Lyons tease found out

Roland Rance, Amicus-MSF Central London Branch, examines a case of extreme longevity

Bun-loving Roger Lyons, general secretary of Amicus-MSF, is often described as Downing Street’s favourite union leader. New Labour is such a fan that the Lord Chancellor is reported to have rejected a list of candidates for the employment appeals tribunal until Lyons name was included. If true, this story is evidence of a hitherto unsuspected sense of humour and irony at the heart of the Project. This, after all, is the same Roger Lyons whose union was recently ruled by an Employment Tribunal to be “abusing the tribunal process” and to be guilty of “unreasonable behaviour . . . designed to incur expense and to lengthen the proceedings” and of “stringing out for as long as possible the proceedings in the hope that they would go away”.

These remarkable findings came at the conclusion of the successful case brought against the union by expelled activist David Beaumont. David, formerly London region treasurer of MSF, was expelled because of his website LyonsWeb www.rogerlyons.com, which exposes corruption and malpractice in the union. The tribunal found that David had been “unjustifiably disciplined”, and ordered MSF, which did not contest the case, to pay David’s full costs of £1,381.40 (5525 buns). Despite the findings, MSF is refusing to pay these costs, and David is now likely to apply to an employment appeals tribunal for compensation.

This is not the first time that MSF, under Lyons’ leadership, has been found at fault in an employment tribunal. Lyons’ former secretary won £100,000 compensation from a tribunal after MSF, which prides itself as “the whistle-blowers’ union”, hilariously argued that it was unaware that its own employees had the same right as others to expose their bosses’ misdeeds. Several other employees have left in obscure circumstances, receiving payoffs of hundreds of thousands of pounds in return for their silence on the shenanigans within the union.

At the same time, several members of the union have brought successful cases before the Trade Union Certification Officer following unconstitutional and illegal disciplinary action. Two shop stewards at Bombardier Shorts in Belfast, suspended from union positions following complaints by the company, won a ruling that they were denied natural justice and that they should be reinstated. In the interim, however, they had lost their jobs, and have still not been reinstated. London NEC member Sue Michie has won a number of cases regarding her suspension from elected office, and has still not been allowed to take her seat. Other members have won similar cases, or are waiting for hearings.

So it was with real dismay that MSF members recently learned that the union’s NEC had consented to Lyons’ withdrawal of his previous agreement to retire next year, and to permit him to remain in office until 2007. This decision, which is clearly designed to hinder the work of new Amicus-AEEU general secretary Derek Simpson, will mean that long-suffering MSF members will go ten years without being able to vote for their leader. The cost to members will be at least £352,000 in extra salary, in addition to expenses, chauffeur and other costs.

Meanwhile, under the Buggins’ turn arrangements, Roger Lyons is due to be next year’s TUC president. At a time when the labour movement needs a strong and independent leadership, we are likely to get a lickspittle laughing-stock. Let’s hope that Congress House has counted the teaspoons and locked away the buns.

As a result of continuing witch-hunts in the union, Roland Rance is currently Acting Chair of MSF Central London branch.

Labour Left Briefing December 2002

Back to www.lyonsweb.org.uk