Union leadership loser to challenge result
The man who lost the contest to lead Britain’s biggest trade union is challenging the result.
Gerard Coyne, who was defeated by Len Mccluskey for the post of general secretary of Unite, claims his supporters were intimidated.
Mr Coyne, who has been suspended from his job as a Unite regional officer, is to complain to the certification officer.
A Unite spokesman said: “Unite members will be deeply disappointed that Mr Coyne has chosen this critical moment in the fortunes of the labour movement to launch an unnecessary attack on his own union, something which can only help the floundering Tories. It is regrettable that he has decided not to use the union’s internal procedures, which include the office of an independent election commissioner to review complaints, and further deplorable that he has notified the media before anyone else of his intentions.”
The spokesman said the union would “cooperate fully” with the certification officer.