'Bully' union leader steps down

Derek Gregory said he was the victim of a vendetta

A prominent Welsh union leader whose former secretary won a bullying case against him has announced his retirement.

Derek Gregory, regional secretary of the public service union Unison, is stepping down after 35 years as an official.

Joy Pugh said she was bullied for six years

He had faced calls for his resignation after Joy Pugh was awarded damages of almost £90,000 in a judgement at Swansea County Court.

But the union has denied any link between Mr Gregory's retirement and the outcome of the case.

The 59-year-old official, who served as regional secretary for 24 years, has been off sick since the end of January.

Mr Gregory claimed he was the victim of a personal vendetta, and had not been given the opportunity to defend himself at the court case in November 2001.

It came as an embarassment to Unison, the largest public sector union in Wales, which had spearheaded a campaign against workplace bullying.

Mrs Pugh, 48, had claimed her self-confidence was destroyed during the six years she worked for the union in Swansea.

She told the court she had suffered panic attacks, depression, sleepless nights and loss of libido as a result of her treatment at work.

The two worked together in Unison's Swansea office

She claimed that Mr Gregory was persistently rude, shouted at her, threw files around the office, and exaggerated faults in her work.

Following the judgement, a statement issued by Mr Gregory's own union, the Society of Union Employees, claimed he had been denied "natural justice".

It said he had not been told anything about the Swansea court case and had not been asked to give evidence or defend himself.

Rank-and-file anger

Opinion was split within the union, with many activists and officials calling for Mr Gregory to step down.

Three weeks after the case, about 10 Unison officials walked out of a routine meeting of the union's regional committee in Conwy, in protest at Mr Gregory.

In December, delegates representing more 60,000 Welsh Unison members meeting in Llandrindod Wells, mid Wales, passed a motion calling for the regional secretary to be suspended or redeployed.

General secretary Dave Prentis praised Mr Gregory

They were not satisfied at the decision of Unison headquarters in London to allow Mr Gregory to remain in his post while a second internal inquiry was held.

An earlier investigation had found the regional secretary innocent of all charges, but the union decided to look at the matter again following the court judgement.

A Unison spokeswoman confirmed on Friday that the inquiry was close to completion, and a report was expected soon.

In a letter to officers and branches in Wales, Unison general secretary Dave Prentis paid tribute to Mr Gregory.

"Derek's work with the Wales TUC, including his presidency and his work with the Wales Labour Party, ensured that Unison's voice and policies were always to the forefront, particularly in the campaign on behalf of low paid public service workers, " he wrote.

"I would also like to pay tribute to his work in winning support for the Welsh Assembly and helping to establish Unison as a major influence within the assembly."