Being Two Places At One Time
One of the new intake of Tory MPs - Priti Patel - has been having some fun by exposing the antics of some in the trade unions.
The Daily Telegraph reported the other day that Priti Patel - who entered the House of Commons in May - used an alias to e-mail a number of senior union officials.
Ms Patel set up a bogus email account and contacted the officials - asking them whether it was possible to attend demonstrations on 'facility time' - i.e. the paid time off that union reps are allowed to conduct official union business.
One union official advised she could be “economical with the truth about your use of the time - you may be able to claim facilities time”.
While another suggested she could “pop it down as a union meeting - and be creative about how you spend your union time”.
Ms Patel told the newspaper: “The hard working law abiding majority will be disgusted to see trade union officials suggesting ways that their members can fiddle the system and act dishonestly to get time off".
"It is unacceptable for taxpayers to be left footing the bill for trade unions' political campaigning and union members abusing the system in this way should be regarded with the same disdain as crooks, fraudsters and benefit cheats."
A bit of a wake up call for the trade unions - if you ask me.
Just like South Lanarkshire Council - the unions need to get better at spotting bogus e-mails - though to be fair at least they didn't get conned out of £100,000.
The Daily Telegraph reported the other day that Priti Patel - who entered the House of Commons in May - used an alias to e-mail a number of senior union officials.
Ms Patel set up a bogus email account and contacted the officials - asking them whether it was possible to attend demonstrations on 'facility time' - i.e. the paid time off that union reps are allowed to conduct official union business.
One union official advised she could be “economical with the truth about your use of the time - you may be able to claim facilities time”.
While another suggested she could “pop it down as a union meeting - and be creative about how you spend your union time”.
Ms Patel told the newspaper: “The hard working law abiding majority will be disgusted to see trade union officials suggesting ways that their members can fiddle the system and act dishonestly to get time off".
"It is unacceptable for taxpayers to be left footing the bill for trade unions' political campaigning and union members abusing the system in this way should be regarded with the same disdain as crooks, fraudsters and benefit cheats."
A bit of a wake up call for the trade unions - if you ask me.
Just like South Lanarkshire Council - the unions need to get better at spotting bogus e-mails - though to be fair at least they didn't get conned out of £100,000.
