Open letter to the General Secretary

The following letter was sent yesterday to UNISON General Secretary, Dave Prentis by several members of UNISON's NEC;

Dear Dave,

The UNISON Northern Region website had a news report dated 29 January 2009 concerning the investigation into racist activity on a social networking website by a former UNISON member, who has resigned from UNISON.

This former member was one of those whose complaints led to the suspension of leading black UNISON activist Yunus Bakhsh, whose complaint that his suspension may have been motivated by racism was dismissed by UNISON.

Information has now come to light which suggests that supporters of the far-right in the North-East were involved in promoting and encouraging complaints against Yunus, leading to his suspension from UNISON and by the employer and to his dismissal from his job.

UNISON is rightly proud of our opposition to racism in general and our opposition to the far right in particular.

It is not acceptable that UNISON should devote our members' money to an appeal to the Employment Appeal Tribunal in defence of a suspension which we now know was tainted by racism.

The exceptional circumstances of this case require a thoroughly independent and impartial investigation. UNISON members, trade unionists and anti-racists will expect nothing less of us.

Kate Ahrens, NEC; Roger Bannister, NEC; Bernadette Gallagher, NEC; Helen Jenner, NEC; Glenn Kelly, NEC; Diana Leach, NEC; Emma MacBeth, NEC; John McDermott, NEC; Karen Reissmann, NEC; Jon Rogers, NEC; Jessie Russel, NEC; Mike Tucker, NEC