PRESS RELEASE - DEFEND THE FOUR - PRESS RELEASE
DEMOCRACY NOT BUREAUCRACY - PROTEST AT CONGRESSS HOUSE

GREAT RUSSELL STREET WC1 AT 6PM MONDAY 15TH MARCH 2010

Outraged Unison members in Hackney and from across London will stage a large-scale protest outside Congress House in London on Monday 15th March. This is the home of the London region and the TUC. In an orchestrated and secret dawn raid approximately 15 full time officers descended on three branch offices in London. These functionaries behaved more like re-hashed East German stasi (secret police).

This happened at the same time that Brian Debus Hackney, Suzanne Muna Tenant Services branch were barred from holding any office in Unison for three years and Glenn Kelly, Bromley and Onay Kasab Greewich Branch were barred for two years. The aim of the raid was to seize files, equipment and computers to prevent the other elected officers in these branches from functioning. At the protest members will be burning some of the thousands of letters that were sent out individually to all members in the four branches. The four banned members enjoy overwhelming support in their branches and across London.

It’s ironic that the cause of the ban was to distribute a leaflet at the national conference of Unison in 2007. It sought the re-instatement of motions ruled out of order and one in particular calling for the regular election of regional and national full time officers. Because the leaflet used the image of three wise monkeys, see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil, the national bureaucracy then chose to mount a witch-hunt against these four lay members. The fight for lifting this ban will be highlighted at this protest and through legal action in an employment tribunal. Members will continue the fight for democratic accountability over the dead hand of Unison's bureaucracy.

Press contact Brian Debus 07914 198 128
DEFEND THE FOUR, FOR MORE INFORMATION GO TO www.stopthewitchhunt.org.uk [1]

URGENT - DEFEND THE FOUR - DAWN RAIDS - PROTEST MONDAY 15TH MARCH

Please download and distribute the attached leaflet.