Golden Goodbyes
Funny how the subject is never brought up elsewhere in the news - or in the House of Commons - where Labour MPs queue up to denounce greedy bankers.
Unite's 'defence' of this extraordinary payment - is both ridiculous and insulting to ordinary members.
More than a year after the row erupted - no one seems willing to explain who authorised over £500,000 of the members' money to be paid to one individual - and why.
TUC News
Thousands of members of Unite, Briotain's biggest union, are annoyed at its lawyers' decision to drop attampts to recover £361,347 paid to former joint-general secretary Derek Simpson as part of a controversial 'severance payment'.
Simpson left the union last year, pocketing a total farewell package off £519,659 (Eyes 1295 & 1296). With m'learned friends claiming the case was too 'finely balanced' to justify further action, irate members are none the wiser about how simpson was able topocket such a huge 'severance' payment when he had voluntarily resigned.
The union is sticking to the line that the payment was properly authorised in March 2008 by a meeting of the Amicus section of the general and purposes finance committee, chaired by one Steve Davidson. A promised affidavit by Davidson to that effect has yet to be produced.
Should it fail to appear, along with the record showing which union officer authorised the payment and when it left the union's bank account, disgruntled members are preparing to take their case to court and lodge a complaint with the trade union certification officer.
If such a complaint is upheld, the union's trustees - one of whom is Len McCluskey - could face removal from office - and Simpson could yet be forced to pay the money back."
