Tony Staunton, Plymouth Unison branch secretary and secretary of Plymouth Trades Council, was suspended from office for 60 days by Unison union leaders in mid-December.
This witch hunt against a prominent trade unionist who is also a leading member of the SWP and of Respect, shows where the priorities of this leadership lie.
It also comes only a few weeks after another prominent SWP member of UNISON, Yunus Bakhsh, a former member of the UNISON National Executive Council (NEC) and current member of the UNISON Health Service Group Executive (SGE) has been suspended by his employers.
As UNISON NEC and Labour Party member Jon Rogers says: "Trade unions have to be prepared to defend our
Tony Staunton activists against the employers. We also have to be alive to the risk that sometimes divisions in our own ranks will embolden the employers to victimise an activist. I hope that this is not one such case and that we can rely upon all colleagues to close ranks against the employer".
In Tony's case, a complaint was made to UNISON's general secretary on October 8, claiming that a newsletter of UNISON United left in the region had been produced on UNISON equipment contrary to the union's rules.
On November 1, when they knew full well that Tony would be in London leading a delegation to lobby local MPs against NHS cuts, senior regional officials entered the UNISON branch office, questioned staff and took away paper and computer records.
Tony was contacted in London and told he needed to hand over his laptop and home personal computer the following day.
He explained that these machines are not UNISON property and contain confidential material, including those of his three adult children.
Tony has pointed out that it is custom and practice for his union branch to give computers in lieu of honorarium, and that this practice has been going on for many years.
Tony has since been interviewed and is expecting further disciplinary action to ensue.
Both the branch and the Trades Council are continuing to stand by him. • Send messages of protest to:
The General Secretary
Unison I Mabledon Place, London WC1
The Regional Secretary, UNISON House, The Crescent, Taunton TA1 4DU
And messages of support to [email protected] and to Tony. [email protected] .uk and even within it a committed union can take effective action.
It is important that the anti-union laws are fought, with the Trade Union Freedom Bill an important propaganda part to such a campaign. But it can only be a part.
For some the Bill is a way of highlighting their supposed
Continued page 6 Tuesday Jan 30, 7pm John McDonnell
Euston Rd, with • Gill George (AMICUS NEC), • Geoff Martin, • Mark Serwotka (invited), • John McDonnell and others called by Amicus Unity Gazette