Please desist!

‎I have been asked, by a senior paid official of our trade union, to desist from circulating UNISON branches encouraging rejection of the pay proposals in local government.

Having given respectful consideration to this request, I cannot comply.

My threadbare justification for my action is that the proposals are a WORSE deal than the offer against which we took strike action in the current year - and tie our hands in the following year.

I won't name the official concerned as that would not be fair. Paid officials are no more than our "civil servants" who may not express their own opinions (as regular readers Sid and Doris Not-that-Gullible could perhaps attest).

Since I am familiar with UNISON Rules, I shall disregard all discouragement and continue to behave as one who believes that our trade union is lay led and democratic.

‎UNISON exists to improve the lives of our members. We cannot seriously promote a set of pay proposals which are transparently worse than those against which we encouraged members to take strike action. To do so would bring UNISON into disrepute.

Those who choose to associate themselves with such promotion deservedly sacrifice any respect which anyone might have for them.

I suggest that all UNISON officials, from the General Secretary down, desist from promoting the pay proposals and desist from trying to discourage or intimidate organised opposition.

Now.

Now would be a good time.

Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone on the EE network.