Members lobbying Unite conference find “widespread frustration and anger at leadership’s silence, inaction on genocide”

Anti-genocide campaigners receive warm welcome from delegates furious with Graham and cronies

Unite members lobbying the union’s conference in Brighton about its position on Israel’s genocide in Gaza say they have had a warm response from delegates entering the event – and that many are frustrated and furious about general secretary Sharon Graham’s and her cronies’ stance over Israel’s crimes and the UK’s collusion in them.

One told Skwawkbox that members had come from all over the country to join the demo and added:

We had a great day lobbying delegates at Conference.  In addition to our leaflets, we also handed out lots of badges and stickers which will have been highly visible on Conference floor.  Very warm and positive responses, and widespread frustration and anger at the leadership’s silence and inaction on the genocide.

While Graham and Unite’s management have been happy to piggy-back on the actions of others, for example praising French dock workers who refused to load weapons bound for Israel last month, her own record has been one of inaction and alleged obstruction of others attempting to stand with the Palestinians – and of a commitment to the arms industry over solidarity with Palestinians and others. She has been accused of:

• telling 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
• banning Unite officials and national banners from pro-Gaza protests
• banning and smearing films and books exposing the Israel lobby’s ‘Labour antisemitism’ scam
• placing an official under investigation who refused to cancel a Palestine solidarity fringe event at Labour’s 2023 annual conference
• telling union members that she will always prioritise jobs over taking action against Israel’s genocide

and more.

A large number of motions have been put to the conference demanding action in solidarity with Palestinians against Israel’s genocide and occupation – a position that is already the union’s democratically-chosen but un-implemented policy. However, delegates have been told that the Unite executive – still chaired by a close ally of Graham after the management spent members’ money on lawyers to prevent his democratic removal – is putting a statement on Palestine to a vote on Conference floor on Thursday as a means of removing the branches’ motions on Palestine from the agenda if the statement is passed.

Graham’s backers have also put forward a motion for the conference that neuters any semblance of international solidarity action by the union, while Graham herself has been slammed for stopping the union’s affiliation with Stop the War because of its protests against the arms industry’s role in the genocide and for praising the Starmer government’s determination to increase military spending massively, which Starmer wants to fund by cutting support for disabled people and those with long-term physical and mental health issues.

As well as her enthusiasm for the arms industry and opposition to anti-genocide protest, Sharon Graham’s tenure has been marked by allegations and admissions of anti-worker activity against Unite’s own staff. She has been embroiled in a dispute by staff working in the department she created for her husband to run, who allege that he and managers working under him have bullied and abused staff. At least three and by some reports four of the five women working in the department have quit and Graham and her team have been accused by furious workers of employing union-busting tactics to break up the strike, including having allies join the GMB union that represents staff working for Unite to try to vote down the strike action, an allegation that the union’s sector committee has demanded be investigated. Unite’s officers have also accused her of using anti-union legislation to stop them organising collectively.

And in a stunning development exclusively reported by Skwawkbox, lawyers acting for Unite and Graham also confirmed Skwawkbox’s reporting that the union had destroyed evidence gathered by staff, particularly women, who had recorded the behaviour her husband, Jack Clarke, in their complaint that he was behaving abusively and misogynistically.

Clarke was appointed to his current role, after Graham became general secretary, despite being on a final warning from the union for his behaviour. The industrial action continues and threatens to spread to the whole HQ staff after more than 9/10 workers there voted in favour of strike action over the issue.

Unite’s conference continues.

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