Witch-hunt in Amicus as merger nears

THREE AMICUS members of staff – Des Heemskerk, Jimmy Warne and Cathie
Willis – have been suspended from their jobs in Amicus. One of them was
suspended while still on holiday and knew nothing of his suspension
until he returned to work.

The other two were escorted off head office premises without any
explanation. The three were told that a reason would be given in due
course.

The Amicus GMB staff representative has submitted a formal grievance
with Amicus to request an explanation.

It is suspected that the suspensions are linked to behind-the-scenes
moves to prepare for the possible merger with the TGWU, amongst other
issues, by Derek Simpson, Amicus general secretary.

Members of the Amicus Unity Gazette, the broad left organisation
instrumental in getting Derek Simpson elected as general secretary and
winning 23 of the seats on the Amicus Executive, have also been excluded
from the organisation in the north-west.

All of those suspended from their jobs or excluded from Unity Gazette
have been instrumental in pushing that the union’s policy of election of
full-time officials should be retained as part of the merged union.

The policy, which used to be part of the rules of the AEU engineering
union, was adopted by a majority of four votes at Amicus’s inaugural
conference in Brighton in May.

Since then it has been the subject of heated debate in the union
where it appears that Simpson’s supporters are trying to overturn the
decision by stealth in the run-up to the possible merger.

Des Heemskerk is the editor of the Amicus Unity Gazette and a former
deputy convenor at Ford. He gave up his job and took a pay cut, at Derek
Simpson’s request, to take a job in the union’s campaign department.

Jimmy Warne is the Chair of the Amicus Unity Gazette and is a former
shipyard electrician and shop steward at Swan Hunter.

Cathie Willis has worked for the union for eight years and suffered
years of victimisation under the right-wing Jackson regime. All three
played a pivotal role in Simpson’s election.

The suspensions follow an attack on the Gazette leadership by Derek
Simpson at an national executive meeting at which he accused unnamed
individuals of being involved in an attempt to destabilise the Amicus
leadership.

He called for an investigation into the publication and circulation
of internal union material but never informed the executive of his
intention to suspend the three people the following day.

Amicus members should send messages asking what are the reasons for
these suspensions and calling for the three suspended officials to be
reinstated to their jobs immediately.

Send a message to Derek Simpson at:

[email protected]

Copies to Phil Willis at [email protected].

Or send a message of support to: Reinstate The Three, 4 Stanton
Close, Orpington, BR5 4RN.