Politics
Unite officers vote for strike action over lack of union recognition
The officers’ branch of Unite has voted overwhelmingly for ‘all-out’ strike action over the refusal of Unite’s management to recognise its union.
Of a huge 80% turnout, 85% of officers voted in support of the strike.
This is the second time Unite’s general secretary, Sharon Graham, has faced strike action from union employees after staff working for Graham’s husband, Jack Clarke, walked out complaining of bullying, misogyny and intimidation.
The ballot result comes as Graham campaigns for re-election and as her hangers-on try to get elected on to Unite’s executive.
Unite: ‘It’s time to Reunite and end the toxicity’
The Reunite the Union activist group welcomed the strike vote and promised solidarity with the workers, which includes a “three-point plan to resolve the dispute”. A statement from the group stated it’s “time to Reunite and end the toxicity which is dividing our union”.
It continued:
Self-defeating intransigence is a familiar trait of Sharon Graham’s management.
It is the same approach which resulted in picket lines outside Holborn against a ‘toxic bullying culture,’ complete with a ‘counter-demo’ led by Graham’s self-styled enforcer Chris Stiles and our union’s Organising Director Tayra Lopes-Lister. This resulted from the BDSU researchers simply requesting a meeting with their line management over grading.
It is the same approach which forced members of our Executive Council to turn to the Certification Officer to compel Sharon Graham’s management team to disclose our union’s finances.
Politically, the same intransigence has led Sharon Graham to remain silent on Reform’s direct attack on our union and our members.
Industrially, the same intransigence has led important disputes to defeat. For example, the nearly six-month strike at Bakkavor in Spalding ended in members having to accept the same percentage pay offer originally rejected at the start of the dispute. That dispute was continued from above, despite growing numbers of members crossing their own picket. From Veolia to Port Talbot, a pattern of behaviour repeats itself.
A pervasive culture of toxicity and division has been created in our union. It manifests in different ways, but the cause is the same.
In the elections, Graham has so far failed to condemn homophobic comments by one of her ‘exec’ candidates who supports fascist racist Tommy Robinson. But her behaviour had outraged union staff and activists long before that, often centring around the alleged conduct of Jack Clarke and her measures to protect him.
Graham and Clarke vs workers
Clarke was promoted shortly after Graham took over the union in 2021, overseeing the newly-created Bargaining and Disputes Unit (BDSU). Union insiders point out that Unite’s approval procedures for the promotion had not been followed. Prior to his promotion, Clarke was on a final warning from Unite for his behaviour.
BDSU staff were soon in dispute with the union and Clarke over alleged bullying by Clarke and his cronies. However, their complaints were not the first such allegations against Clarke.
In 2018, before Graham became Unite’s general secretary, she asked colleagues to destroy evidence of bullying and misogyny gathered by staff working under him in his previous role. In a stunning December 2024 development, Graham’s lawyers admitted that, following her takeover, the union destroyed the evidence.
Graham and Unite have also spent huge amounts of members’ money on lawyers’ fees, most recently to sue barely-followed and anonymous X accounts on behalf of Clarke.
Anti-union union?
Staff have also accused Graham and her management team of employing intimidation, suspension and anti-union tactics against staff in the dispute. This outraged Unite’s National Industrial Sector Committee (NISC) for the print and graphics sector, and the leaders of two unions representing Unite staff and officers.
So bad has this alleged conduct been that more than 90% of Unite staff working at the union’s Holborn HQ voted for strike action. Three — some say four — of the five women who worked in Clarke’s department since Graham formed it and put him in charge of it have left. Union sources say they also alleged bullying and abuse.
Unite’s staff branch unanimously condemned the union’s abuse of its staff. The influential Officers National Committee (ONC) accused Graham of using Murdoch-style anti-union tactics against workers and officers unionising and taking collective action.
Now, after fighting Graham’s moves to undermine their attempts to organise since the beginning of 2025, Unite’s officer group will soon begin strike action. It is an action that may well impact her attempts to get herself and her hangers-on re-elected.
Featured image via the Canary
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