Endemic sleaze is indeed engulfing this government and degrading our public realm, but Jonathan Freedland does his case against Boris Johnson no good by including a cheap swipe at Unite (This is Tory sleaze. Don’t let Boris Johnson convince you otherwise, 16 April). Our Birmingham conference facility was authorised by our elected executive council. An employment protocol ensured that the workers were directly employed, with union members earning the professional rate for the job – no small miracle given the cowboy culture that bedevils the construction sector.
Despite Mr Freedland’s insinuations, I had no dealings with the awarding of contracts for the centre; nor did I need to, because our protocol, agreed by our executive council, dictated strict value for money and employment standards, overseen by independent property experts.
This project was a sensible investment of members’ money, resulting in a world-class facility that will return an income for our union for generations to come. Far better that Unite builds its own facility than it continues to spend millions organising events at expensive commercially run premises. This project bears no resemblance to the systemic rinsing of the country going on in Westminster and Whitehall, and it is ridiculous to claim equivalence.
Len McCluskey
General secretary, Unite
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