Jack Clarke promoted to senior role in Sharon Graham’s team without usual exec approval, despite final warning from union after complaints of bullying and threatening behaviour
The husband of Unite general secretary Sharon Graham – now a senior member of her team after a promotion said to have bypassed the usual process of approval by the union’s elected executive – was on a final warning from the union after a string of complaints about bullying, threatening and misogynistic behaviour, according to sources inside Unite.
Skwawkbox has already revealed details of complaints made against Jack Clarke – to which the union provided no meaningful response when asked – including incidents captured on tape by union employees as evidence against him.
And Skwawkbox also revealed that Ms Graham allegedly asked senior union employees to have the recordings – and transcripts made of them – destroyed in order to protect him and her own career plans.
As a result of the complaints, sources say that Clarke was placed on a final warning by the union – and was even ordered to attend anger management classes, although it is not known whether he ever did so.
Yet again, Unite has failed to provide a meaningful response to the allegations. Skwawkbox asked the union:
Sharon Graham’s husband Jack Clark received a final written warning from the union following complaints of threatening behaviour, bullying and sex discrimination and he was also told to attend anger management classes. Please provide the union’s responses to the following:
- why was Mr Clarke promoted to a senior position in Ms Graham’s office given his record in the union?
- why did Ms Graham attempt to have evidence destroyed against her husband when he was already subject to formal discipline?
- do Ms Graham and Unite consider it appropriate for the union to promote someone on a final warning for bullying and threats when it is supposed to be defending people subject to such behaviour in the workplace?
As previously requested, I ask you to please provide meaningful and specific responses to the questions rather than the generic smears that have come back from previous enquiries, and do so no later than 6pm.
At the time of writing, some six hours after the expiry of the press deadline, no reply had been received from the union.
Sharon Graham has been at the centre of a number of storms in the union. In addition to the allegations already mentioned, she has been accused of:
- binning racism complaints by several branches against a key supporter
- overseeing ‘disgusting’ mistreatment of Irish union legend Brendan Ogle, who did not support her for the general secretary position – leading Graham to cancel a visit to Ireland after outrage at the situation and causing the union’s entire energy branch in Ireland to threaten disaffiliation and the Irish hospitality branch to submit a letter of complaint
On each occasion, the union has responded – if at all – by smearing Skwawkbox for asking questions and scrutinising the union regime’s conduct.
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