Four years ago a damning report sent shockwaves through the GMB, one of Britain’s biggest trade unions, when it branded the organisation “institutionally sexist”.
For a union that prides itself on representing staff bullied or harassed in their own workplace, it was a shocking and embarrassing revelation.
A new general secretary promised “transformational change” and to take on all the recommendations in the independent report.
But doubts have now been raised over whether that has truly happened.
Employees in the North East said promised reforms had not materialised and have threatened to strike against their own union.
An insider familiar with the talks said action had been suspended for now.
They said the first strikes had been cancelled on the promise Karon Monaghan KC, who originally wrote the report in 2020, would eventually be called back to investigate the Labour-affiliated union.
Issues around the handling, or mishandling, of complaints of harassment and assault seemed to be of particular concern.
Some women still employed by the union – and some recent former employees – said they still believe sexism is rife and that the Monaghan report had not been implemented in the way they were promised.
One told me “it’s still very toxic” and that the culture is “dysfunctional”. Another said there was “a pattern of abuse” and “it’s worse than ever”.
One former employee said she couldn’t fight for people facing injustice anymore because “how are we meant to fight injustice if we are experiencing it ourselves?”
We spoke to one recently dismissed high-ranking regional secretary in GMB, who we are calling Eleanor, who said she felt bullied into dropping a sexual harassment complaint in 2022.
‘Eleanor’ felt bullied into dropping a sexual harassment complaint
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