Campaign for victimised rep

PCS is calling on its members to support the campaign for the reinstatement of Eddie Fleming, who has been sacked for carrying out his duties as a union rep. The call came on the day he was sacked. Eddie, the PCS Child Support Agency (CSA) Hastings branch chair, was told November he would be dismissed after being disciplined for carrying out his union duties.
He was not disciplined for any type of serious misconduct which would normally lead to a summary dismissal, such as theft, violence or harassment.
The charges all relate to trade union duties – attending meetings to represent members individually and collectively, including those where hundreds of jobs could have been at risk.
Eddie is a well respected and hard working elected union rep who has served members for more than seven years in Hastings and at a national level.
A well supported public rally was held in Hastings at the end of last year and further events, including another rally, are being planned to highlight Eddie’s plight.
At members’ meetings at the CSA, both general secretary Mark Serwotka and assistant general secretary Chris Baugh have pledged the national union’s full support.
He and his colleagues in Hastings need the backing of all trade unionists to show all government departments that we view this attack on Eddie as an attack on us all.
We are pursuing Eddie’s reinstatement through an employment tribunal, and through internal appeals which management failed to complete before the decision to dismiss him was taken.