Previous Stories

Have you heard of Transport minister John Spellar? Well neither has his boss. Blair told amicus general secretary Derek Simpson "I don't really know him" when confronted with evidence of Spellar's support for the infamous and crooked Jackson re-election campaign (see story below). Derek had asked the Prime Minister why a busy Transport minister should spend so much time meddling in the union election. Sir Ken Jackson was subsequently defeated by Derek Simpson in the union ballot.
[Guardian]"Snub for minister in election row "
[Independent]"Blair urged to stop minister 'meddling' in union hit by vote-rigging scandal"
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 4th October 2002

Jackson Presided Over Vote Rigging Scandal
Two Jobs Jackson, defeated leader of the AEEU, presided at a meeting which plotted to rig his re-election as general secretary.
Roger "I have notes and dates and diaries" Maskell, ex-full time official and ex-Jackson supporter, says he discussed with Sir Ken a scam to transfer officials between branches so as to nominate him more than once.

In a separate statement, Chris Joy, the union's Head of Information Systems, said he was ordered to block emails sent by Mr Simpson and to access his Derby office computer when he was absent.

Derek Simpson who beat Sir Ken in the election plans to conduct an internal inquiry when he takes office in January.
[Guardian]"Jackson 'deeply involved' in vote rigging scandal"
[Independent]"Union boss 'plotted to fix election'"
[Independent]"Bitter twist in union vote-fixing scandal"
[AEEU Election Special]
[Guardian]"Union will not budge on 'ballot rigging' "
[Independent]"Jackson supporters reject demand for inquiry "
NEW[Independent]"Jackson urged to tell what he knows"
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 1st October 2002, Updated 9th October

Unexpelled Member Speaks Out
We publish today the speech made by David Beaumont at last Saturday's London Regional Council. David is the only member ever to be expelled from amicus and the only to be re-instated. He was attending his first meeting in seven months. Some choice quotes:

"Don't hesitate to use reactionary laws against a reactionary union leadership"

"the fact that your Appeal has been allowed concludes the internal procedure, so that in fact, no disciplinary action has been taken against you by my clients." amicus solicitors

"This union is being run like a corporation, disciplining and firing members as if they were employees, forcing them to go to Employment Tribunals to get justice. " David Beaumont

[Speech]
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 25th September 2002

Foot in Lyons' Mouth
Joint general secretary Roger Lyons embarrassed himself and amicus again with his speech at the TUC defending Blair's war line. He regurgitated a fabricated story from the last war on Iraq about Iraqi soldiers 'stealing baby incubators' in front of an amazed TUC. Lyons is fast becoming a regular item in Private Eye.
[Private Eye]
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 22nd September 2002

Will Unions Prosper in Cyberspace?
The leading Industrial Relations journal in the UK has published a paper about how the internet can enhance union democracy. The document, by Harvard Professor RB Freeman, cites as an example the anti-corruption site www.rogerlyons.com, a sister to this web site. Freeman lectures at the London School of Economics and is a foremost authority in the field of trade union studies.

The paper builds on the pioneering work 'E-collectivism: on-line action and on-line mobilization' by John Hogan and Anne Marie Greene, now published in the book "Organising in the Information Age", which used rogerlyons.com as a case study.

John Hogan is giving evidence at the forthcoming Employment Tribunal brought by the web site author David Beaumont against the amicus MSF Executive.
[rogerlyons.com receives academic praise]
[British Journal of Industrial Relations]
["Organising in the Information Age"]
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 22nd September 2002

Weapons Inspections not War
Truth stranger than ficton: Bush pesters Cheney to invade - The Onion; Bush planned Iraq 'regime change' before becoming President - Sunday Herald.
Meanwhile the last vestige of an ethical foreign policy has been quitely buried as Blair increases aid to the military regime in Nepal by 1,000% and buys them Russian military helicopters!
Stop the War demonstration Saturday 28th September 1pm Embankment, London
[War fact sheet]
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 19th September 2002

Unexpelled!
The first person ever to be expelled from amicus was today un-expelled in a surprise move by the amicus MSF National Executive Committee, the very same body that threw him out in February. It appears that the NEC have obtained legal advice indicating their expulsion was illegal. David will attend his first Regional Council meeting in 8 months this Saturday.
[Full Story]
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 15th September 2002

Happy Birthday Roger
Today is amicus MSF's general secretary Roger Lyon's 60th Birthday, the union are celebrating with a slap up party for him at their residential Whitehall College. An MSF branch meeting was told their Health and Safety course, booked and confirmed at the union's college, would have to finish early on Saturday not Sunday as planned, cutting approximately one third off it. In the evening MSF are planning instead to have a birthday celebration for Roger's 60th. www.rogerlyons.com have done a commemorative front page for the occasion.

This story was reported in the Guardian yesterday, which kindly mentioned our website, resulting in one of our busiest days ever. LYONSweb now receives around 2,000 visits a month, independently measured. To see the statistics click on this icon at the very bottom left of this page.
[Full Story]
[Guardian Diary]
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 14th September 2002

Amicus aims to oust Ken Livingstone (again!)
Not content with colluding with Tony Blair first time round to prevent Ken Livingstone being nominated for London mayor, amicus are at it again. We discover that prominent amicus official and rightwinger Bob Shannon is to stand against Ken this time round. 'Bob the Baker' is expected to come last and may even get less votes than the number of spoilt papers marked 'Ken'.
[Guardian article]
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 15th September 2002

Lyons in Blackpool
Amicus Joint general secretary Roger Lyons was the only trade union leader to be seen in the bar of the Blackpool Hilton on the night Tony Blair checked in. Most everyone else was either excluded for security reasons or stayed willingly away from this undignified troughing session dominated by jounalists, PRs and Prada suited Blairite apparatchiks. The event was presided over by Labour party chair, Charlie "Keeping people as friends is not the important thing" Clark and secretary David Triesman. Friend Lyons was treating an entire table of Blairites to Chardonnay.
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 15th September 2002

MSF President Speaks
LYONSweb publishes today in full the speech made by the MSF President at this year's Annual Conference. General Secretary Lyons refused to print the speech, officially banned it and said he will sue anyone who publishes it. Even LYONSweb has had to remove 4 words identifying the NEC member 'who has embezzled the union'.
President Laurence Galbraith on finances:

"Where has all our property gone?"

[Full Story]
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 11th September 2002

Lyons tries to stay until 2007
The Financial Times reports that Roger Lyons is seeking to extend his term in office to balance the influence of his newly elected left-wing colleague Derek Simpson. Lyons had previously agreed to stand down in 2003, as noted by the MSF President in his speech [see above]. LYONSweb are investigating how Lyons will have managed to stay for 10 years without election. Elections are normally due every 5 years. It's all to do with clever timing.
[Financial Times]
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 11th September 2002

Bloodsports at MSF documented
Trade Union Review have published a definitive history of the witch hunts carried out by amicus General Secretary Lyons against his own members. The article is by Hugh MacGrillen, a target of the hunt and suspended Secretary of amicus MSF London Region.
[Trade Union Review]
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 30th August 2002

Lord Jackson
The Sunday Times reports that Sir Ken Jackson, the never-elected ex-head of amicus AEEU and chair of NIREX the nuclear waste disposers, will be in ermine next summer.
[Sunday Times article]
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 27th August 2002

Lyons, EATs, buns and Shorts
Roger Lyons, joint General Secretary of amicus, is beginning to attract bad publicity like flies to a dying dog. Today Private Eye published a damning article about his breaches of rule in the three million pound Shorts case. Also today at an Employment Tribunal hearing it looks like Lyons may be done for breaking the law in the first ever expulsion of a member from amicus MSF. A full four day public hearing has been set to start on 14th October.

LYONSweb EXCLUSIVE: The latter will be particularly embarrassing for Lyons as coincidently he has applied for a senior post on the Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT). We hear he was rejected embarrassingly early on in the process (quite probably because of his famous 25p bun expense claim, quite possibly over the website that bears his name, www.rogerlyons.com). One of the questions the Great Bun Buyer had to answer was "Are you aware of anything in your private or professional life, which would be a source of embarrassment to you or the Lord Chancellor if it became known in the event of your appointment." No worries there then.

Amazingly however the interview panel, headed by High Court Judge Sir John Lindsey, was allegedly informed that rejecting Lyons was the 'wrong answer'. Lord Chancellor Lord Irvine, no stranger to expense claims himself (£650,000 of public money decorating his flat, £59,000 on wallpaper - bargain!), "deals personally with the resourcing of his Departments, all appointments judicial or otherwise". Now, to comply with Nolan rules, we are told his department are having to re-interview all of the final 18 rejected candidates and they don't seem too happy about it... A decision is expected by October.

Looks like Lyons' judicial appointment might coincide with him being branded a law breaker by the very tribunal he hopes to sit above.
[Private Eye article]
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 22nd August 2002

AEEU executive ratifies election
The right wing executive of AEEU have finally conceded Derek Simpson's election as head of the union in a deliberately low key announcement. In accordance with accepted practice they have also nominated Simpson to replace One Job Jackson on the Trade Union Council with effect from September. They have published a very partial report about the 8 Sir Ken employees who rigged the election (7 of whom have kept their jobs despite being found guilty), which attempts to imply that both sides were at it. More soon.
Union officials confirm..
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 15th August 2002

PCS union High Court decision
At lunchtime today the High Court agreed with Mark Serwotka that he is the elected General Secretary of the civil service union PCS, despite the right wing attempted coup against him.
The Guardian Includes mention of the NATO connection
"Leader who asked for less" - The Guardian
BBC News
Popular Front for the Liberation of the PCS
Mark Serwotka Press Release
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 31st July 2002

Lyons' leaked legal advice
There have been strong rumours that the right wing rump of the AEEU executive are planning to annul the election and call another one without Jackson (as predicted on this website). This may be aimed at getting Bob Shannon elected. The MSF side of amicus have taken the extraordinary step of obtaining legal advice to prevent it. Read Lyons' leaked letter to Jackson here.
Read the fudgey statement on the official AEEU web site
Meanwhile Simpson meets Blair for private talks - The Guardian
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 30th July 2002

Blair offers peerage to Edmonds (GMB)
Confirmed by the GMB union and the Sunday Times. Article here. John Edmonds turned it down, good for him. Lord Lyons of amicus MSF is Blair's only surviving pet trade union leader - Official.
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 30th July 2002

Lyons found guilty (again)
Roger Lyons, joint general secretary of amicus, has again been found guilty again of breaking the rules of his union. A report by the Independent Trade Union Certification Officer concluded that two sacked shop stewards, Frank Cammock and Kevin Doherty, were denied natural justice and the union had "no excuse for acting outside its own disciplinary procedures".

The Certification Officer makes six declarations of breaches of rule by amicus MSF, four by the general secretary himself and two by the Executive Committee. We believe the motivation for getting rid of the shop stewards may be to push through a sweetheart single union deal in 2004. This would be bitterly opposed by the staff, TGWU, GMB-APEX, UCATT and quite likely by the new amicus general secretary, Derek Simpson.

"Union boss slammed over ulster suspensions" - The Belfast Telegraph
Read the full report - Trade Union Certification Office
"Aerospace firm complained about MSF personnel" - The Belfast Telegraph
"Corrupt Employer, Corrupt Union, or both together?" - MSFweb
NEW "Union ordered to reinstate shop stewards in Shorts" - The Post (Eire)
"Paid-off shop stewards in bid to get jobs back" - The Belfast Telegraph
www.rogerlyons.com - Web site dedicated to the corruption in MSF
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 24th July 2002

Jackson concedes
Good riddance. Below we list his achievements for the labour movement:

Meanwhile every silver lining has its cloud: "Lyons may stay 'till 2007" - The Financial Times
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 21st July 2002

amicus AEEU Election special
All the election coverage from this website has been combined into one web page, including newspaper links, cartoons, leaked documents and photographs. Read about the recounts, the walkouts, the legal advice that forced the ageing Jackson to stand, all from the first news source to announce that Derek Simpson had won, and again that Jackson finally conceded. Including a NEW article about NATO interference in the election

[Election Special]
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 31st July 2002

Minutes of the last MSF AEEU joint meeting
LYONSweb has obtained MSF John Gardner's minutes of the latest MSF-AEEU unamicable joint meeting at Millbank Tower. Gardner puts it mildly: "Once again a gathering of two unlike minded people". Apparently no one has told the MSF delegates that it is a take-over, not a merger. Sir Ken "went on to question in a negative manner the 3% pay offer to officers and staff and the £325K cost of harmonising our salaries".

[an unamicable meeting]
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 15th May 2002

Antisemitism charge rebutted
Eight prominent Jewish MSF members have now written to complain about amicus-MSF's first ever expulsion. David Beaumont, author of the anti-corruption website www.rogerlyons.com was expelled by Lyons for racism against Jews, after he had exposed Lyon's innumerable expense claims with the music "If I were a rich man". Really the charge was a cynical attempt to bypass the protection afforded to David by the MSF rule book. Read today's Guardian Diary on the subject here. Read the letter here.
NEW Guardian letters page. Original LYONSweb story below. Read the original musical note:

[If I were a rich man]
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 15th May 2002

Justice in Palestine
What passes for justice in Palestine today. WARNING: Contains shocking images. See also 'Peace Israeli style' and Israel: London Region express horror from April 2001.

[justice in palestine]
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 1st May 2002

Lyons slates Jackson (Amicus turns to Inimicus)
Roger Lyons, General Secretary of amicus-MSF union, has chucked his toys out of the amicus pram and called off joint meetings with amicus-AEEU. In two remarkably child-like letters leaked to www.rogerlyons.com and published here, Lyons complains that the busy Sir Ken Jackson (aka Two Jobs Jackson), general secretary of amicus-AEEU, turned up an hour and forty five minutes late for a joint meeting, then left after only fifteen minutes. [Well he does have that nuclear waste to look after]

In another extraordinary eruption, expenses-loving Lyons accuses Jackson of leaking confidential financial documents to Lyons' Guardian nemesis, journalist David Hencke, exposer of Lyon's famous 25p bun expense claim. Lyons finishes petulantly by proclaiming that all joint meetings are "suspended until the Joint Executive has a full opportunity to discuss this matter".

[Read the full story]
[Tomorrow's Guardian Diary]
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 11th April 2002

Union leading pensions attack has own 'black hole'
Based on leaked minutes of the MSF's Finance and General Purposes committee, this Guardian article reveals more incompetence and/or hypocrisy from amicus-MSF's leadership.
[Guardian article]
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 6th April 2002

Suspended MSF activist wins tribunal
Amicus MSF was yesterday forced to withdraw its appeal against the Certification Officer's ruling that its suspension of NEC member Susan Michie must be lifted. Back in 2000, in what was seen as a blatant exhibition of the corruption within MSF, Dr Michie was suspended the day after she won election to MSF's ruling National Executive Committee.

Also yesterday, Jim Mortimer, ex General Secretary of the Labour Party, and Paul Murrell, treasurer of amicus MSF London Region, were turned away at the door of the union by General Secretary Lyons as they attempted to exercise their rights under MSF rule 56 to inspect the financial accounts.
[Morning Star article]
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 27 March 2002

FIRST MEMBER EXPELLED FROM 'amicus'
A union where the Head of Finance was stealing £10,000 a year with fake expense claims and the General Secretary was claiming expenses worth a fifth of his £88,000 salary, has terminated the membership of David Beaumont. David is author of the anti-corruption website www.rogerlyons.com and has been an active union member for 20 years.
[Full Story]
[Press release]
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 3rd March 2002

WWW.ROGERLYONS.COM wins academic praise
An Academic study says rogerlyons.com "stands as one of the most extensive examples of the auditing, archiving and mobilising capacity of a contemporary lay activist web site". Aside from this praise, the University of London study contains an important message for activists wishing to re-invigorate a corrupted and dying union like Amicus:

"One of the established pre-requisites for renewal is the need for union structures and leadership to be accountable and more representative, allowing increased member participation in decision-making and policy formulation." You can do all the ground work you like on the shop floor, if you let the corrupt Right have air supremacy in the structures, it's wasted.
[Full Story]
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 13th February 2002

NEC MEMBER GETS SIX YEARS
Former President of MSF London Region Dr Sue Michie has been banned from office for six years at a National Executive Committee meeting at the weekend. Two years ago Sue was resoundingly elected to the NEC on an anti-corruption ticket, in a postal ballot of members. Immediately the NEC prevented her from taking her seat by suspending her from all office the day after she was elected.

[Full Story, Guardian article & letter, MSF leadership in the gutter, History of Witch Hunts. UPDATED]
[LRDC Press Release]
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 1st & 13th February 2002

Secret Fisher Report
The secret H.W. Fisher report into corruption at MSF became available as a result of a Certification Officer hearing, however members had to write in personally to Lyons to obtain one. Here we have saved you that trouble and published it in full (albeit with censored passages and removed appendices), and added a brief analysis. Amongst other things the report reveals extraordinary details of how John Gardner, head of the finance committee, perpetrated cover ups, overruled Paul Talbot and frustrated the will of the auditors.

[Full Story]
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 16th January 2002

Young Lyons
In defiance of moves by Lyons to expel him, the author of the anti corruption site www.rogerlyons.com today publishes an hilarious letter from a Young Roger Lyons to the then head of the union, Clive Jenkins. In it Lyons complains about his salary, life in general and Liverpool in particular.

[Full Story]
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 16th January 2002

www.amicus-union.org.uk
Coming shortly - A new website for a new union. Web sites, like corruption, never end.
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 8th January 2002

Updated Enron - Lyons washes hands
Thousands of Enron workers' prospects were written off last Thursday by Roger Lyons, head of MSF. Faced with losing their jobs because of the collapse of this multi-national, Lyons said that because their unionisation rate is very low, the workers deserve everything they get and have brought it on themselves. Lyons was interviewed by the London radio station, News Direct. Thanks to MSF's new interpretation of our rules, if they were to join MSF they would be now be denied support on issues arising within the first 6 months. Will this help recruitment in a union that has already lost 17% of its membership since the merger ballot?
Updated: Bush and Enron
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 1st February 2002

Terminator Lyons
Having discovered that he is unable to close down the anti-corruption web sites Lyonsweb and Rogerlyons.com, Lyons has moved to terminate the membership of the owner of the sites, ex MSF London Region treasurer and Chair of Hounslow and Feltham branch, David Beaumont.

NEW Guardian Diary article here.

This from a corrupted union where the Head of Finance was stealing £10,000 a year with fake expense claims and the General Secretary was claiming expenses worth a fifth of his £88,000 salary.

In an extraordinary series of letters a clearly irate Lyons accuses David of:
1) "unacceptable use of the name "Lyons" in "Lyonsweb""
2) "Misusing MSF property through the publication of an extract from a confidential internal union report."
3) Anti-Semitism by the use of the music "If I were a Rich Man"
4) Improper use of the MSF First trademark to create the impression of an official web site.
[Full Story]
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 8th November 2001

Stop the War
On Saturday MSF London Region discussed the war, read the resulting motion here . The next demonstration against the killings is on Sunday 18th November
"Killing Bin Laden to stop terrorism is like killing Colonel Saunders to stop Kentucky Fried Chicken" US Intelligence official.
Updated: Bin Laden 2998, Bush 3767
NEW: List of countries the USA has bombed since the end of World War II (26 "police actions"!)
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 1st February 2002

Operation 'Blind Fury' begins
The overriding message from the UN General Assembly debate over terrorism is that retribution should be secondary to building a global alliance that addresses the causes of violence - and that this alliance should be led by the United Nations, not the United States.
"Everyone has the right...to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." Universal Declaration of Human Rights, courtesy of 'Radio Liberty' (aka the CIA). In that spirit here are some alternative websites for trade unionists to follow our country's war against Afghanistan and Dr No. Please send us any you recommend.
1) A sane US view: www.michaelmoore.com
2) Up to date News (China borders Afghanistan although I promise you won't see that on any BBC maps): www.chinadaily.com.cn
3) Military: www.aeronautics.ru (Russian) Good technical coverage, Excellent biography of Usamah bin Muhammad bin Laden.
4) More news, updated every few minutes, this time from neighbour Iran: Iranian news service.
5) UK Stop the War: www.stopwar.org.uk
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 8th October 2001

Boyfriend
We announce today the name of the new merged union, the product of the AEEU and MSF. It is to be called 'Amicus', the Latin for male friend (female friend = 'Amica'). The name was chosen because it comes top in alphabetic union listings and matches well with plans to market American Express cards to members (that last bit is not serious). Check these brief articles: The Observer and the Independent on Sunday . Take the "million members" and the "Super" quotes with a pinch of salt.
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 30th September 2001

Merger signed
The Instrument of Amalgamation for the merger with the AEEU has now been signed. There was an "agreement" at the TUC that Lyons would stay on until 31/12/2004, just long enough for him to take his turn as TUC President. A Deputy GS would take up office for MSF in September 2003 when Lyons gets the TUC Presidency, and the AEEU would elect a new GS.
PS Coming soon to www.rogerlyons.com , in tribute to Lyons' retirement from work if not yet office: Young Lyons: The tough Liverpool Years.
Updated by www.rogerlyons.com on 17th September 2001

Hunt for the 'Invisible Mendes'
Police are likely to investigate MSF's ex-Head of Finance Nelson Mendes. The Trade Union Certification Officer's damning report into corruption allegations at MSF ensured this story will not go away. The report has revealed that union officials lied to cover up the theft of tens of thousands of pounds by Mendes. MSF London Regional Council's executive have requested that the Police and DPP investigate the theft, estimated at £10,000 for 1997 alone, and the subsequent conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. This was passed by a very large majority at a packed Council meeting on Saturday. The CO report can hardly be said to clear Lyons (Metro article: Lyons 'cleared') , and in the case of the failed businessman, NEC member and Chair of the Finance Committee John Gardner, the report has raised more questions than answers.
[Full Story]
Updated by www.rogerlyons.com on 18th August 2001

The Future of the NHS - A Concerned Lay Members Response
Ray Stewart, Scottish Delegate to MSF NHSNAC writes
[Full Story]
Updated by www.rogerlyons.com on 17th August 2001

Health Revolt Special Report
An update on MSF's leadership's apparently bungled attempts to abandon our clear conference policy of opposition to privatisation of the Health Service. Including the famous Press Release, the confidential follow up memo and two articles from the respected 'Health Service Journal'.
[Full Story]
Updated by www.rogerlyons.com on 9th August 2001

Certification Office: Special Report on Corruption in MSF
Unlike the official MSF web site, this site has published the entire Certification Officer's report into MSF, which is highly critical of MSF General Secretary Lyons and his ex-Finance chief, Nelson Mendes. The report also considers allegations of corruption against John Gardner, failed businessman, NEC member and Chair of MSF's General Purposes and Finance Committee.
[Full Story]
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 6th August 2001

Previous stories
Censored!, More threats to www.rogerlyons.com, NEC expenses, the stooge website www.leoniecooper.com, Election rigging scandal, Budget cut threat to Health sector, Shorts Belfast etc... [previous stories]
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 10-Mar-2001