Jerry Hicks

Please can I take this opportunity to convey a massive thank you to all those who contributed in our campaign and produced a result that the media and political parties said was not possible. To our great credit we always believed and knew otherwise.


Len McCluskey 101,194 votes 42%
Jerry Hicks 52,527 votes 22%
Les Bayliss 46,786 votes 19%
Gail Cartmail 39,363 votes 16%

Disappointed? For sure. A magnificent achievement? Absolutely.

Our message was vastly different to any of the other candidates as were the resources! So finishing second and, in doing so, beating not one but two Assistant General Secretaries was incredible. It proved that we were right when we, and only we, said it was a two horse race and that we actually could have won.
However we did not win, but it is up to us now to decide what, if anything, we wish to do next in order to give a voice to the hundreds of branches and workplaces that nominated us and the 52,527 people who voted for us.

So please give these matters some thought and let me know by e-mailing jerryhicks4gs2010@yahoo.co.uk.

Returning to my opening statement, not to score a point but to make a very important point. All those in the media who had no idea of what our members were thinking portrayed the election as McCluskey versus Bayliss. They got it very wrong.

Worse still, those political parties and the many blog sites who so readily peddled the myth of Bayliss being the real threat and only he or McCluskey could win, were also wrong. But they should have known better [perhaps they did?] and that makes theirs a bigger crime and a matter they must address themselves [rather than invent/concoct excuses after the event].

At all times but especially in times of savage cuts correct judgement is crucial. As no one will ever take a banking boss seriously or listen to their advice, why would we ever pay any attention to those that got this election and the possibilities so very wrong?

Calling for 'Election of all officials', 'confronting the anti union laws' and 'a General Secretary on an average wage' struck a cord with 52,527 members and masses of people, employed, unemployed, in our union and those not, students and pensioners. They haven't heard the last of us yet! Neither has National Express coaches seen the last of us.

Coming to a spare room near you soon, keep on keeping on and expect the unexpected.

Many thanks and massive respect to everyone,

Jerry.

RESULTS
1. Len McCluskey, 101,000 votes (42%)
2. Jerry Hicks, 53,000 votes (22%)
3. Les Bayliss, 47,000 votes (19%)
4. Gail Cartmail, 39,000 votes (16%)

Here is an article published in the Scunthorpe Telegraph on 11 November 2010:

The man bidding to become the leader of Unite, Britain's biggest trade union, has pledged if he is elected his annual salary will match that of the average pay for a skilled member on the Scunthorpe Tata Steel works.

Jerry Hicks, 51, told supporters in Scunthorpe yesterday: "I would be well happy and satisfied to receive an average salary of £26,500 and pay my own pension contributions as well.

"I think that gesture would send out a massive message to the 1.7 million members of Unite in Britain.

"For me the job as the national general secretary of the union would be an immense honour and for that I would be happy to make sacrifices. Pay does not come into it."

Running simultaneously and arguably as crucial as the election for Unite’s General Secretary itself is the BA dispute and a proposal to ‘settle’ it. 12 months ago British Airways cabin crew on an 80% turn out, voted by a brilliant 92% to take strike action to defend their hard won terms and conditions. The dispute started as a result of the imposition and erosion of ‘Terms and Conditions’ but has been diverted by British Airways and is now being defined by staff travel and the disciplinary process. But with scores of cabin crew suspended and a dozen sacked, the proposed ‘deal’ is already unravelling.

In a dramatic twist, the Unite Amicus Section Committee has issued a statement rejecting the latest offer from British Airways. They point out they are not in opposition to BASSA but consider the offer to be unacceptable. British Airways have also carefully timed these events and continue to dominate the time line in order to delay and manipulate the impact of any ballot for further industrial action by a rejection of the current offer, which effectively is a rehash of a twice rejected previous document. Any additions to the document lack genuine and authentic commitment, and are cleverly worded to primarily benefit British Airways.