Amicus leadership battle drags on after members abandon meeting

Officials
at Amicus marched out of an emergency meeting yesterday after a vote looked
likely to end the rein of veteran union leader Sir Ken Jackson.

Jackson
was beaten by little known left-winger Derek Simpson by a majority of just 406
in a ballot for general secretary.

Jackson
lodged a complaint about the ballot, which the union’s executive then met to
consider. But before the executive could reach a decision, six members left the
meeting leaving only 14 – not enough for the executive to constitutionally make
a decision.

A
fresh meeting of the executive will now have to be convened before the ballot
result can be formally accepted.

There
have now been four recounts of the ballot.

Jackson
has said he will accept the result once the union executive has addressed his
complaint.

By
Quentin Reade