Unite Election Was Conducted Illegally?

Statement from Gerard Coyne

I have been notified by email that I have been sacked from my position as West Midlands Regional Secretary of Unite the Union following a disciplinary hearing held at Unite’s London office on June 15.

I am deeply disappointed but not surprised at my dismissal. When you are in a kangaroo court, you are rarely surprised by the outcome.

Having held the post for 16 years, no complaint was raised during the hearing regarding my performance. However, during the process I was informed that union rules require a regional secretary to be “the General Secretary’s representative in the region.” It was implied that, due to my public criticism of Len McCluskey during the campaign, I could no longer fulfil that role.

Allegations and Charges

Seven charges of alleged gross misconduct were originally brought against me, including offences such as publicly criticising and challenging Mr McCluskey’s decisions in leaflets, newspapers and social media—all related to my conduct during the General Secretary election campaign.

Before the hearing, I managed to have three charges dismissed, and three more were thrown out at the final hearing. The only remaining allegation concerned a supposed technical data breach, which it was claimed damaged Unite–Labour Party relations. This preposterous trumped-up charge was used to indict me, even though the Returning Officer from Electoral Reform Services had already ruled there was no breach of the rules.

The Real Motive

It quickly became clear that these charges were nothing more than a stitch-up. My true “offence” was daring to challenge Mr McCluskey in a contest he had called unnecessarily. The disciplinary hearing was a show trial, presided over by Andrew Murray—Mr McCluskey’s chief of staff and a self-confessed admirer of Joseph Stalin—who acted as both investigator and decision-maker on the charge for which I was dismissed.

It is beyond parody that I, a 30-year member of the Labour Party, should be accused of harming Unite–Labour relations by Mr Murray, a lifelong member of the Communist Party.

Warning to Dissenters

This episode serves as a public warning to any Unite staff considering challenging the McCluskey clique: step out of line, and you will be out of a job. Political dissent is simply not tolerated within Unite.

Nevertheless, I will not be bullied into silence. Once the Certification Officer has reviewed my complaint about the election’s conduct, I look forward to a re-run of the contest. We will build a union where members’ interests come first—never subordinated to the political machinations of a clique.

I will be appealing against the decision.