Electoral malpractice in UNISON?

Contrary to recent information that the decision would be delayed, today the parties to the recent Certification Officer hearing concerning the 2015 UNISON General Secretary election received the decision of the Assistant Certification Officer.

The decision – with its appendices – runs to 114 pages and I won’t blog any comprehensive comments on the basis of a first reading of a decision which will in any event be available in full on the Certification Officer website very soon.

UNISON has issued a statement welcoming the fact that the Assistant Certification Officer has not ordered that the election be rerun.

This extreme outcome was never likely and a focus on that one issue could be seen as an attempt to distract from the significant criticisms of the conduct of the Union (and some senior officials) made in the decision.

The Assistant Certification Officer, in a balanced decision, refuses to make some declarations sought by the complainants but does make a legal declaration that UNISON breached its rules by allowing UNISON resources to be used to campaign for the incumbent candidate.

UNISON members can call by here online soon for more considered comment (since this blog is described as “influential” in the decision it would be churlish not to provide such comment) as well as going to the Certification Officer website.

I will share one sentence from the decision now though.

“No apology has been given to Mr Rogers or acknowledgement of the important role he has played in bringing electoral malpractice into the light.”

UNISON knows how to contact your blogger and can send that apology at any time.