Former official withdraws claim

Gerard Coyne, formerly the West Midlands regional secretary of the Unite general union, has withdrawn his claim of unfair dismissal against the union. An employment tribunal rejected the claim in June, and he has now withdrawn from further proceedings.


Coyne, who ran in last year’s general secretary election but lost out to Len McCluskey, was sacked after the result was announced amid allegations that he misused union data during the ballot.


He subsequently not only took the unfair dismissal case but also made a series of complaints to the certification officer about the union’s conduct in relation to the election, all of which were finally dismissed in October. 


Unite assistant general secretary for legal affairs Howard Beckett said: “We welcome the withdrawal of Mr Coyne’s case against Unite. This now concludes the litany of challenges Mr Coyne has brought against the union.” 


But he added: “We remain, however, deeply concerned as to some of the matters that have come to light in the course of all these proceedings, indicating substantial external interference in the affairs of our union and the possible breach of data protection legislation. We shall be pursuing these matters vigorously with the appropriate authorities.”

https://unitetheunion.org/news-events/news/2018/november/unite-statement-on-collapse-of-gerard-coynes-case-against-the-union