According to former and current GMB employees and members, the GMB fails to investigate sexual misconduct and bullying complaints effectively.
The group will be complaining to the Equality and Human Rights Commission, a watchdog agency, about the institutional sexism within the union.
Staff have stated that the findings of previous investigations into harassment, discrimination and bullying within the union has not resulted in sufficient actions being taken.
In the North East , GMB members threatened to strike in response to the allegations.
Karon Monaghan KC’s Report for 2020 called for fundamental changes to the union. It found that branches were organized in a manner that discouraged women from joining.
Monaghan concluded that “bullying and misogyny are widespread within the GMB”, and that regional and general secretaries have always been male. Her report revealed that the GMB culture was one of “heavy drinking, late-night socialising and salacious gossip.”
GMB employees said that since the Monaghan Report, which found that GMB policies on equality weren’t applied correctly, little has changed.
The Daily Mail reported this week that Anne Chandler, a GMB official who claims she will be forced to leave the union in 2022, after 25 years of service, has said the GMB is “riddled” with sexism.
GMB’s spokesperson denied the claims. They said: “We categorically reject claims of bullying culture, and we do not recognise the union in these former staff members’ accounts.”
“Since we received the Monaghan Report four years ago, our structures have been strengthened and stricter policies introduced to combat bullying. We continue to work with independent experts and engage staff to create a better working environment.
We now have clear, comprehensive, and transparent procedures for fully investigating and dealing with any allegations of bullying, sexual harassment, or sexism. GMB does not tolerate such behaviour.
GMB stated that it was “untrue” to claim Anne Chandler had been forced to leave GMB when she retired two years earlier. She chose to withdraw the complaints she raised in an employment tribunal, and has not taken any further action.”
The union also stated that the senior employee who was dismissed for sexual harassment and bullying, as well as two other counts of gross misbehavior, made some of these “untrue allegations”. The union also claimed the Daily Mail had launched a smear-campaign against it.
