General Secretary Election Results

Timed at 1pm Sunday 21st November.  Updated with approx figures 5:30pm.

McCluskey 101,000 votes 42% 
Hicks  52,000 votes 22% 
Bayliss  46,000 votes 19% 
Cartmail 39,000 votes 16%


Turnout 15.8%.  Dearunite.com has it first.

Points to note:

  • Considering Hicks was the only non management candidate he has had a fantastic result. Not to mention the huge amount of money spent by the other candidates.
  • A tiny 6.7% of all members voted for McCluskey and he did not even get half of those who did vote - what sort of mandate is that?
  • McCluskey has to retire in 4 years time due to his age (61). Unless he forges his  birth certificate (as has already been suggested by his supporters club). Or he changes the union rule book. And breaks his promise to go at 65.
  • The stupid claim that "a vote for Hicks was a vote for Bayliss" has been soundly disproved, just as it was in the 2009 election when it was alleged that a vote for Hicks was a vote for Coyne.
New! Message from Jerry Hicks

Press announcement here

Incidentally don't be surprised if McCluskey awards Gail Cartmail a senior position in the union for her role in taking Amicus votes off Hicks and Bayliss, watch this space.

16 comments:

  1. from BBC news aite

    Len McCluskey has been elected leader of the UK's biggest trade union, Unite.

    His win, with 101,000 votes, will see him take over from joint general secretaries Tony Woodley and Derek Simpson - in post since the union formed in 2007.

    Mr McCluskey, 61, has held several senior posts with Unite and the Transport and General Workers Union.

    The result will not be formally announced until the union's executive meets on Wednesday.

    Mr McCluskey was closely involved with a dispute between British Airways and its cabin crew which resulted in a series of strikes.

    Candidate Jerry Hicks came second in the election with 52,000 votes, Les Bayliss was third with 46,000 votes, and Gail Cartmail came fourth with 39,000 votes.

    Unite has more than 1.4m members and was formed by the merger between two of Britain's leading unions, the Transport and General

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  2. Its already known that Gail will be appointed the head of public services as a reward for her support by taking votes from Bayliss. Jerry did well, but that is it now as I can't see a legal challenge looming or Jerry finding a way onto the EC.

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  3. I voted for Jerry Hicks, and what he stood for, but i could well imagine if he had been elected this government and the media would have had a field day, making him the new "Arthur Scargill" to fulfill their back to the 70's/80's fantasy.
    Very Sad.

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  4. Excellent result for Jerry despite not having the machine, the paid officials and the shedloads of money.

    Jerry stood on a real left ticket with left policies without doing deals or being apologist.

    He covered 1000s of miles speaking directly not to spin docters but to real members at their workplaces and communities.

    Well done comrade...keep fighting

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  5. Anonymous - Cartmail is already the AGS in charge of the Public Sector - so that would not be much of an award.

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  6. Len McCluskey got 45% of the vote and more votes than Hicks and Bayliss put together.

    By you skewered logic which would have put the taxpayer alliance to shame Hicks got around 0.9% off the vote which i suppose is a huge victory for sectarian ultra leftism.

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  7. 52,000 votes = 0.9%? What are you on? You must BE the taxpayers alliance.

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  8. Dear David and friends
    I can understand your disappointment and Jerry's vote was commendable BUT there was a clear winner a left wing candidate who promised to break the logjam that has bedevilled Unite and form a confident strong defender of working people and a force for good in society.
    Yes we all would have liked ,and all worked for, a better turnout but the manner of the anti-union laws prevented workplace ballots which always created a better turnout. And in a field of 4 candidated 44% of the votes cast is a decisive victory.
    Please end the sniping and judge on the actions in the coming period.
    Bayliss and his business unionism has been defeated surely that is a cause for celebration and pride.

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  9. McCluskey is no more left wing than Simpson or Woodley who are responsible for the appalling state of the union -no democratic structure left working, run by a few highly paid managers. Election of officials was the key to solving this only Jerry has it.

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  10. Heres the UL magnamity and hand of friendship to comrades from ULs Jim Denham so called shiraz socialist "it has to be said: Jerry is a fucking idjeet"

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  11. I guess Len just ran a better campaign that the other three (maybe 2) put together...wonder hpow things will unfold now.

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  12. Hi Jerry
    You and you”re team did a brilliant campaign for G.S.against
    the machine.Unfortunately you came second,and the members will
    have to put up with more of the same isolation,a non fighting
    back union e.g (a director of unite would not authorise a demo
    we needed to stand up against our employers,now many members
    have left, the remaining members are angry,confused,and feel
    let down and abandoned).
    You were the only credible candidate,so please
    stand again ,only you can re-unite the union

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  13. Jerry, You and your team did a brilliant campaign against the Unite machinery . Unfortunately you came second, and the members will have to put up with the same isolation, a non fighting back union as before (e.g a director of unite wouldn’t even authorise a demo we’d organised). We need to stand up against our employers, now many members have left the union , the remaining members are angry, confused, and feel let down . You were the only credible candidate, so please stand next time and re-unite the union.

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  14. Dear Jerry/ Dave
    Why don't you grow up and accept that the members that bothered to vote did not support you or your views. They instead supported Len who will lead this union from the left as he always has.If you Jerry actually thought anything for this union and its members and less for your EGO we can begin to rebuild Unite into a strong vibrant union. But hey that just might not be good enough for a bunch of people you just cannot accept that they lost and Len won. Get over it.

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  15. The triumphalism and sectarianism in the anonymous message of November 22, 2010 4:23 PM exemplifies everything that is wrong with the union. For many activists in the Len and Les camps, the election was never about policy but about Amicus versus the T+G, or Trots versus Keynsians versus Blairites. These people need to grow up politically and in many cases also emotionally. We are now members of Unite - get used to it. Jerry, although he may hold ultra-leftist views himself, had to work with members of many other viewpoints - which he did, and he convinced 52000 of them. Now that Len has won there needs to be a reconciliation in the union. If Len can do this he will discover that the vast majority of Jerry's supporters can work with him. If he expects unquestioning loyalty of the type demanded by the current incumbents and their lackeys, he will have half the union against him from the outset.

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  16. Will mcluskey end the sweetheart deals that still exist from the jackson/simpson days in the united kingdom offshore oil and gas sector were workers are still denied paid annual leave that goes against the working time directive and have to live on a isolated ticking time bomb,all sweetheart deals are an afront to trade unionism and must be recinded.

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