Amicus

Large engineering and general union

Defend the Amicus Three!

By an Amicus member Some 30 Amicus members lobbied the March meeting of the Amicus National Executive Council (NEC) in protest at the previous week’s sacking of three Amicus employees: Des Heemskerk, Jimmy Warne and Cathie Willis. The three had been suspended from their jobs in Amicus in mid-September of last year. All three are leading members of the ‘Amicus Unity Gazette’, the broad left grouping in Amicus (although it is becoming ever less broad, and ever less left as time goes by – see below). Des Heemskerk is a former Deputy Convenor at Fords. At the request of Amicus General Secretary...

Amicus - Purge shows up dangers with merger

By an AMICUS member While the TGWU has started a process of consultation on the creation of a new super union, developments in the other two unions (AMICUS and GMB) could well undermine the project. AMICUS is in the middle of a major witch hunt that threatens its already weak democracy. Three officials of the union have been issued with dismissal notices. Des Heemskerk, Jimmy Warne and Cathy Willis. The charges are unclear, but it appears they are accused of being involved in a “plot” to oust General Secretary Derek Simpson. The bitter irony is, all three played an important role in helping to...

Cut regions’ power

By an AMICUS member A CONSULTATION document has been issued to TGWU branch secretaries on the proposed TGWU/Amicus/GMB merger. The document describes those structures that the three unions have in common and puts them forward as the basis for merger. The idea is for a merger on the basis of minimal disruption to the bureaucratic status quo (bar the inevitable jockeying for position and scramble for early retirement deals that will follow amalgamation). At the centre of the proposed new structure stands the power of the regions. The regions are defined as providing for “effective lay member...

Fair pay for all

Workers for ipsl, a financial services company based in Bootle are threatening strike action. The dispute is about divisive treatment on redundancy terms and pensions enhancements and the introduction of new productivity targets. There is due to be job losses in the future and there are differential terms for ex Alliance and Leicester and HSBC staff. The disputed terms are part of an overall package on pay that was rejected in a consultative ballot (run by the unions but demanded by the management) by 483 to 3. The unions concerned, CWU, PCS and AMICUS expect 24 hour stoppages in the coming...

Merger could atomise members

by stan crooke The approach of the AWL, and its predecessors, to union mergers has not always been one of support. There have been instances when we have opposed mergers on the grounds that it would represent a step backwards for the members of the unions concerned (e.g. the adoption of a more right-wing rule book than that which existed previously in one or more of the unions taking part in the merger). Having a general principle in favour of mergers, which seems to me to be fair enough, does not entail support for any and every proposed union merger. Although, admittedly, this is written...

Towards a super-union?

The proposed creation of a giant new union, made up of the TGWU, Amicus and (probably) the GMB has caused excitement and misgivings within the trade union movement. Solidarity has been debating the pros and cons of the merger which may take place as early as next year. Here we print discussion articles about the development — two by Tom Haslam, broadly in favour the merger, and by Stan Crooke which opposes the move. The rights and wrongs of mergers by tom Haslam “The fact that the workers in a single undertaking are divided amongst several unions weakens them in their struggle… the...

A case for opposing the TGWU-GMB-Amicus merger

By Stan Crooke At the Amicus-TGWU-GMB caucus at the recent AWL trade union school I was asked to write something re. why we should oppose the possible/likely merger of these three unions. INTRODUCTION: The approach of the AWL, and its predecessors, to union mergers has not always been one of support. There have been instances when we have opposed mergers on the grounds that it would represent a step backwards for the members of the unions concerned (e.g. the adoption of a more right-wing rule book than that which existed previously in one or more of the unions taking part in the merger)...

Defeat For Jerry Hicks

By Dale Street The campaign for the reinstatement of victimised Bristol Rolls Royce convenor Jerry Hicks has ended — in defeat. Jerry had worked for Rolls Royce in Bristol for 30 years. He had been an elected steward for 20 years, and elected convenor for the Test area of the Bristol Patchway plant for the past 15 years. For the last three years he had been the deputy chair of the Bristol Confederated Site Committee. On 20 July he was sacked, charged with organising unofficial strike action to defend two of his members from dismissal, and that he had sought to influence the outcome of...

Amicus scandal: “Baylissgate”

By an Amicus Member Under the heading “World Exclusive!” the ‘alternative’ Amicus website amicus.cc carried an article towards the end of August entitled “Baylissgate”. Bayliss is Assistant General Secretary in Amicus. The article was a commentary on the contents of five internal union documents – which had been leaked to the website and were attached to the article – covering the relationship between Bayliss and a dodgy businessman referred to as Mr. X. Bayliss had responsibility for the union’s charity fund. In the course of three years the fund donated a quarter of a million pounds to a...

Jerry Hicks campaign defeat

The campaign for the re-instatement of victimised Bristol Rolls Royce convenor Jerry Hicks has ended – in defeat. Jerry had worked for Rolls Royce in Bristol for 30 years. He had been an elected steward for 20 years, and elected convenor for the Test area of the Bristol Patchway plant for the past 15 years. For the last three years he had been the deputy chair of the Bristol Confederated Site Committee. On 20 July he was sacked. The charges against him were that he had organised unofficial strike action to defend two of his members from dismissal, and that he had sought to influence the...

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