Campaign news

GMB General Secretary Election 2015

24th February 2015

GMB General Secretary Election 2015

Keith Henderson has announced that he will be seeking nominations for the General Secretary Election of the General Municipal and Boilermakers union (GMB Union) which is scheduled to take place this year according to the current GMB rule book.

Under current rules the nomination process is due to commence after the Central Executive Committee meeting in April 2015.

Under current union rules it is believed that the General Secretary Paul Kenny will not be able to stand as he has reached retirement age last year in October.

Under the rules for the last General Secretary election in 2010 candidates were required to be nominated by thirty branches to get onto the ballot paper.

Keith is a member of the Labour Representation Committee (LRC), the Grassroots Left (GRL) and a former regional officer of the GMB London Region.

He was dismissed from his employment of the GMB in December 2012 following his actions in carrying out the wishes of the members. He had organised a picket of parliament on the day of action in the public sector pensions dispute on 30th November 2011.

This followed a democratic decision of the GMB members employed in the House of Commons who had voted to take strike action on that day and who had also voted to organise picket lines on the houses of parliament on the day of the strike.

Paul Kenny, the General Secretary contacted Keith directly by phone, shouting at him, claiming that his actions were too left wing and over the top, insisting that Labour MP’s be allowed to cross the picket lines. The cases of unfair dismissal and discrimination are still being fought through the legal system so it would not be appropriate to comment further on these issues at this stage.

However the incident highlights the gulf that exists within the British labour movement between genuine unionism and socialism and bureaucratic institutionalism.

One a top down structure imposing dictates from above aimed primarily at maintaining the status quo; the other striving for a union democratically controlled by its members, recognising that the collective consciousness of the members is the union - that at all times the needs of the members came first.

Keith stands for the election of all union officers who should be accountable to democratically elected bodies of lay members at a national and regional level; for the devolvement of resources from a national and regional level to a workplace and a local level.

To this end Keith is standing on a draft manifesto

(http://grassrootsleftunite.blogspot.co.uk/2000/02/gmb-2015-general-secretary-election.html?m=1)

which outlines in more detail the mechanics of reintroducing democracy, accountability and devolution of power in the GMB.

You can also read Keith’s draft Election address here on the link below.

http://grassrootsleftunite.blogspot.co.uk/2000/02/gmb-2015-general-secretary-election_23.html?m=1

Background

By Ian Hodson It’s great news that a mainstream political party has recognised the importance of taking positive action to raise pay. Since 2008, politicians from all parties along with many in the media, have pushed the narrative that society will somehow improve by imposing austerity and blaming minority groups for the state of the country’s finances. Sadly, many have fallen for this deception and the ‘look over there’ politics that has rose to prominence since the Conservatives returned to power in 2010. [continue...]

Folkestone United – coming together to support migrants Bridget Chapman, Folkestone United, reports [continue...]

No Witch-Hunts In The GMB, Reinstate Keith Henderson (The Online Petition) Keith Henderson Essex LRC member and former Regional Organiser of the GMB Union was dismissed from the GMB last December, Keith has always believed that the real reason for his dismissal was because of his socialist beliefs and the manifestation of his beliefs. [continue...]

Please see our Labour Briefing Website here: LabourBriefing.org [continue...]

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Across the country working people are losing their jobs and their homes. Meanwhile the bankers who plunged us into this crisis have been bailed out with billions of pounds of our money. It’s time to fight back. Their Crisis Not Ours! is the LRC’s campaign to bring together workers, pensioners, the unemployed, students, those facing repossession and all those suffering because of an economic crisis that has been imposed on us. The campaign is supporting the demands of the People’s Charter. [continue...]

Rail bosses are using the recession as an excuse to attack jobs and conditions and cut back on services and essential rail works, and hike rail fares - as LEAP research suggested they would. Thousands of jobs are being threatened or have been lost. At the same time rail fat cats are raking in big profits and bonuses on the back of the most expensive fares in Europe. Make no mistake: as the recession worsens so will the attack on rail workers and rail services. [continue...]

The campaign calling on the Government to abandon its plans for privatisation of Royal Mail. The Government has introduced the Postal Services Bill to part-privatise the Royal Mail. With our affiliate union CWU we are fighting to Keep the Post Public! [continue...]

The campaign to demand the Government funds improvements to all existing council housing, and to start building first class council homes to address housing need. For more information see Defend Council Housing website. [continue...]