11th April 2003

Senior Officials Guilty in Election Rigging Scandal

The Trade Union Certification Officer (CO) has upheld two complaints against the leadership of amicus-MSF. The complaints, brought by David Beaumont, supported by Jane Stewart and Jake Hoban, related to the Women's seat National Executive Committee (NEC) Election in May 2001. Previously Ms Stewart and Mr Beaumont had both pursued these complaints through the union's own internal procedures and had them summarily dismissed by Roger Lyons.

The CO ruled that two senior full time officers of the union, Paul Matz and Alex McKenna (who is assistant to Spare General Secretary Lyons), broke the rules of the union in campaigning for Leonie Cooper using union resources.

The ruling right-wing of amicus MSF have a history of blatant election rigging, including allegations of bogus branches being found to have nominated their preferred candidates. It is hoped this ruling will be a shot across their bows in the forthcoming NEC elections.

In another part of the decision which has important implications for www.amicus.cc, the CO rejected two complaints that Ms Cooper's web site www.leoniecooper.com, circulated with the ballot paper, constituted a breach of rule. Apparently a web site is not 'circulation of material' and is therefore OK in an election. Amicus.cc has begun planning full coverage of the forthcoming amicus NEC elections using a star rating system for candidates.

The CO did record the following on Ms Cooper's web site :

"The Union did not dispute that Ms Cooper’s website was created on 21 March 2001, that it had been registered by William Martin Productions, the same organisation which had designed the Union’s website, that it was hosted by Community Internet plc, the same organisation which hosts the Union internet site, that it shared the same physical internet server as the Union and that it shared substantially the same header source code as the Union’s website"

and (our italics)

"I do not consider it probable that Ms Cooper came upon these internet providers by chance"

The two complaints upheld were

"That in the May 2001 NEC Elections, National Womens’ By-Election, the Union allowed the use of its finances and resources to Mr Paul Matz to produce a glossy brochure containing textual and photographic promotion material relating to Ms Leonie Cooper that was circulated to the membership in breach of its Rule 30 and Appendix C ( Regulations for the Administration of Rule)."

"In the May 2001 NEC Elections, National Womens’ By-Election, the Union allowed the use of its resources and finance to facilitate the circulation to the membership of a document from Mr Alex McKenna promoting Ms Leonie Cooper , in breach of its Rule 30 and Appendix C (Regulations for the Administration of Rule)."

The Certification Officer's declarations were as follows:

"I make a declaration that the branch newsletter edited and published by Mr Paul Matz in 2001 which gave notification of that branch’s nomination of Ms Cooper in the NEC By- Election constituted a breach of Rule 30 and the Regulations on canvassing contained in Appendix C of the rules of MSF."

"I make a declaration that the letter dated April 2001 from Mr McKenna to all members of Metropolitan Branch (0755) which gave notification of that branch’s nomination of Ms Cooper in the NEC By-Election constituted a breach of Rule 30 and the Regulations on canvassing contained in Appendix C of the rules of MSF."

Alex McKenna was present throughout the CO hearing but the union chose not to call him to give evidence.

[www.leoniecooper.com] We have kept a back-up of the offending web site
[Alex McKenna] His illegal letter
[Paul Matz] His illegal brochure
[LYONSweb] The original complaint
[Certification Office] Read the full ruling

Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 11th April 2003