Radford’s in the right

Published Monday 16 June 2008 at 14:25

May I be allowed to leap to the defence of Roy Radford.

Jean Rogers alleges that she is speaking on her own behalf and not as a Vice President and member of the senior management team of Equity (Equality in our Union, page 8, June 5). I submit that she is merely vituperating the spite of the representative group against Roy who addresses issues affecting members across all employment categories.

Ms Rogers would probably allege that it is an unfortunate coincidence that the new journal goes out with a page criticising Roy for putting the union to considerable expense in defending charges of personal discrimination put to the employment tribunal. The issues could have gone to arbitration instead to avoid what in fact was a largely unnecessary tribunal. The judgment review has confirmed the need for an appeal tribunal to determine a point of law.

Another page reports a strong council reprimand judgment. Roy has always been vocal on many issues, often daring to express a personal opinion which, like mine, does not always acquiesce to representative spin. They both have gone out with the voting papers for an election in which both he and I are standing, in my view rendering them liable to face a charge of unfair prejudice.

Ms Rogers knows that the equalities to which Roy refers are in fact about the representative group who, for the first time in Equity’s history, accepted increased fees for main performers in ITV while leaving walk-ons to rot while interminable pan industry negotiations go on year after year.

Whatever Ms Rogers may allege, I agree with Roy that it is only the representative group councillors who mainly rubber stamps the staff recommendations. It is for the most part only the Members4Members group which sometimes criticises or opposes.

Fortunately there is still a small group of councillors who seek to represent the real professional interests of the main body of members. Long may it continue.

Michael Earl

Councillor

Equity

Address supplied