UCATT: Another unlawful election.

Press Statement - Press Statement 10/07/12

UCATT: Another unlawful election.

Construction Union guilty of ballot rigging again!

                                                                   

The construction workers union UCATT has again suffered another humiliation, when the Government watchdog, the Certification Office, ruled that their 2011 General Secretary elections was illegal, this is the second election declared illegal in recent years.  This recent setback comes only days after UCATT were ordered to pay an ex-employee £390,000 plus tax and national insurance after an expensive legal battle with the former union official David Short who claimed unfair dismissal and disability discrimination.

The recent certification officers ruling was released on Monday 9 July 2012 and held that the union had acted illegally against its own rules when they barred Michael Dooley from being a candidate in the 2011 General Secretary election. This election was called after Dooley challenged the 2009 General Secretary election in which he was a candidate, that election was declared illegal in March 2010.

Michael Dooley was a popular full time union official in London who was dismissed from his job for fraud in January 2010, following his legal challenge to the 2009 election. An Employment Tribunal found he was unfairly dismissed. He was later expelled from the union for swearing in front of comedian and ex trade unionist Ricky Tomlinson’s image on a banner.

His dismissal was the reason given by UCATT to stop him from standing in the election; the election went ahead with the two favoured candidates ex General Secretary Alan Ritchie who received more nominations than all three candidates and Michael Dooley the favourite to win being disbarred.

Alan Ritchie was disbarred because he was subject to an investigation into financial misappropriation when he was General Secretary; Ritchie denied the charge but subsequently resigned from the union and his job.

Dooley said ” UCATT has been found guilty of ballot rigging, it is my belief that there is still financial mismanagement to be accounted for and I would have exposed that had I been elected as General Secretary” Unions are not gravy trains and should be accountable and act in accordance with the law”        

                                                                                                                                                                           UCATT claim to have 120,000 members and contribute to the Labour Party and the TUC on the members who affiliate, however Dooley believes that the real number could be less than 50,000 paying members and the rest are there to justify the existence of a large number of well-paid officials and the contributions to the Labour Party.
For full background Google:

Construction Enquirer UCATT  shttp://www.constructionenquirer.com/2012/06/29/former-ucatt-official-wins-390000-payout-from-union/  & http://www.certoffice.org/  Dooley v UCATT

Contact Michael Dooley on Tel: 07960032101

Or by email michael-dooley@hotmail.co.uk                                           

UCATT  Press Office Barckley Sumner  mobile; 07802329235: 020 7622 2442