'22' get it wrong in gen sec election complaint

Rant alert! I note from the Returning Officer’s report on the UNISON general secretary election that ‘22 individual members’ wrongly blamed UNISON Scotland staff in their (not upheld) complaint about the Scotland in UNISON newspaper. As retired editor, I am happy to enlighten the ‘22’ that SiU is in fact proudly LAY edited and LAY produced and has been for 27 years.

A lay organisation that involves activists across Scotland in their own union’s communications may not be something familiar to their local organising but since UNISON’s inception in 1993, Scotland in UNISON has been published by a lay team six times a year and sent to every activist in Scotland. It has also been published online since 1998. 

Given the content of the complaint, it may also be important to point out that since at least 1998, the words "Use these stories in your branch newsletter or circulate the pdf version to members” had always appeared under the masthead as part of the normal strategy to cascade UNISON Scotland’s news to its broader membership in Scotland.