Leading Irish trade unionist’s first case against union and general secretary Sharon Graham continues at Dublin’s Workplace Relations Commission
Unite tried to have an Irish journalist write a story that leading union figure Brendan Ogle wanted to move to Dundalk – more than an hour’s drive from his Dublin base and to a more stressful job – to be near his family when his family in Dundalk were all dead, according to unchallenged testimony given to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) in Dublin today.
Ogle, well known in Ireland for his work on the Right2Water anti-privatisation campaign and others, has taken Unite to the WRC tribunal claiming the union discriminated against him after his return from treatment for aggressive cancer and was trying to sideline him or push him out. Ogle had supported general secretary Sharon Graham’s opponent Howard Beckett during the 2021 election for the position.
His wife, Mandy La Combre, was called to testify today after Unite’s expensive lawyers tried to use a Facebook post by her about Unite’s conduct towards him – described by Unite’s barrister as a ‘hand grenade’ – as justification for the union’s chilly attitude toward her husband. She told the Commission that Irish journalist Mick Clifford told her Unite had approached him to write an article saying Ogle wanted to move to Dundalk to be near family – but Clifford had, correctly, said to her ‘but his family in Dundalk are dead, aren’t they?’
‘Yes they are’, she told him and the tribunal.
Unite’s barrister quickly shut down the conversation, but La Combre’s account was not challenged.
The tribunal also heard, from retired senior official Jacky Pollock, that he had been told by former Unite general secretary Len McCluskey that Ogle needed to ‘watch his back and keep his head down’ because of the new general secretary. Again this was not challenged – Pollock was a witness called by Unite.
Pollock told the tribunal that Ogle was originally enthusiastic about taking the job in Dundalk and that the roles offered to Ogle were ‘very very important’. Pollock was shown emails from Ogle refusing the job and complaining that the work the job involved would have taken only a couple of days a month, along with an email from former retail union general secretary John Douglas – who has given evidence supporting Ogle’s case – saying that Ogle’s ‘position was being dismantled’, a claim he denied.
Unite has claimed in the case that Ogle’s change in role was required because of the union’s ‘change of direction’ under Sharon Graham. In her cross-examination, Ogle’s barrister Mary-Paula Guinness showed Pollock evidence of activities Ogle was undertaking as part of his job and asked which of them would no longer be needed under Graham’s ‘change of direction’, which appeared to be none of them.
And Unite’s witnesses so far have claimed that the move to Dundalk was to protect Ogle from stress that might cause a recurrence of the cancer. Pollock admitted that the job in Dundalk would have been far more stressful that Ogle’s existing role;
There would have been more stress. All the regional officer jobs are the hardest job in Unite.
Pollock appeared unable to provide a clear answer as to why, if Ogle was not being pressured to take the Dundalk job, Pollock raised it on four separate occasions after Ogle had made clear he was not interested in taking it.
In a brief testimony by video, former general secretary Len McCluskey told the tribunal no one had voted on Ogle’s job as ‘senior officer’ for Ireland. However, Skwawkbox understands that the appointment was voted on twice each by the Irish and UK executive groups.
The case continues tomorrow.
Sharon Graham has previously cancelled appearances in the Republic, avoiding members’ anger and scrutiny over the union’s ‘disgraceful’ treatment of Brendan Ogle. The situation caused such outrage in Ireland that union members picketed Graham’s long-delayed visit to Dublin, Unite’s Community section condemned it as ‘disgusting’ and a whole sector branch threatened to disaffiliate.
Graham’s tenure as Unite boss has also been marked by a string of other allegations – which neither she nor the union has denied – including destruction of evidence against her husband in threat, misogyny and bullying complaints brought by union employees. She is also embroiled in a defamation lawsuit brought by Irish union legend Brendan Ogle for the union’s treatment of him and comments made about him by Graham and her close ally Tony Woodhouse.
She has also been alleged by insiders to have:
- banned Unite officials and national banners from pro-Gaza protests
- banned and smeared films and books exposing the ‘Labour antisemitism’ scam
- placed an official under investigation who refused to cancel a Palestine solidarity fringe event at Labour’s 2023 annual conference
- told her chief of staff to threaten a soon-to-retire official with the loss of a pension bonus if he did not soften his support for Palestinians
Her supporters also prevented debate and votes on Gaza at a meeting of the union’s elected executive last month.
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