Former Sharon Graham supporter on Unite exec slams her “false” smears against McCluskey et al

Ex-exec chair turns against general secretary accused of union-busting tactics against workers – and whose lawyers admitted Unite destroyed evidence against her husband

The former chair of Unite’s executive council, who backed Sharon Graham during her campaign to become the union’s general secretary, has lashed out at her ‘false’ and ‘disingenuous’ narrative against Unite’s previous management.

Graham campaigned for Unite’s top job on a claim that she would ‘clean up’ supposed corruption in the union, particularly around the construction of Unite’s Birmingham conference centre. Five years later, after a police and barrister investigation and a presumed huge spend on legal fees, and nine months after claiming the release of a report on the investigation’s findings was imminent, Graham, through Unite’s official Twitter/X account, could only say – in a supposed update to members last week – that:

It is with a heavy heart that I advise you that the investigations by leading barristers, solicitors, auditors & forensic accountants show some of our trusted leaders, colleagues & friends may have been deceiving us, misusing our resources & abusing their power.

“May have”. This weak narrative is still being drawn out as Graham prepares to campaign for re-election – and now former exec chair Tony Woodhouse, previously a Graham supporter, has slammed it in a statement published to his Facebook page (emphases added):

A Message from Tony Woodhouse

Executive Council 2008 – 2023

I have read the various communications regarding the investigation into wrongdoing in Unite, including the 61-page report.

I won’t say anything on the allegations and will wait for the police investigation, that is what we should all be doing in my opinion. But I am angry and concerned at the false picture being spread of the Executive Council, especially on social media with some very disingenuous comments about myself and executive members I had the privilege to serve with.

The idea that a dominant United Left Executive did only what Len McCluskey told them and did not speak out or hold the GS to account (and other Officers for that matter) is completely wrong.

The Executive Council under Len McCluskey for 11 years was robust, and everyone was allowed to have their say. Gail Cartmail’s claim that Len ever “closed down Ed Sabisky” is wrong in my opinion.

I would never of [sic] allowed the GS or anybody else to “close anyone down”.

It didn’t happen, in fact quite the opposite. Like me, McCluskey encouraged a full debate and welcomed constructive criticism.

I am proud that I let all Executive members speak more than once in any debate. Something that some members on the executive use to complain about, but I’ve always believe in executive members having there say, and I mean everyone who wanted to contribute to the debate and coming back into the debate if they felt they needed too. It did not influence how I chaired, if a council member was from the United Left or any of the other factions, Unite Alliance, Unite Now. I would like to think I had an excellent relationship with them all, and it is a fact that we always tried to reach a consensus amongst council members and in most cases, this was what happened.

I read in the report criticism of the Executive Council, from a firm called Bark & Co. I don’t know who these are, but I have a real problem with them criticising the Executive council without even talking to me, someone who has chaired the Executive from the start of Unite, their comments are wrong and unhelpful.

I was proud to serve as Chair of an executive that achieved so much in those 11 years.

• Bringing several unions not just 2. (TGWU, Amicus, AEEU, GPMU’ Unifi, MSF), all of whom had different terms & conditions for officers and staff.

• Merging with UCATT.

• Creating a true Unite identity.

• Creating a voice for Unite retired members.

• Creating a voice on the executive for our Youth.

• Allowing 100 young members to attend our BDC policy conference – they were great and gone on to play a role in our union.

• Expanding our Organising Department and developing our leverage campaign.

• Creating our strike fund (still the only one in the movement), making it £70 per day, unbelievable assistance to striking workers.

• Becoming a strong and powerful industrial union, feared by employers and respected by sister unions.

• Becoming the most influential union in politics.

• Creating community branches where our members lived and for those unemployed. They have been active in so many campaigns.

• Playing a leading role in all international issues. Where we were very respected with JFC, Palestine SC, Cuba SC, we helped with the release of the Miami 5 who were unfairly jailed in America for 10 years.

• Creating Workers Uniting (which I had the honour to Chair) an alliance with United Steel Workers of America and Los Mineros the Mexican miners and the first like it. It took solidarity to a new level.

• Building financial security from a deficit in 2010 to being the richest Trade Union in the UK with nearly £500m in 2021.

It saddens me that I have had to send out this message. But in all honesty, I had to speak out, especially with some of the comments being made on social media, not only to defend my own integrity but also that of EVERY Executive member who I had the privilege to work alongside, and who were fully committed to carrying out their duties on behalf of the members who elected them.

In solidarity

Tony woodhouse

Others agreed, including other former exec members and several formerly die-hard Graham supporters:

Graham was, of course, also among the union management who discussed and signed off on the Birmingham project – and had one of her closest allies overseeing it as ‘project-specific convenor’.

In stark contrast to the financial health of the union that Graham inherited, Unite under Graham’s management has seen its strike fund collapse by more than 90% and has raised its membership fees repeatedly in the last year despite Graham’s claims of increased member numbers.

Graham’s tenure has also been marked by allegations and admissions of anti-worker and ‘union-busting’ 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 and their union representatives have also accused her of using Murdoch-esque 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.

Now, as Graham gets ready for her re-election campaign, a key supporter from her first campaign has slammed her conduct and her continued smears.

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