DEFEND THE FOUR
Banned from office
Four outstanding Unison activists have been found guilty on trumped up disciplinary charges and banned from holding office in Unison. Glenn Kelly(NEC member and branch secretary of Bromley Unison) and Onay Kasab (branch secretary of Greenwich Unison) have been banned for three years. Suzanne Muna (branch secretary of Tenant Services Authority) has been banned for four years and Brian Debus (branch chair of Hackney Unison) for five years. The bans will come into effect if and when an appeal hearing later this year upholds them.

They are accused of attacking “the integrity of the members of the Standing Orders Committee” for questioning the removal of key motions from the 2007 conference agenda.

The charge of giving “racist offence to members” refers to the cartoon of the three wise monkeys on the leaflet, despite the investigation accepting there was no racist intent.

Brian has now been found guilty of another charge, that of “misappropriation of branch funds” for producing the leaflet.

Disgraceful charge of ‘racism’

To find four members who have always opposed, fought and campaigned against racism of effectively being racist themselves is not only outrageous but a terrible accusation for these four Unison members to have to bear. Such a racist slur is bound to cause difficulties in the future, especially when working and applying for jobs in the public sector.

This has provoked anger and outrage both within Unison and in the wider trade union movement. The priority of every union should be to defend its members from job losses, reduced hours and worse conditions which are being foisted on workers during this recession. However the Unison bureaucracy is instead narrowly focused on silencing any opposition to the Unison leadership, especially socialists with a track record of fighting for their members.

Two years on trial

For two whole years the four have been through tortuous, money-wasting investigation and hearings.

Five were originally investigated but only those who are Socialist Party members faced disciplinary hearings and bans from office, clearly revealing that this is an attack on Socialist Party members.

The four are claiming that they are being discriminated against on the basis of their "philosophical beliefs" (i.e. being members of the Socialist Party) and have taken their case to an Employment Tribunal. The Tribunal has already sat for a week and will resume in December.

(See our website for a report of the tribunal so far.)
www.stopthewitchhunt.org.uk [1]

All London meeting
Wednesday 23 September, 7.30pm
Upper Hall, University of London
Union, Malet Street, London, WC1.
Nearest tubes – Euston, Goodge St.

Speakers: Janice Godrich (President of PCS),
Brian Debus, Glenn Kelly, Onay Kasab, Suzanne Muna, other speakers invited.