Supporters of Len McCluskey, the head of Unite, have condemned a rival for his job for apparently leaking a report which alleges widespread sexism within the union toward female officers.

Ian Allinson, the grassroots socialist candidate challenger for the role of Unite general secretary, has a link from his website to the report, which claims that more than half the female officers in the union say they have been bullied or sexually harassed by fellow officials or members.

More than half of Unite's female officers bullied or harassed, study finds Read more

The report, whose findings were analysed by the Guardian in October, also concluded that a quarter of employed female officers believe allegations of bullying were not handled well by the union when they were reported.



The 39-page internal report concerns the working lives of the union’s 74 female officers – who support union members and elected stewards on shop floors and in offices. It was commissioned by Unite’s officers national committee in February and presented to senior management in May.



McCluskey, 66 – whose resignation as head of Unite takes effect from 28 April after elections for the post – has been criticised by Allinson and another candidate, Gerard Coyne, for suppressing internal problems within the union, a claim which has been denied. Allinson wrote on Thursday that he had published the report because the union had refused to do so and because sexism could not be tackled behind closed doors.

“While Unite’s leadership claims that it is implementing the specific recommendations of the report, there is no way these issues can be effectively tackled behind closed doors. How can we win an argument with members and activists about challenging aggressive and sexist behaviour from members without talking about the problem, its scale and its impact?” Allison wrote.

Len McCluskey supporters plan slate of candidates for Unite Read more

McCluskey’s re-election campaign has responded by linking from his own site to an article signed by women condemning the release. “We are appalled that this report has been misrepresented and used as a political football by candidates in the election for the post of Unite general secretary,” the letter says.

Responding to the leak, Gerard Coyne, thought to be McCluskey’s main leadership rival, said the report should not have been put in to the public domain. “This report was commissioned by the committee that represents Unite officers in their negotiations with their employer, the union. It was a very serious report, for internal use, which should not have been misused in this way,” he said.



The report, entitled Women Officers in Unite, cited an official who said she felt increasingly isolated at work because of male officials talking among themselves. “I have to sit among colleagues who refer to our secretaries as the girls … [They] think it is correct to refer to black people as coloured, talk about chairmen, refer to women as a piece of skirt,” one female officer said.



One woman told interviewers she had been “sexually assaulted by a senior officer in the past”. The report did not go into any further details of her case and did not explain whether the woman reported the assault to police or the union. However, it is understood that incident took place in 2007 before Unite was formed through the amalgamation of three unions.

Some of the worst examples of reported intimidation came from members in external workplaces. One woman reported she had been told in a meeting that she needed “a good ****”.

Another respondent blamed the union’s senior management for failing to commit to inclusivity. The report quoted her as saying: “The old boys’ network is alive and kicking unfortunately in Unite, where it is who you know and where they come from that matters.”

The report concluded, however, that a majority of female officers agreed that Unite colleagues and reps were supportive and interested in what they did, although nearly 40% believed that talking about working concerns with the union and colleagues was seen as a weakness.

In October, Unite failed to overturn a ruling saying it was responsible for the sexual harassment and bullying of a female former official. Sally Nailard, who was forced to leave her job as Unite’s regional officer at Heathrow, claimed she had been subjected to a two-year campaign that included lewd and aggressive comments from shop stewards who wanted her to leave her job.

When she appealed to the union’s senior figures for help, she claimed they helped force her out. An employment appeals tribunal upheld a previous judgment saying Unite was responsible for sexual harassment Nailard had suffered at the hands of shop stewards and that her dismissal was an act of sexual discrimination.

Sources close to that case believe it could set a legal precedent of making unions responsible for sexism by shop stewards in the workplace in certain circumstances, and open the way for other women to seek redress.

