, PO Box 28, Aylestone Road, LE2 7QH * UNISON East Midlands Regional Office, 15 Castle Gate, Nottingham NG1 6BY * UNISON Energy Committee, 1 Mabledon Place, London, WCH 9AJ. * Bernie Hynes, 18 Walnut Street, Leicester, LE2 7LD.
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