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By Liz S
If they, the BBC, want to join in what should really be a “media feeding frenzy” then they should also report on, via their BBC website, the news that SKY News have been reporting upon……after what they, Sky News, say has been a “two year investigation”.
On what ?
On the Labour supporting Trade Union GMB.
For what ?
“Allegations of bullying and harassment inside one of the UK’s biggest trade unions“……..
Sky News report that they have been “listening to women with accounts of alleged bullying, misogyny, cronyism, and sexism, which they claim is rife within the GMB Union”
So did they seek out the Union Boss Gary Smith ?
(Remember him, Gary Smith, from 2014 prior to him being made the GMB UNion boss……telling us in Scotland to all vote NO).
Yes they did seek him out and guess what….the reporter from SKY News said:
“He (Gary Smith) seems annoyed by this scrutiny. He had left the TUC conference early through a side door in an apparent attempt to avoid me and had started running away from me as I approached him”.
Really ?
Women who work within the GMB Trade Union have made accusations and the Union boss of GMB seems to not want to face questions on this as in he does not want to answer these accusations…..so how about addressing them ?
Well the reporter then said:
“There are serious questions hanging over him over how he runs his unions and how that union treats the women who work for him, so I continue to follow him”
“GMB has always denied there is a culture of bullying, misogyny and sexism, in fact, much more staunchly than any other organisation I’ve covered before accused of the same thing, and today was no different“.
“Mr Smith told me there was “no problem at all” within the union, unwilling to admit there was any real work to do and essentially saying – there’s nothing to see here”
Wait a minute , if SKY News are reporting upon this story , then they see it as being very serious as a story…….. and so they must also see that there is clearly some foundation to these allegations….then surely it is a case of with ‘women’s rights being a subject that is very topical and seemingly contentious (for some) just now’ so then surely this matter just cannot be dismissed by this TRADE UNION BOSS ?
If it is being dismissed, then as a position, Gary Smith’s attitude is totally unacceptable …….where are all of those women’s groups who campaign so hard for women keeping certain rights that they say some men, via certain governments , want to take away those rights, which they, as women, say is an action being encouraged by certain politicians…..and also certain types of men.
Is a Trade Union exempt from their campaigning as Women’s groups…….. and also via their main raison d’etre in campaigning , which is in both trying to retain existing rights of women and also to promote these existing rights of women ?
Sky News website then wrote “lots of women have expressed concerns and say they feel harassed at the union, enough that the equalities watchdog is currently examining whether GMB is complying with the human rights act…..and previously GMB members have threatened to strike against their own union over allegations of sexism – a highly unusual move used only when members want to raise a serious issue”.
The reporter then asked whether Mr Smith takes this seriously.
He said : “We’re a good organisation, we’re a cleaned up organisation, and we think the culture is pretty positive.”
Sweep sweep ……under the carpet it goes is not the best attitude for a Trade Union boss to communicate ..surely?….
So does he, Gary Smith, a Trade Union boss really see this matter as being non negotiable (pun intended) ?
She then sked him “whether he believes the women who are bravely speaking out about their experience, whether he thinks there’s any harassment or bullying in his organisation at all or finally, if he wanted to apologise or wanted to say anything to the women who expressed concerns”
“He declined to speak to me any further, and I thanked him for his time”
Wrong subject Hen….you should have been investigating and so asking him about Scottish independence as a future possibility and then asked him, Gary Smith, his opinion on that….
He would have been only too happy to give you an in depth …as in a sit doon interview…..that is …..he would not have “declined” to answer that question from you Hen……. as to all of the reasons , according to him, on why Scotland cannae be independent as it is too poor, too wee and too stupid (though Scotland is really only “too stupid” in the sense of anyone here ever listening to him , Smith, on the subject of Scottish independence) ……..
Seems to me karma is catching up with a lot of the ‘NO Sayers’ from 2014…..I just hope some of the peeps in Scotland who voted NO in 2014…..and perhaps who saw people like Gary Smith (and others) as being credible and honest in 2014 now see how they are not what they were assumed to be back in 2014…..
As now it appears they are the ones in denial of the stark reality of their UK being dysfunctional, unfair and where certain organisations , like say some Trade Unions, are being accused as rife with “bullying, misogyny, cronyism, and sexism” towards women….that’s some mens…… wives, Girlfriends, daughters, sisters and mothers …….and friends too.
BTW Gary Smith is often seen to be too ready and too eager in his criticism of the SNP as a Scottish government…..is said to be supportive of Keir Starmer….in 2022 he urged the Labour party to back fracking ……called for the Labour Party to rethink its plans to ban new oil and gas exploration in the North Sea……what next….will he at some point in the future be promoting Reform UK ?????
GMB, as a Trade Union, is one in many Unions who are significant financial contributors to the Labour party’s national and local organisations……so then does that also make them exempt as those who should be listened to when they criticise any opposing political party….like say the SNP in Scotland ? (I think so…surely?).
Labour still accepts these political donations from the GMB Union with what is now an organisation that has had scandalous accusations made against it by women ………
If you want to read the 11 September 2025 SKY News full article on this matter it is headlined as “I wanted to ask this union boss some very serious questions – and he tried to run away from me”…on the SKY News website…..
Also perhaps Labour, as a party and also as the current UK government, should also read up on this Sky News article and then consider, that as a party, they should no longer accept political donations from the GMB , until this situation is properly addressed and fixed by the GMB (as in by their boss Gary Smith)…..
After all Starmer says that he supports “workers rights” and that he and his party are “For the workers”….well these women are workers in this Trade Union and they have rights , that they allege , are being abused by this Trade Union….and it seems from this SKY News article that this Trade Union boss does not want to recognise this as a alleged problem within the Union he is boss of…….that should be worrying to the Labour party (but I guess money, via political donations, takes more priority over workers rights allegedly being abused)……..
So it is now well past the time when Starmer should start to walk the walk instead of just constantly talking the talk……….as blah blah coupled with slogans is not working…..as in not working…..seemingly for anyone within his UK.
(So instead of Starmer trying to protect , support and defend people like Lord Mandelson perhaps it is (way past) the time that he , Starmer, began to protect , support and defend those people that he , Sir Keir Starmer, has said that he wanted to protect, support and defend ……like say women workers who work in organisations like this trade Union….who are being allegedly abused ).
Liz S
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
Correct me if I am wrong, but was it not the GMB who negotiated the notorious pay deals with Labour’s Glasgow City Council to pay women less than their make counterparts? The reparations for which almost bankrupted Glasgow and cost a great many council workers ( their members) their jobs, diminishing the services they provided? If so, it makes sense of all you say in your article.
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Yes indeed the GMB conspired with the then Labour council……against women workers in Glasgow council………in trying to prevent them, as women, getting equal pay with their male counterparts…..
A Labour supporter , and also no friend to the SNP , one Ian Smart tweeted this in 2018 :
“Really mundane point. The reason there was a strike in Glasgow today was because, in 2006, the GMB insisted on a deal with discriminatory terms in favour of their male members. Advised by the then GMB’s research officer , @LabourRichard . That’s just an unfortunate fact”.
The GMB orchestrated a strike (as noted by Ian Smart in his tweet) against the SNP Glasgow council , as a Trade Union supposdley acting on behalf of those same (betrayed) women workers , who they, the GMB, had discriminated against when Labour were in charge of Glasgow City council…….
So only after the SNP won power in Glasgow council (2017) was a strike then called a year later in 2018…….. a strike to apparently enable those (same ) women (formally betrayed by both Labour and the GMB Union) to get what was owed to them (that Labour and the GMB had actively denied them before)…. but that justice was not sought by the GMB via any strike action when Labour were in power…..thus confirming that they, the GMB, were obviously acting politically in calling this strike in 2018 and not solely acting for their members……… as in those women workers.
We then saw people like Paul Sweeney, once a Labour MP and now a Labour MSP trying to capitalise on this politically……on behalf of his Labour party.
As he, Sweeney, on 23 October 2018 tweeted that the “only way the #EqualPayGlasgow dispute will be resolved is if a settlement is financed by the Scottish government, unless you are happy to bankrupt Glasgow City council. Despite having the power to do so you have steadfastly ignored the matter. Pay up for Glasgow’s women”.
Paul’s tweet passing the buck ….as in laying all of the blame for this situation onto the Scottish government aka the SNP, which as an action by Labour is common practice. He , Sweeney, also conveniently forgets that it was a Labour Council who took these same women to court over this………but who needs facts when propaganda can be spread.
Labour created the problem.
They also refused to fix it.
They took the women to court to try to avoid fixing it.
Then , aided by the GMB (again), they laid all of the blame upon the new SNP Glasgow council and accused them of not doing the very thing Labour could have done to resolve this but refused to…..as in Labour fought the women on getting equal pay , and who as women workers were also very badly let down by the GMB (see Ian Smart’s above noted tweet)…….
This is a repeated process……Labour (and other UK parties) create a mess…..then they, Labour and other UK parties, expect the SNP to clear up that mess…..and the GMB will always then work hand in hand with Labour in also promoting this political propaganda……as the GMB may be seen to be a Trade Union ( for workers) but their real role seems to be an organisation that is nowt more than a Puppet of the Labour party……….
My response to your query is a condensed version of all that really happened…and this scandal with women’s equal pay and the GMB Union was not just restricted to Glasgow….as elsewhere in the UK there were other similar situations and reports of women (see the case where women took the GMB to court in Middlesbrough for indirectly discriminating against them on equal pay…yet again Male employees pay protection prioritised by the GMB ( according to these women)…..guess which party was running Middlesbrough council……..Labour again).
Is there a pattern here with how women are being allegedly treated by this particular Union, both historically and also now ?
“The Fish rots from the head down”……allegedly.
Liz S
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Talking of Labour…….yesterday Brian Leishman posted this on ‘X’
“In July, four of us had the party whip suspended for defending disabled people and fighting for the real values of the Labour Party. Mandelson has not been suspended”.
So ?
Shrugs shoulders ……
As this is the same Brian Leishman, who when suspended by Keir Starmer , then hours later after his suspension he, Leishman, ‘fed his former party leader , Keir Starmer , a line at PMQ’s to attack the SNP , it was of course badly disguised as a ‘question’ about the Bus Manufacturer Alexander Dennis……..
This then gave Leishman’s former leader , Keir Starmer , (as in the one who suspended Leishman from the Labour party) yet another opportunity to declare #SNPBAD……….job was then done…..for the party……good job Brian.
Then he , Leishman, also declared post suspension that “”Although I’ve been suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party today, I’ve been part of the Labour and trade union movement for 40 years and remain as committed as ever to its values”.
(He also said , afters losing the party whip, that “I am a proud Labour Party member”………so he does seem somewhat conflicted…..not a good situation for his constituents as they need a way more decisive position – as in non wavering- to be taken by their representative at WM……not playing Hokey Cokey where one moment he is in – Labour- and the next he is out- of Labour).
While throughout he, Leishman, keeps criticising the party that he was elected as an MP for at WM……………
So as to “values” what values would that be ?
And also if he “remains as committed as ever” to Labour’s so called “values” why then criticise them, Labour, for suspending him (and others) but not suspending Lord Mandelson from the party…..what kind of “values” does that demonstrate Brian ?
Double standards perhaps…..as in no values being shown at this blatant hypocrisy !
Then he, Leishman, posted on ‘X’ on the 10 September this:
“Isaac Herzog should not be in Downing Street. He should be in The Hague”
Leishman had a picture of Herzog , the Israeli President, signing a bomb bound for Gaza……..the same Herzog who was indeed invited to 10 Downing Street by the Labour UK PM……(who suspended Leishman….#Revenge).
So what “values” of the Labour party did that particular Israeli ‘invite’ demonstrate as a supposed Labour ‘value’…..and is Leishman just going to continue to criticise his beloved Labour party , yet still he wants to have his suspension from them lifted ……and so basically he , Leishman, still wants be a Labour MP ?
Conflicting messages is so typical of Labour politicians (be they past or present) …..so not to be trusted really as it seems that their (way way too flexible) position moves and changes dependent on what they assume the public mostly supports and also opposes……….until they, the public, change and then so does Labour…..as they, Labour, have no actual defined and constant position but seem to just jump on any old populist bandwagon……hence why it is often asked “What are Labour for” ?
Scotland does not, via a majority , support Israel’s actions against Palestinians…..it also does not support an appointed Labour Ambassador to the USA supporting and continuing a friendship with a known paedophile yet also that person expecting to remain in his position while also still keeping his peerage as well……..(and too the Labour PM seemingly condoning that all happening as well)…..
#WheeshtForMandelson
So who made Mandelson the Ambassador (Starmer) and who made Mandelson a Peer (Gordon Brown)…….that would be two Labour leaders on the right of the party…..while both of them as Labour leaders pretending that they work (and worked) for the ‘working man and woman’…..when ?
Time surely that Brian Leishman finally ‘set out his (political) stall’ and made a decision on his future as a politician……….as all of this carping from the sidelines by him against his (former) party …..now all just seems somewhat very tactical , very calculated and so purely motivated for his own personal career survival as an MP…..
Leishman now sees the writing on the wall for Labour in Scotland (all of the lies , the betrayals, the bad policies , the very bad decisions and all of the scandals)……so he pretends that he opposes what they , Labour as a UK government, are doing…… yet he also expects Scotland to accept , as in believe as credible and so then also tolerable, that he would, in a heart beat, be more than happy to re-join them , Labour, as a Labour MP once again………….
Time he , Leishman, either put up or shut up………beyond embarrassing now.
Liz S
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Loved the mug-shop…
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