A victory for UNISON members

In a hard fought victory for principle and common sense (and for UNISON members in Bromley), Glenn Kelly has been elected as Secretary of UNISON's Bromley local government branch.



Glenn has had to overturn unlawful disciplinary action taken against him by his own trade union (in a case so long running that I can link back to a debate on this blog, foreseeing trouble, five years ago - http://jonrogers1963.blogspot.com/2008/01/i-promised-in-response-to-comments-from.html?m=1).



He now faces resuming elected office in a branch taken under the control of the Regional office three years ago on grounds which were, in the opinion of this writer, never adequately justified (http://jonrogers1963.blogspot.com/2010/03/unisons-suburban-sigurimi.html?m=1).



The demolition of democratic trade unionism has led to a situation in which Bromley Council are bidding to be the first London Borough to break away from national pay bargaining. In a repeat of lessons that UNISON should have learned more than a decade ago in Birmingham and Sheffield we can see that, where it is plainly politically motivated, "regional supervision" of our branches leaves a legacy of lasting damage to the strength of our trade union.



Now that the members of Bromley UNISON have been allowed to speak, they have spoken clearly.



It is most welcome that, at the UNISON Centre, there is no appetite for further internal strife. However, in the dark and impenetrable interior of Congress House there may still be Regional officials who do not know that this particular war is over.



I'll do my best to tell them.



But they don't always listen to me.



On the off chance that anyone at the UNISON Centre is reading, do you think you could have a word?

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