Unite’s ‘director of organising’ in demo attacking union staff organising against Graham’s husband

Already accused of union busting after suspending staff in dispute over alleged bullying and victimisation, union allegedly undermining staff on strike against general secretary Sharon Graham’s husband, Jack Clarke

Staff working for the Unite union are on strike this week after they say the union ignored their complaint alleging bullying and victimisation by Jack Clarke – the husband of Unite general secretary Sharon Graham – and other managers in the unit he runs, ironically the union’s ‘Bargaining and Disputes Support Unit’ (BDSU.

Clarke was promoted to run the unit – outside the union’s usual procedures – shortly after Sharon Graham became general secretary, despite the fact that he was on a final warning from the union for his bullying and misogyny.

Before her tenure even began, Ms Graham allegedly asked union staff to destroy evidence in serious complaints against him from staff, particularly women, working under him. Workers had submitted recordings and transcripts of his bullying behaviour to the union. The union has accused Skwawkbox of ‘peddling lies’ and of political motivations for its revelations, but has not denied the accusations.

BDSU announced the strike after accusing Unite of ignoring their complaints that some managers in the BDSU, including its boss Jack Clarke bullied staff and victimised those who spoke out. Unite failed to suspend any of the managers accused of bullying but has suspended all the staff who entered a collective grievance and industrial dispute to challenge the bullying behaviours they experienced.

And as Skwawkbox exclusively revealed yesterday, Unite figures – including senior management – held a counter-demonstration against their colleagues and their legitimate industrial action, in an apparently unprecedented measure that saw trade unionists accused of attempting to discredit or intimidate the industrial action of other trade unionists.

GMB members working for Unite gathered outside its HQ in Holborn, London, to protest against “Unite’s toxic bullying culture”:

The counter-demonstration to undermine the strike held up a banner accusing the GMB of ‘defending harassment of women staff’ – a reference to the union management’s claim that the staff were suspended for harassing women rather than for raising a dispute, a claim that regional organiser Danny Adilypour dismissed, saying: “We have consistently seen underhand tactics used to undermine these workers’ legitimate concerns”:

And Unite’s ‘director of organising and leverage’, Tayra Lopes-Lister, was among the demonstration opposing the striking staff and appeared to be speaking to police for the counter-protest:

Unite has previously failed to respond to a request for comment on the “extraordinary [fact] that Unite hasn’t condemned the [counter-demo] plan or told staff not to attempt to discredit or intimidate workers.”

A statement from GMB London regional organiser Danny Adilypour gives further details of the ‘toxic bullying culture’ and attempted intimidation and undermining of workers that his members say they are striking against and said that the counter-protest is another example:

Our members are sending a clear message that they will not tolerate the toxic bullying culture and victimisation they have experienced at Unite. We have consistently seen underhand tactics used to undermine these workers’ legitimate concerns and their right to pursue industrial action.

Most recently we have even seen GMB branch meetings monitored, names of attendees recorded, and unsolicited emails sent to them to try and undermine the strike action.

Today they were met by a counter-protest, in yet another attempt to intimidate them. This is a further example of the culture they are challenging.

We again call on Unite to suspend the managers accused of bullying behaviour, rescind the punitive suspensions of BDSU staff, and get around the table to resolve this dispute

As well as the accusations regarding the destruction of evidence against her husband and his promotion despite being on a final warning, Sharon Graham’s tenure as Unite boss has been marked by other allegations, which neither she nor the union has ever denied.

The union took no action against one of her close allies over racist comments, even though it admitted the comments were racist. Graham was exposed behind the union’s decision to ban showings in Unite’s buildings of a film and book exposing racism, smears, rigging and abuse by the Labour right and was accused of trying to have a pro-Palestine Unite fringe meeting at the 2023 conference cancelled, then put the union official who refused under investigation.

Graham also said she would prioritise jobs against action to try to end the Gaza genocide and canvassed members about the union taking a strongly pro-Israel position, while her chief of staff Sarah Carpenter has been alleged by a number of sources to have threatened a (now-retired) senior officer with the loss of a pension bonus if he did not soften his support for Palestinians against Israel’s genocide. Unite now faces legal action from a member of its executive because Graham promoted Carpenter to the chief of staff position without obtaining the ratification of the executive as required by Unite’s rules.

Unite was contacted for comment about today’s events and the involvement of director-level staff in the counter-demonstration against workers, but did not respond.

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