GMB union in fresh turmoil over claims by senior female leaders | GMB union
The GMB union is facing fresh turmoil over allegations from two of its senior female leadership team as it heads towards a crucial general secretary election this year.
The infighting at the highest level comes as the union’s general secretary, Gary Smith, faces a potential fight to keep his job in May.
GMB, one of Labour’s biggest donors and counts Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves as members, has been trying to improve its culture for years after it was found to be “institutionally sexist” by an independent report in 2020.
A female member of the senior leadership team who was sacked for alleged racism is facing an employment claim for unfair dismissal, The Guardian has learned.
The senior staff member was sacked following an investigation in the months after she complained about bullying and harassment.
After her dismissal, she sent an email to the union’s entire central executive committee (CEC), saying she believed her dismissal was the result of revenge linked to her formal complaint against the general secretary and other senior male employees.
He also alleged malpractices in governance and called on the committee to take action against leaders who create a culture of fear and control.
The union then appealed to the high court and demanded the return of the 700 documents the woman had kept.
A second female member of the senior leadership team, who is still employed but is now ill, also emailed the CEC to report incidents of bullying and harassment involving union leadership.
He is understood to have told the committee that he could no longer ignore the unacceptable behavior of those in power, claiming that the union was rotten to the core and damaged by the actions of those at the top.
In response, GMB said the first employee was sacked for making racist comments and that this had nothing to do with unacknowledged complaints of bullying and harassment. He said the second staff member’s allegations were investigated and were not confirmed.
Smith faces a re-election challenge in May if he puts his name forward as general secretary again. It is believed to be facing at least one rival after expressions of interest were invited in the weeks before Christmas.
The ongoing turbulence at GMB follows years of efforts to address allegations of misogyny that led to the Karon Monaghan KC report. A follow-up to that report, conducted by Monaghan, found in late August this year that only 11 of around 27 recommendations were rated as fully implemented five years later, and there is still more work to do to change its culture, The Guardian understands.
A leaked summary of the report seen by the Guardian said that although improvements had been made, there were still real challenges at GMB.
Some female staff at GMB told the Guardian they felt the culture in the union was as bad as ever; But others said they were tired of the union being portrayed as a difficult place for women to work even though it offered great opportunities, and that it had changed with measures such as new anti-sexual harassment policies in the wake of the Monaghan report.
In a statement, GMB said the first staff member was “dismissed from our business due to a breakdown in trust and confidence, including matters arising from serious complaints about racism, and the complaints made against him by a number of staff are fully upheld.”
“Following the lawsuit filed in the high court, nearly 700 files were returned to GMB. [her]. [She] it had stored this data in breach of contract and, despite numerous requests for return, only did so when legal action was taken. GMB data has come back in relation to a number of people, including many junior staff, who bravely raised concerns about their behavior during their time working at the union.
It said all of its complaints were “dealt with appropriately, fully investigated and none were upheld” and that “GMB has zero tolerance for all forms of discrimination, including racism, and we act quickly on all matters where this issue is raised.”
A representative of Unite’s first staff said: “The response from the GMB union is one that we strongly object to. Our member was dismissed without any investigation or hearing. An investigation and hearing, as set out in Acas guidance, is the minimum we expect from any employer. The allegations have been thoroughly denied and are now the subject of an employment tribunal claim.”
Regarding the second member of staff, GMB said: “GMB does not comment on matters relating to individual employees and has a duty to ensure the welfare and confidentiality of staff. We can confirm that whistleblowing complaints raised by a senior member of staff were thoroughly investigated over a three-month period in accordance with GMB’s policies and procedures.”
“The investigation concluded that the allegations were not substantiated and there was no evidence of wrongdoing. GMB takes all complaints seriously and remains committed to sound governance and fair process.”
Regarding the Monaghan report, the GMB said it had established working groups to complete the remaining tasks. John Smith, president The GMB national negotiating committee (NNC) said: “Staff representatives are pleased to be working with GMB leadership to ensure the recommendations in the Monaghan report are completed. We expect this work to be completed in the near future.”
