4 2GM Saturday September 5 2020 | the times
News
A trade union official accused of serious
sexual misconduct was offered a lump
sum of £30,000 and helped to find
another job.
The police were called over the
alleged incident at a GMB event but did
not proceed with charges, sources
claim.
Sir Paul Kenny, the general secretary
between 2010 and 2015, intervened in
the case, telling human resources that
awarding the money and redeploying
the official would avoid the need for the
women who had complained to be
“cross-examined” in a process which
could “drag on for months, [and] create
huge amount of work and cost”.
The “completely inappropriate”
handling of the case was highlighted by
a QC-led inquiry into the culture at the
GMB, which concluded this week.
The Times has learnt that the man in
question was subsequently invited to a
GMB Christmas party. Sir Paul told The
Guardian that the alleged incident was
not as serious as described and the man
did not receive a pay-off.
A GMB spokesman said: “GMB fully
accepts Karon Monaghan QC’s report
and its findings, and we’re committed
to fundamental change. Union expend-
iture is regularly subject to both inter-
nal and external financial audits.”
Ms Monaghan’s investigation wasUnion offered payoff to official
suspected of sexual misconduct
prompted by the abrupt departure of
Tim Roache as the union’s general sec-
retary but evolved into a wider exami-
nation of working practices.
Former and current GMB employees
have since told The Times of the miso-
gyny and sexual harassment they faced
at the union. One woman said that she
received anonymous emails accusing
her of sleeping with her boss and calling
her “disgusting”, that resulted in her
being treated in hospital for stress.
Another woman who was a survivor
of sexual assault told Ms Monaghan’s
inquiry that when she took part in
sexual harassment training the men on
the course “treated [it] like it was some
great inconvenience, repeatedly play-
ing ‘devil’s advocate’ with the trainer,
making inappropriate comments and
dismissing the experiences of others”.
The GMB branch for MPs’ staff said
its members had been “shocked and
distressed” and “demoralised” by the
report.
The Labour Party has not comment-
ed. Individual GMB-affiliated MPs,
managers and the wider trade union
movement have welcomed the damn-ing report as the first step in tackling
sexism, harassment and bullying at the
organisation.
Several GMB sources have objected
that the inquiry will remain “incom-
plete” until a full investigation of allega-
tions against Mr Roache and senior
managers who may have been aware of
claims against him.
Mr Roache stepped down in April
due to ill health, shortly after union
management received an anonymous
letter accusing him of sexist and
aggressive behaviour towards female
staff. He has strenuously denied the
allegations and called them “defamato-
ry” and “distressing”.
The GMB is thought to be in the pro-
cess of determining whether it can pro-
ceed with a further investigation into
claims against Mr Roache and other
management staff, and into reports
that national office funds were spent
inappropriately.
“Unless the union makes a complete
admission of all the findings of investi-
gations triggered by the anonymous
complaint it may genuinely never re-
cover,” one GMB organiser said.Esther Webber
Sir Paul Kenny suggested the pay-off
to avoid a process that could “drag on”Vigilantes are trying to recruit boat
owners and former soldiers to turn
migrants back in the Channel, prompt-
ing fears of clashes at sea.
A group has formed a website to rally
anti-migrant sentiment and said that it
had sent two “covert patrols” into the
Channel at night to seek out and repel
migrant vessels.
The anonymous individuals behind
the website, who describe themselves
Vigilantes call for help to intercept migrant boats
as the “law-abiding silent majority”,
have called on others to join them,
especially former police officers and
military personnel. “We are covertly
sending targeted patrols out into the
Channel to engage and attempt to safe-
ly ward off undocumented illegal mi-
grants in boats coming to our shores
until the government finally act,” they
say. The Home Office said: “Members
of the public must not take direct action
against any individuals or groups.”
Far-right groups from across thecountry are converging on Dover today
to demonstrate against the arrival of
asylum seekers after a record number
for a single day last week. More than
5,500 migrants have arrived this year
and 416 landed along the Kent coast on
Wednesday.
Nigel Marcham, who calls himself the
Little Veteran, said today’s protests were
the result of the “biggest call-out to
patriots since the Second World War”.
Some activists said that they would
blockade the port using cars and boats.A counter-protest is also planned. Joe
Mulhall, of Hope Not Hate, the anti-
fascist group, said: “Organisation of the
event has been poor and it is unlikely to
attract large numbers. However, it is
possible that violent flashpoints will
occur.”
In recent weeks asylum seekers have
been intimidated by anti-migrant
groups who appear at hotels where they
are housed by the government. Two
weeks ago a migrant was assaulted in
Kent while another person filmed.Tom Ball
Steering group A 1904 Fiat 24/32 open tourer at Hampton Court Palace for the Concours of Elegance, where 60 of the world’s rarest cars are on display this weekend
Ponzi trader owns up
A foreign exchange trader has
admitted stealing £20.5 million in
a decade-long Ponzi scheme.
Joseph Lewis, 65, inflated the
performance of investments to
encourage his clients to put more
money in, sometimes life savings.
The cash went to his account,
Southwark crown court was told.
He admitted 19 charges of fraud
and will be sentenced next month.Rare giant fish found
A rare giant fish has washed up
dead on Chichester Harbour in
West Sussex. The 180kg (28st)
two-metre long fish was
identified as an Atlantic bluefin
tuna, which can reach up to four
metres long and weigh more than
600kg. The giant tuna is a
delicacy in Japan and one that
weighed 278kg sold at a record
£2.5 million at auction in January.Thief goes on the run
A collection of limited-edition
trainers that are said to be worth
£10,000 have been stolen from a
former England basketball player.
It took Mike Martin, 46, a 6ft 6in
forward who won bronze at the
Commonwealth Games in 2006,
20 years to amass the 52 pairs of
Jordan Nike shoes. They were
stolen a week ago from a van in
Leigh-on-Sea, Essex.Space is mind warping
Space travel changes brains, a
study of cosmonauts’ brains has
shown. Zero-gravity flight
increases grey matter in the
cerebrum, which controls
intelligence, and reduces neurons
in the ventricles, which deal with
communication. The University
of Antwerp reported in Science
Advances that most changes
reversed back on Earth.Ex-minister on Strictly
The former home secretary
Jacqui Smith, 57, said she was
“speechless with excitement”
about appearing on Strictly Come
Dancing next month, adding that
this was “something that’s very
rare for me”. She joins the actress
Caroline Quentin, the comedian
Bill Bailey and Nicola Adams, the
boxer who will be in the show’s
first same-sex pairing. Ms Smith
left Gordon Brown’s cabinet in
2009 after it emerged that adult
films watched by her husband
had been charged to the taxpayer.A A A A C C C D
D D D E E E E H
H H I N N N O O
O R R R R T T U
Solve all five clues using each
letter underneath once only1 Like llamas and chinchillas, eg ( 6 )
2 Place of worship ( 6 )
3 Rhetorician ( 6 )
4 Redacted ( 6 )
5 Firmly planted ( 8 )
Quintagram® No 787
Solutions See page 83
Times Quintagrams: Book 2 out nowOLIVER DIXON