British trade unions are wrestling with twin scandals

Spring three years ago, more than 60 police officers entered 13 properties across Britain in a coordinated raid.

This included the headquarters for the unification of the union in Holborn, in central London, where officers from the South Wales police spin two unique cars. They left hours after a computer and packages of documents.

Other raids occurred in southern Wales, Merciaid, Chichere, North Wales, Bayez Boys and Northhamptonchy.

It was on April 6, 2022. The Federation confirmed that the employee “is subject to criminal investigation by the police.” But his identity – former Secretary -General Howard Pique – was closely secret.

He only appeared when a court ruled against Beckett in general procedures to dismiss an unfair construction against UNite.

Those papers in the court emerges a scandal that rocked one of the strongest unions in Britain and the main donor of the Labor Party.

Beckett was one of four police suspects, according to the court. In addition to the main Unite’s London office, the South Wales Police has searched the Beckett apartment in London and its home in Wirral near Liverpool.

Beckett, who stood to lead UNITE in 2021, is Northern Ireland’s lawyer with explicit socialist opinions.

He was close to Lin McLuski, former president of Unit, the last equation of capitalism and former workers ’ally Jeremy Corbyn.

However, UNite’s capital adventures led to two distinct scandals.

The first – which pushed the police raid in April 2022 – includes the “UNITE Services” suite, which provides discounts for members on products such as mortgages and legal advice.

Southern Wales Police – along with HM revenues and customs – looked at Beckett as part of a criminal investigation into bribery, fraud, money laundering and tax evasion that includes many companies. So far, no one has been charged. Beckett denies committing any violations.

The second includes a unit -owned hotel and conference center in Birmingham called Aloft. The value of the place, which was completed in 2020, was only 29 million pounds in December 2021 by the Floretes Real Estate Agency despite the cost of 112 million pounds for construction. UNITE says the serious fraud office is investigating the hotel scheme.

The Federation did not submit accounts for four years, but he recently made “in light of the investigation of Birmingham.”

These accounts, which have long been accelerated, will reveal disabilities of about 60 million pounds to unify the assets-which amounted to a net value of 232 million pounds in December 2020.

In August 2021, McClaski left, Sharon Graham, with three investigations by external experts, which produced the disclosure that has overwhelmed the union since then.

Graham, an arduous former industrial negotiator, requested Firans Accountants in Grant Thornton to look at the “subsidiary services” and Ain KC named Martin Boderi to examine the Birmingham Hotel project.

The union also rented an unveiled criminal law named Kc, which produced another report, says Unite says “potential corruption.”

UNITE has passed all reports to the police.

Becktyt was suspended in August 2022 and resigned in the next January before a scheduled disciplinary session.

He joined UNITE in 2011 to manage its legal department and subsidiaries, to become the Assistant Secretary -General in 2016. He became a temporary financing manager after the death of Ed Sabsky in March 2020.

When Picky was first suspended, he faced two main allegations, which he denied.

The first, according to court ruling, was that he misled the UNITE CEO in January 2021 on the value of the Birmingham Hotel.

Picky’s allies said it was strange that he was blamed for the escalating cost of the tip when he was a daughter of the ideas of his predecessor Sabsky.

Another prosecution against Beckett included subsidiary services.

In particular, the ruling revealed that it was claimed that it had signed a contract “without previous authority” with Hardy Evans, a company that managed the Wales call center 24 hours-was convinced of the success of thousands of members to join.

The Grant Thornton report did not find any indicators on any competitive tenders for the Hardy Evans, said the Unit The Financial Times.

The report said, “It seems that Howard Picett played a prominent role in creating a number of Hardy Evans initiatives and directing her unification,” the report said.

Grant Thornton refused to comment on his report on UNite. However, the court ruling revealed that the report found that many service providers appeared “directly or indirectly” linked to Picky with “common denominators of ownership structures”.

UNITE said that Hardy Evans paid 9 milliliters £ for eight years in 2013, “We had no idea about 2.7 million pounds from it.”

The Grant Thornton investigation said that many of these payments “seem to have been repeated payments (perhaps permanent orders), for the same amounts of round amount every month.”

In response to the service providers – especially Hardy Evans – have gave birth tens of millions of pounds to the union.

One of the Pikit ally said that any regular payments claimed by the union now that it cannot reconcile it will be a “commercial truth” to allow the company to meet its usual obligations such as the wages of the employees, which was “ultimately reconciled with the results.”

UNITE told the court that Beckett had “conflicts of interest” in giving work to the service providers who have registered offices in the buildings he owned.

South Wales police are still investigating the claims that have been granted UNITE Services “on behalf of UNITE companies controlled by other associated persons, for financial rewards and other rewards.”

The referee revealed the payments of 1.1 million pounds from BECKECETT to a company connected to a company connected to Hardy Evans between 2012 and 2015.

Last August, Hardy Evans entered the administration, according to the documents at House Companies.

At the beginning of 2023, the Assistant Secretary -General of Carmentmel Gil held an internal hearing in the absence of Pikit and said that the allegations were “serious misconduct to include serious financial violations,” according to the ruling. She added that he did not announce that he did not announce that he was “benefiting from a financial point of view” after he was granted contracts on the basis of favoritism, favoritism and for the special financial increase.

Beckett said he was specifically brought by McClaski because of his “personal commercial relations” to develop it on behalf of the Federation.

A spokesman for the Pikit said: “The income was informed of the companies affiliated with the executive authority in the written reports, then it was accepted through voting, and for more than 10 years, the subsidiaries were accepted as a success for the unit in terms of services provided, income generation and members’ employment. “

Calls and counter -allegations about these allegations are now playing in the public domain.

Picky said in the court that he was expelled because he was as a former candidate for a leadership that was “seen as a threat” by Graham, claiming that he is a victim of “hunting the witch” and “a campaign of abuse with political motives.”

Some colleagues see the allegations through a perspective of power struggle before the new leadership race next year. The UNITE ruling executive council, which includes about 60 members, is divided between a pro -heme faction and a “UNID LEFT” competition.

“The lower tactics have been used as part of a long -term campaign to thwart the Secretary -General’s campaign to clean the federation,” said an unit spokesman.

BECKETT announced that it appeals the court’s rejection of its unfair demands in the chapter and take legal action against UNite and Graham personally because of his alleged violation of privacy.

UNite said it would be “more than happy to defend our position” if necessary.

Meanwhile, UNITE says the serious fraud office is achieving how Aloft Hotel is 112 million pounds, but it was later evaluated at only 29 million pounds.

The 195-bedroom Hotel and Conference Center is run by Marriott Hotels-near Aston University.

The main contractor in the project is owned by a friend of MCCLUSKEY.

The current UNITE leadership said that the Bollyy, KC, designated by Graham for investigation, had not found any competitive tender for Aloft.

McLuski said he did not participate in the selection of the contractor, who has already worked with UNite in eight other projects.

Tony Woodley, McClaski’s predecessor – and friend of Sabsky – said that the major contractors like Ling Uruk rejected the job because of UNite accurate standards. Was Lin McClaski direct Ed (Sabski) to employ that designated company? “

But UNite said it has e -mail that shows MCCLUSKEY’s participation in the work, if not the original contract.

A person familiar with the situation said: “There is an e -mail, Lyn McClaski was directly involved in extending the pre -contract and giving other related contracts to the company.”

McClaski said that this was “unusual” claim: “I had nothing to do with the original contract to grant the company the task of building the complex,” he told FT.

Boderi report found evidence of suspected excessive shipping, according to Unite.

The polycarbonate is also missing a lost £ 14 million, which is not displayed in the final accounts of the project. His report, which has not yet been released, attributed the number to the UNite protocol called “C1232”, which the construction company said it is required that all workers be members of the federation directly. But Tunait said that there was “zero evidence” that contributed to the “huge high costs”.

One of the examples of the alleged alleged shipment that the Bollyy report found is that the cost of the cavity holes in the work walls was originally estimated at 91,000 pounds. However, a law of 1.3 million pounds was imposed. Al -Ittihad said: “There is a zero interpretation.”

The construction company behind Alouf said it did not get to know the number of 14 million pounds and did not see this report.

She blamed the costs of monotheism for changing the specifications over and over again. “This change in the hotel included a 5 -storey and 3 -star budget hotel to a 6 -star hotel.” She has kept UNITE updated at increased costs every two weeks.

The construction company said it is taking legal measures to restore “large sums” condemning UNite. The Federation said it “has not heard of any legal action.”

Beckett claimed that he was not responsible for the costs that occurred during the Sabsky era. One of the ally said: “The idea (Picky) has misled the executive authority to a large extent. All this happened before his time.”

In 2022, the president of the company, which supervises health and safety, was imprisoned for 14 years in a separate case of his role in the drug conspiracy.

Picky and Maclioski allies are questioning the hotel’s 29 million pounds, believing it is very low. One of the Picky ally said: “No one saw the evaluation … It is complete nonsense.”

Some old warriors doubt whether SFO is still investigating the Birmingham project. SFO has not yet met the current or previous management of UNite, nor the construction company.

One of the Beckett ally said that some of the Unit felt that “this is everything that is suitable for Charnes Graham, and everything related to her strategy to re -election, she allows her to say” I am cleaning the union. “

However, UNite said that her legal team had approved the information that SFO requested: “SFO has asked us not to publicly comment on their inquiries.”

SFO said: “In line with the long -standing practice to avoid biases for law enforcement activity, we cannot confirm or reject any participation in this matter,” SFO said.

UNite is about to publish a new “temporary report” in both scandals.

Graham spokeswoman said she had borne “repeated attacks by those who have been losing a lot since she launched these inquiries.”

According to UNite, in late 2021, four other men approached while walking along a dark street near her home in London.

One of them said, “It should not pass through the hotel’s accounts.” “It is better to leave it on your own.”