6 JUNE 1970, Page 6

UNIONS-1

A brush with Clive Jenkins

HUMPHRY BERKELEY

On 6 February 1969, I appeared on a television programme called Late Night Line Up with Mr Clive Jenkins, the jqint general secretary of the Association of Scientific Technical and Managerial Staffs. In the course of conversation after the programme, Mr Jenkins said I was the kind of person that his union would like to have as a member. So the following day I wrote to tell him that I would like to join his union and asked for the necessary application forms.

Mr Jenkins replied to me on 21 Feb- ruary, saying that he gathered that the association had been representing one of its members, Mr John Ennals, in a current difference of view between him and me, and that it might be embarrassing, therefore, for him to process an application from me just at that point of time. It so happens that by February 1969, the differences between Mr Ennals and myself had been resolved; Mr Ennals had agreed to, and I had accepted, the solution of his taking a sabbatical year from his duties as director general of the United Nations Association, of which I was chairman. I pointed out to Mr Jenkins that I was not Mr Ennals's employer, since he was employed by the United Nations Association as a whole and took his instructions from the executive committee. I went on to say, 'I can see no reason why this situation should pre- vent my application to join your Association from being processed and I shall be very grateful if this could be done as speedily as possible'.

Mr Jenkins replied on 11 March, saying, 'On second thoughts I think you are right. Herewith an application form'. This I returned duly filled in on 17 March. My letter together with the completed applica- tion form was acknowledged by the secretary to Mr Jenkins on 25 March; she told me that the form for processing had been sent to the secretary of the Executive Staffs Branch, Mr Barry Silverman. I was informed that he would be in touch with me in due course.

Next—on 10 October—I received a letter from Mr Donald S. King, the branch treasurer of Executive Staffs No. I Branch, in which he said, 'I have just been advised [presumably by headquarters] that you are now a member of our branch and I wish to welcome you and to give details of our mem- bership contributions from October 1969'. I was-informed that a payment of £1 I3s 9d would clear my contributions until the end of the year, that if I let Mr King have this amount he would then send me my mem- bership card with my payment recorded, and that if I wished to pay in future by banker's order I should let him know. So on 13 Oc- tober I sent Mr King my contribution until the end of the year and I asked him for a banker's order form.

Two days later I received an acknowledgement for my cheque of £1 13s 9d. I also received a membership card number 623/382, signed by Mr Barry Silverman, giving the date of my acceptance as a union member as 6 October 1969. I also received a blank banker's order form. This I completed and having opted out of the political levy, I asked my bank to pay £6 15s a year to the union. The first payment was made on 1 January 1970.

Ten days after that, a special meeting was held of the general council of the United Na- tions Association. At this meeting it was decided to ask for the resignation of Mr John Ennals, the director general. I also agreed that I would not stand for a further year of office. This effectively meant that I would cease to be chairman at the same mo- ment as Mr Ennals resigned from the post of director general.' At this special general council, ASTMS was represented by Mr Clive Jenkins's assistant, Mrs Muriel Turner, Asnins being one of a number of trade unions affiliated to UNA. Mrs Turner spoke strongly against the proposal to ask for the resignatiod of Mr Ennals.

At this meeting Mr Ennals was promised an independent inquiry into his performance as director general of UNA and my criticisms of the way in which he had performed this role. After some negotiations, Lord Foot was agreed by Mr Ennals and myself as being an acceptable person to undertake the inquiry. By early May, it had become clear to me that ASTMS was assisting Mr Ennals financially by representing him at the in- formal inquiry which Lord Foot was un- dertaking. I therefore wrote to Mr Jenkins on 6 May asking him whether any assistance was being given to Mr Ennals and in this event whether such assistance would also be available to me. In fact, a Mr D. C. Phillips, a partner in the firm of solicitors W. H. Thompson, has represented Mr EnnaIs in a full-time capacity for the five days during which the inquiry has so far been held. He has examined and cross-examined both me and a number of witnesses. His services and those of his firm have been made available to Mr Ennals at the expense of the union.

I received a letter from Mrs Muriel Turner, the assistant general secretary of ASTMS, on 14 May. This said that my application to join Asrms had been referred to the national executive council of ASTMS and that my membership was not endorsed. I spoke to Mrs Turner on the tetephone and she informed me that at a meeting of the na- tional executive council held in February 1970, a decision had been taken which in effect expelled me from membership. Over three months, therefore, had elapsed between the February meeting and my letter

to Mr "Clive Jenkins in May; indeed since last October I had every reason to suppose

that I was a member of ASTMS. My mem- bership card has since this time been in my possession and the union has received my contribution (which has not been refun- ded).

I cannot believe that the union rules of ASTMS allow for somebody's expulsion from membership without his being informed of the fact or of the reason for taking this step. Until I wrote to Mr Jenkins and until the assistant- general secretary's reply was received by me, I had no idea that I was deemed to be no longer a member of ASTMS.

I did not know that Mr John Ennals was a member of ASTMS when Mr Jenkins invited me to apply to join his union. Nor did I think, when told, that this would have any relevance. I am, however, greatly concerned that through some Star Chamber process of which he is not aware, a member can ap- parently be deprived of his legal right to belong to a union to whose funds he has subscribed.

I challenge Mr Jenkins to state on what grounds in natural justice such a situation can have arisen.