TUC boss inquiry may not be finished by conference

Mar 12 2008 by Martin Shipton, Western Mail

BULLYING allegations against the head of the Wales Trades Union Congress may remain unresolved at the time of the body’s annual conference in May, union activists fear.

Felicity Williams has been on “gardening leave” from her role as general secretary of the Wales TUC since August last year.

A number of trade union activists have told the Western Mail it would be “hugely embarrassing” if the matter was not settled by the time the Wales TUC annual conference takes place at Llandudno in May.

It is understood that a majority of Ms Williams’s staff at Transport House in Cardiff have signed up to a collective grievance complaint alleging that she bullied them. Ms Williams strongly denies the allegations.

As general secretary of the Wales TUC, Ms Williams is the major spokesperson for more than 500,000 members of affiliated unions in Wales. The body she heads is effectively a branch of the TUC based in London, and it is officials there rather than in Wales who are conducting the investigation into the allegations.

We understand that since the inquiry began, it has been extended to look at concerns that money allocated to the Wales TUC for campaigning purposes has not been spent. There is no suggestion that Ms Williams has misused any TUC money for personal gain.

President of the Wales TUC Ruth Jones said, “We have strongly expressed our concern to TUC headquarters in London about the time this is taking to settle. Clearly there is a process to be gone through, but Felicity has not been at work since August last year, which is a long time.

“There have been quite a few hearings in London, and we would have hoped for the time limits on these to be tighter.

“The beauty of the past few months has been that the staff in the Wales TUC have been doing a fantastic job. Obviously our annual conference is coming up in May, but I am confident that if this matter remains unresolved, it will go ahead successfully thanks to the staff and our affiliated unions.”

When we told Ms Jones our understanding was that the investigation into Ms Williams had been extended to look at concerns that money given to the Wales TUC for campaigning purposes had not been spent, she confirmed that the investigation was examining financial issues at the organisation, of which Ms Williams was in overall control

A spokeswoman for the TUC in London said, “This is a complex matter that is taking some time to resolve. We understand the concern. Hopefully the matter will be completed by the time of the Wales TUC conference, but there are contingency measures in place that will come into play if the situation is still unresolved.”

Ms Williams has said she is unable to comment while the investigation is ongoing. Ms Williams, 46, who lives with her husband David in Aberdare, has been general secretary of the Wales TUC since April 2004. She was born in Leicester to Welsh parents, both of whom were teachers.

She spent 20 years working for the blood transfusion service in Wales, serving as a trade union lay delegate and becoming deputy head of its microbiology department.

For two years she was a partner in a pet care business, but in 2000 was appointed assistant general secretary of the Wales TUC.