A Scottish singer has taken to the stage as an opening act for Take That - after Scottish presenter Ross King heard him performing in a hotel bar before the show.
14.04.2024 - 03:49 / dailyrecord.co.uk
THE HEAD of one of the country’s largest trade unions was found to have bullied and harassed a woman a year before he took the top job.
An investigation by the Sunday Mail has discovered evidence that Gary Smith, who was the GMB’s Scottish secretary at the time, had four counts of wrongdoing upheld against him.
But despite the recommendations of an external HR consultant that he should be disciplined, he was elected to the £148,000-a-year top job at the head of the GMB months later in June 2021.
And the GMB’s most senior woman, Barbara Plant - described by Smith as “the union’s moral compass” – is alleged to have failed to take any steps to intervene in his rise to the top job despite knowing he was in the middle of the disciplinary process.
The Sunday Mail has spoken to more than a dozen people with knowledge of the investigation, the issuing of gagging orders to staff involved and the hiring of lawyers and KCs to try and improve the GMB but most were too afraid to speak out.
The revelations come at a time of increased scrutiny of the GMB and how they’ve handled bullying and sexual harassment allegations including protests from staff at inaction over a report in 2020 from a KC which found the union “institutionally sexist”.
The details about Smith’s bullying and harassment are contained in documents seen by the Sunday Mail from July 2020.
The documents show how he was found to have subjected a senior GMB woman to a campaign of bullying and harassment which included spreading malicious rumours about her, subjecting her to unnecessary levels of scrutiny, unfairly suggesting she had committed financial wrongdoing and undermined her in front of her colleagues. All of the complaints against him were upheld.
Two months after Smith
A Scottish singer has taken to the stage as an opening act for Take That - after Scottish presenter Ross King heard him performing in a hotel bar before the show.
Olly Murs has left Scots fans gutted after announcing he will not be performing at the Hydro this evening - just as doors were set to open.
A special reunion is being planned at Threave Garden and Estate.
Leanne Crichton claims Celtic boss Elena Sadiku was "naive" with her critical post match comments after her side lost in their Scottish Cup semi-final.
Derek Ferguson has warned Rangers captain James Tavernier he must learn from Jordan Henderson and his Saudi Pro League misstep.
Humza Yousaf has cancelled a planned speech he was due to give in Glasgow today as the First Minister battles to save his job.
Cold and frosty mornings after freezing overnight temperatures are forecast in parts of the UK this week, with conditions set to plunge to as low as -3C.
Schools across Scotland could be shut by a wave of strike action as a trade union today escalated a dispute over pay for council workers.
A man has been charged eight months after a fatal crash in the Borders that killed one woman and left three others injured.
A new restaurant is appealing to a family of eight to come forward after they left without paying for a £329 bill.
Tom Holland and his brother Harry Holland were pictured arriving at the opening night of the Sands: International Film Festival of St Andrews. The Scottish film festival is set to take place over three days.
Steven Naismith reckons Rangers and Philippe Clement were lucky to dodge a couple of heavy blows earlier in the campaign.
A high-ranking member of an organised crime group that trafficked heroin and cocaine has been convicted after he was extradited from Portugal.
A pilot scheme to hold Scots rape trials without juries present would not go ahead until late 2028, the Justice Secretary has indicated.
Laura Anderson shot to fame on Love Island back in 2018 and she’s now one of the most well-kent faces in Scottish showbiz. Ahead of getting her big break on the ITV2 reality dating show, Stirling-born Laura worked as a hairdresser and then cabin crew for Emirates.
Since being adapted for the small screen from Diana Gabaldon's book series, Outlander has become one of the world's most renowned TV shows. However, things could have been very different had earlier plans been executed.
Livingston boss David Martindale has thanked Hearts for loaning them Michael McGovern after the goalkeeper was recalled by the Tynecastle club.
The chief executive of Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) is stepping down as it faces ongoing challenges with its fleet.
An SNP minister has warned of "hysteria" gripping Scots over new hate crime laws after it emerged police received 3,000 complaints in just two days.
Police Scotland will not take further action against JK Rowling after the force received complaints over her blistering attack on Scotland's new hate crime laws.