On 23rd October, the newly elected Care, Conduct and Culture group (CCC) made a decision regarding a sexual violence complaint against a member of GMTU. The panel established it was appropriate to follow the Sexual Violence and Harrassment Policy, and after this policy was applied, the CCC recommended that their membership be terminated, which has now been actioned.
This means that the expelled member cannot attend any events run or in collaboration with GMTU.
This decision follows painstaking work undertaken by the Interim Committee over the summer. The Interim Committee was elected in May 2025 and their mandate was clear and limited:
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- To immediately stand down the committee that had failed to hold the member to account
- To develop policies for transparent and fair complaints procedures going forward.
The Interim Committee conducted a review of good practice around sexual violence and harrasment policies, and a union-wide listening phase that included one to ones, write-ins, and meetings with branches and caucuses.
After this phase, new policies were developed by the Interim Committee, which were approved at the Autumn AGM.
The Sexual Violence and Harrassment Policy takes a survior-centred approach to allegations of sexual violence or harassment, and details a thorough process for the CCC to follow when dealing with allegations of sexual violence or harassment against a member.
The role of the CCC is to help build a union where we respond to conflict in a way that reflects the values we aspire to, ensuring that our spaces don’t allow for harm to be perpetuated – particularly along lines of structural oppression. The CCC is an elected group of up to 5 members, and will follow the new guidelines when dealing with concerns and complaints, ideally taking no longer than two months for a complaint to reach the decision stage.
Full guidelines and policy details are embedded within the GMTU Member Rulebook, and are also available here.
As the new committee, we are dedicated to building on the work begun by the Interim Committee. We are in full support of the CCC and are determined to strengthen the group. The decision taken by the CCC represents an important first step in seeking to right the wrongs from GMTU’s past, and we look positively on the future of the union.
Ongoing and upcoming union work
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- We are committed to building on branch wins, such as Middleton’s success in securing over £90,000 in compensation payouts from Riverside, and continuing to support branches and members fighting to take power back from landlords through collective struggle, like Rochdale’s fight against RBH.
- Through our new Training and Development plan, we have created an organiser training programme to support and recruit more tenant-organisers across the union. The next Organiser training is on 20th January. Venue to be confirmed – email Alex: alex@tenantsunion.org.uk if interested!
- The Member Organising Group pilot is also ongoing. This group will help coordinate union-wide strategic organising, working as a forum for union activists to engage in tenant organising across the union, in partnership with the staff team.
- Finally, this year we will launch our new fundraising strategy. This will be linked to membership growth and will help to ensure the long-term institutional stability and political independence of the union.
We thank all members for their continued commitment to building a stronger, fairer union. We look forward to working alongside branches, caucuses, and members in the months ahead. Together, we will ensure GMTU remains a powerful force for housing justice
In solidarity,
Nic Prescott – Chair: chair@tenantsunion.org.uk
Daniel Eales – Secretary: secretary@tenantsunion.org.uk
Grace Brown – Comms & Campaigns: comms@tenantsunion.org.uk
