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Dawn raids on Unison branch offices

Fight the cuts, not union members Onay Kasab (Kaz), Greenwich Unison branch secretary, was told to “disappear sharpish” by Unison bureaucrat Dan Pappiett. That is just part of the shameful scene I witnessed last Friday at 7.50am as I shook with anger. This was without doubt an attack on every one of the 3,500 members in Greenwich.
byArchive
March 12, 2010
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Six Unison ‘political police officers’ marched into the branch office, thinking Kaz would be alone. He wasn’t. They did this with the aid of Greenwich council head of human resources Sean Rafferty, which tells a story in itself of collusion between management and the union at regional level.

It was the most disgraceful incident that I have witnessed in my entire working life. And, when members got home from work there was what can only be called an open insult waiting for them. A letter from the witch-hunter general herself, Linda Perks informed them how she was going to “improve” the branch that Kaz and the other branch officers have built over the last 13 years.

For the last three days I have hardly been off the phone trying to explain to outraged members how unelected officers from their own union can throw out the branch leadership elected by members. Tom, a worker on grounds maintenance said: “I didn’t elect Linda Perks. I elected Kaz. As far as I’m concerned Kaz is still my branch secretary”.

If we are to withstand the attacks on our jobs, pay and conditions after the general election it is vital that we reclaim our union from these self-serving bureaucrats. Our best working class fighters, Kaz, Glenn, Brian and Suzanne, must be reinstated to their rightful democratically-elected posts.

FIGHTFOR DEMOCRACY WITHIN UNISON – VOTE ROGER BANISTER

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