It’s an open secret that Grady's devotees make extensive use of sock puppet & troll accounts, but good to see it confirmed by a major protagonist.
It looks like @ucunotes.bsky.social has more emerging evidence of the unprofessional disdain the current UCU leadership has for its members.
PS. Rumour has it Grady’s boyfriend is also heading (officially) onto her payroll. All aboard the UCU gravy train. Toot toot.
#Re-electGS (again) begins today.
So now the bullying will continue, the party machine will keep churning away using UCU money with impunity to protect Grady’s £150+k salary and the near £100k of each of her senior cronies, all while the sectors burn, members run and the national union does.… what exactly?
This is also likely exactly why the anonymous whistleblowers weren’t willing to risk having their heads blown off, and demonstrates the rotten vindictiveness that’s standard fare at the heart of UCU: don’t dare undermine Grady because she will, absolutely, use any & all UCU resources to destroy you.
Now, predictably, in a move entirely consistent with how she abused UCU comms channels during her re-crowning, Grady has blown her dog whistle, and her apologists and sycophants are out in force yapping by her side to help demonise two individuals within their rights to make legitimate complaints.
Screenshot of a WhatsApp chat where, apparently, Jo Grady setting out to her SMT that the union's priority is to 're-elect' her doesn’t count. I guess those other priorities about winning disputes and getting rid of the SWP therefore don’t count either.
As expected.
An expensive barrister & bare-faced lies meets a certification officer for whom workplace toxicity & the damage it causes is obviously an alien concept. May he never be asked to face his bullies.
Member money well-looted by UCU managers needing £000s to defend themselves.
#Re-electGS
Screenshot from a UCU WhatsApp chat of Greg Barnett & Chris Webb from CWU discussing 'taking out' UCU Left
Screenshot from a UCU SMT WhatsApp chat where Chris Webb from CWU describes how UCU has 'lanced a boil' and that 'we' must robustly keep to the plan and turn the whole union against 'them', ie UCU Left.
Screenshot from a UCU SMT WhatsApp chat where Jo Grady responds to Chris Webb from CWU saying 'we' need to turn up the heat (on UCU Left) ahead of upcoming elections
Screenshot from a UCU WhatsApp chat where a (former) SMT member responds to Chris Webb from CWU who said that 'exposing' the 'fucking crazy people' (UCU Left, again) can 'only help at election time'
It seems UCU’s senior management are flailing again, ramping up their desperate conspiracy that Unite is colluding in an 'attack' on a sister union 'and its democratically elected leadership'.
Glass houses and all that….
There’s a lot more that could be picked over, such as how complaints about the GS go to the president, so ensuring a ‘sympathetic’ president is important.
But, for now:
www.ucu.org.uk/media/15531/...
www.ucu.org.uk/media/14008/...
www.ucu.org.uk/article/1358...
www.ucu.org.uk/article/1358...
So next time a management bureaucrat spouts drivel as to why you can’t discuss in its democratic forums how UCU is run, but can’t name the rule that forbids it (beyond 'you'll upset any scabs in the room'), think about UCU's actual rules, and ask how the GS is held accountable beyond, say, Rule 13.
Finally, the GS has: overall responsibility for the general administration of UCU in accordance with policies agreed by Congress & the NEC.
So the Congress policies which told the GS to resolve the Unite dispute? The ones it was declared weren't in order?
If not Congress or NEC, then who?
On that last see also rule 6.1: All members [of which the GS must be one] and student members have an obligation to abide by the Rules of the University and College Union, and shall refrain from conduct detrimental to the interests of the Union
Who was it who said rules are meant to be broken?
Statement from the guy Jo Grady libelled about the outcome of his court case and how she agreed to pay huge amounts in damages. (FYI for those reading - apparently she repeated libellous comments internally after paying damages.)
The GS is also: to proactively represent UCU to external audiences nationally and internationally & to facilitate a positive image for UCU.
One of my favourites, because remember when the current GS libelled someone on Twitter & had to cough up huge amounts in damages? Very positive.
The GS has: overall responsibility for the effective management & development of UCU staff in accordance with UCU’s employment policies & procedures.
Including TU victimisation?
And (don’t laugh) the GS has: overall responsibility for negotiations with UCU’s staff union(s).
'Responsibility'
The GS has: overall responsibility for ensuring UCU develops and implements best employment practices.
No comment.
As well as: overall responsibility for the efficient and effective allocation of UCU staff to enable UCU’s strategic and operational aims and objectives to be met.
Back to rule 2.1.
The GS must: ensure UCU meets its statutory & legal obligations & operates within trade union law, employment law, H&S law, financial regs, data protection & UCU Rules & take such measures as are necessary to protect members’ interests & UCU resources in the event UCU breaches such obligations.
🤨
The GS is also meant to: develop management and organisational structures and processes that enable UCU to deliver its strategic aims and objectives.
Remember rules 2.1 and 29.2 and how management's actions in their ongoing attack on their staff union are now directly undermining UCU members?
The UCU code of conduct now wielded to silence members says “questions on the day-to-day running of UCU must be channeled through the General Secretary”.
OK. What does the GS job description say?
1. To undertake the duties & responsibilities specified by the Rules of UCU.
The rules quoted above?
Then there's rule 2.4. Aim: To promote equality for all including through ..… the Union's own employment practices.
What ever happened to the investigation that had been agreed into UCU's institutional racism? Was this another in a long line of hollow commitments?
How about rule 2.1? Aims: To protect & promote the professional interests of members individually & collectively, to regulate the conditions of their employment & the relations between them & their employers, & to safeguard their interests.
How does SMT's overt union-busting safeguard UCU members?
Rule 29.2 definitely jumps out: Employees shall be engaged under conditions of employment agreed by the National Executive Committee.
🤔
Did NEC agree to break Unite's recognition agreement? To impose a return to offices? To deduct for ASOS? To victimise a rep? To allow high workplace stress?
What with UCU's desperate effort to silence striking staff and prevent its own members from asking about the victimisation of Unite’s H&S rep - including, I hear, telling staff to grass on any UCU member who breaks the ‘rules’ - I thought I'd take a closer look at what UCU rules really say.
🧵
An ‘embarrassing event’ doesn’t even begin to describe recent UCU history.
Jo Grady’s first election manifesto where she says she wants the GS to be more accountable to members
Staff aren’t allowed to say they’re on strike.
UCU members aren’t allowed to mention it to strike-breaking staff.
Regional committees can’t talk about it.
The NEC can’t talk about it.
Congress can talk about it but motions are declared out of order.
Is this the accountability Jo was meaning?
Your starter for 10: as well as shutting down the regional meeting, what other role does this particular regional official have in this whole distasteful saga?
No “trade unionist” should ever cross a picket line. But there’s a special place in trade union hell reserved for union managers who intimidate or encourage staff into doing so in order to protect the vindictive bullies in their midst. They actively sow deep and damaging division. Beyond shameful.
Just SMT claiming ownership of UCU’s website
So called trade unionists encouraging strike breaking.
I’ve just been reading a copy of the latest email sent to UCU staff by SMT (ie, unelected Greg). There’s a lot to unpick, but referring to the website as if it’s SMT’s personal property is revealing.
Trade union victimisation is notoriously hard to prove. Unite wouldn’t back Marie without clear evidence.
So is SMT blindly backing a vindictive manager? Why? Greg Barnett is the manager’s line manager - what’s his role in this?
Shit behaviour and toxic ‘leadership’ any way you look at it.
Also, not being funny, but where the fuck are @unitetheunion.bsky.social and @unitesharon.bsky.social?
Have I missed the vocal support for their members at UCU facing ongoing blatant attacks? Does being part of the trade union GS clique mean turning a blind eye to the shit employers in your ranks?
UCU management are destroying the union under cover of branches too busy fighting against sector meltdown. It’s about time those NEC members and UCU branches horrified at what’s being done in their name demanded accountability.
Oh, and maybe take a closer look at the accounts while you’re at it.