The perils of forgetfulness...

I have been letting down regular readers of this blog (Sid and Doris blogger) because on top of my other health problems I have serious problem with my shoulder and can't use the keyboard.

However, I have now discovered how to use the dictation software that is built-in to my MacBook and therefore can start pestering you all again.

I was very pleased to hear that my friend and comrade Paul Holmes, who is President of UNISON, has had his suspension by the trade union lifted and he is therefore able to carry out his presidential duties.

Paul is an exemplary trade union activist and it is good news for UNISON members that their President is now able to operate effectively on their behalf.

It is perhaps no accident that just at the point at which UNISON lifted Paul's suspension somebody mischievously leaked to the media details of unproven allegations against Paul which are being pursued by his employer.

This is an obvious attempt to undermine UNISON’s elected President by people who have no loyalty to the trade union. It is disappointing that a former UNISON president took to Facebook to comment upon this news report as follows;

“I’ve been honoured to be a Unison President and didn’t think wearing a suit was a problem… …but I would be horrified if I was ever accused of bullying my colleagues…”

It appears that this former president has forgotten that he put his name to an email circulated widely within UNISON six years ago (about which I have blogged before) and which was described as follows by the Assistant Certification Officer when she upheld various complaints made by myself and others about misconduct in UNISON's general secretary election;

This "quite extraordinary email” was "an attempt by the victors to write the history (regardless of accuracy)” which "had the no doubt desired effect of undermining Mr Rogers”.

Since the former president was, at the time of publication of that report, Chair of UNISON's Development and Organisation Committee I had assumed that he would have read those comments and would have understood them as accusing the authors of that email (of which he was one) of having bullied one of their colleagues. Or, at least, of having tried to do so.

I can only assume that the former president of UNISON had just forgotten his previous conduct when making his remarks about the current president of UNISON, to whom perhaps he will now apologise.

Or maybe he won't.