Irish union legend claiming discrimination by Graham-run union after return from cancer treatment. Skwawkbox will report from Irish Workplace Relations Commission
From Tuesday, the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) in Dublin will hear the discrimination case brought by Irish union legend Brendan Ogle against Sharon Graham’s Unite, for abuse Ogle – who supported Howard Beckett during the 2021 Unite general secretary election – says he suffered at the hands of the union management after his return from a successful battle against life-threatening cancer.
Ogle, who is also separately suing Graham, her ally Tony Woodhouse and the union for defamation, has alleged that he was abused by the union after his return from treatment for cancer – and after he made ‘protected disclosures’ to the union about its failures to adhere to covid protocols during the pandemic.
Graham and her representatives have been accused of ‘disgusting’ behaviour toward Ogle – and anger in Ireland at the situation became so great that an entire sector branch threatened to disaffiliate entirely from Unite, the well-known ‘Right2Water’ campaign said it will no longer work with Unite, Unite’s Community section in Ireland condemned the ‘injustice inflicted’ on him and members picketed general secretary Sharon Graham’s long-delayed visit to Dublin.
Skwawkbox is in Dublin to cover the proceedings, including Tuesday’s session where Graham’s predecessor as general secretary, Jeremy Corbyn ally Len McCluskey, is expected to take the stand to testify. Graham herself has been subpoenaed by Ogle’s legal team to give evidence, despite allegedly trying to get out of appearing.
Graham is using one of the world’s most profitable law firms to defend the defamation suit – and also, as Skwawkbox revealed, in the tribunal case. Her tenure as Unite boss has been marked by a string of other allegations – which neither she nor the union has denied – including alleged destruction of evidence against her husband in misogyny and bullying complaints. She is currently being sued, along with an ally and the union, by Irish union legend Brendan Ogle for defamation.
She has been exposed using proxies to order the cancellation of showings of the film ‘Oh Jeremy Corbyn/The Big Lie’, which exposes the political abuse of antisemitism accusations against left-wingers in the Labour party, and discussion of Asa Winstanley’s forensic book Weaponising Antisemitism: How the Israel Lobby Brought Down Jeremy Corbyn. Proxies were similarly despatched to try, unsuccessfully, to cancel a Unite ‘fringe’ event at Labour’s conference earlier this month in support of Palestinians.
Ogle’s barrister told the Workplace Relations Commission adjudicator last November that she expected the union would be required to ‘produce’ Sharon Graham to testify, along with a string of current and former senior Unite officials and employees.
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Go on, Brendan! Good luck to you. The likes of you & Howard give me hope. God knows we need as much of that as we can get these days. Should be getting more when Galloway walks it in Rochdale! 😀
Unite leadership will never do anything which threatens this grossly unfair, unjust status quo. That’s why former TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady is now Baroness O’Grady of Upper Holloway, for services rendered to the Establishment while she was pretending to serve the interests of the TUC members.
Reply to Pat Mc Ginley
I agree entirely with what you are saying about O’Grady. The Trade Union/Labour movement in Britain has generally not covered itself in glory when it comes to defending workers . O Grady and her subsequent “honours” is a prime example of shameless self interest.
However Britain has little if any sway in Ireland e.g. Irelands reaction to Gaza and the massacre of innocent Palestinians is not controlled by the British establishment, MSM, Zionist lobbyists etc . The Irish are outraged by Israeli barbrism and show this and their support for Palestinians openly and at every opportunity. Nobody is going to shut them up with false allegations of antisemism, blacklisting or trying to get people sacked from their jobs.
Likewise in my opinion they will not be influenced by anybody in adjudicating Brendan’s case . He will be dealt with fairly on the facts which speak for themselves – the persecution of a person recovering from cancer is in breach of the Disability legislation (as well as being completely base and disgusting) and is also unlawful if he was a whistleblower.
I am actually surprised Unite is defending this case- it could be Brendan refused to settle- as they haven’t a snowballs chance in hell of winning it in my opinion.
Solidarity Brendan. Skwawkbox keep us informed of developments
Can anyone remember Dame oGrady ever use the words; working class or socialism?