Union Fat Cats
Unite members will be shocked to learn that their hard earned union contributons were used - to fund a £500,000 'golden goodbye' payment to former general secretary - Derek Simpson.
Simpson - a controversial character - received the severance package when he stepped down as Unite boss last year.
In one of the most lame statements of recent times the new boss of Unite - Len McCluskey - said that the payment was 'inappropriate' - and that it was made by a regime with 'lower standards of transparency and probity'.
Well that takes the biscuit for complacency.
Because presumably Derek Simpson was not able just to write a cheque to himself for over £500,000 - surely some committee of the union (unions are obsessed with committees) must have known about and approved the payment.
In which case what exactly was it for - how was it calculated - and who gave the green light to proceed?
Now if this were News International or News of the World - Labour MPs in particular would be jumping about and down - displaying their outrage and contempt - demanding straight answers to straight questions.
So you would think that one or two - especially those with links to Unite - would be standing up for the interests of ordinary union members.
Not so far.
Simpson - a controversial character - received the severance package when he stepped down as Unite boss last year.
In one of the most lame statements of recent times the new boss of Unite - Len McCluskey - said that the payment was 'inappropriate' - and that it was made by a regime with 'lower standards of transparency and probity'.
Well that takes the biscuit for complacency.
Because presumably Derek Simpson was not able just to write a cheque to himself for over £500,000 - surely some committee of the union (unions are obsessed with committees) must have known about and approved the payment.
In which case what exactly was it for - how was it calculated - and who gave the green light to proceed?
Now if this were News International or News of the World - Labour MPs in particular would be jumping about and down - displaying their outrage and contempt - demanding straight answers to straight questions.
So you would think that one or two - especially those with links to Unite - would be standing up for the interests of ordinary union members.
Not so far.
