n for the election

Controversy
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Hunger Strike

The participants in the 2008 rooftop hunger strike at Unite's Transport House building in Belfast, were formerly shop stewards of the Transport and General Workers Union, now the T&G section of Unite the Union.[3] The dispute is over legal fees and compensation for an unfair dismissal action against the workers' employer, arising from a 2002 strike at Belfast International Airport, and the related actions of a full-time union official employee.[4][5][6]
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Joint General Secretary Election and Merger Suspension

On the 9 October 2008 the executive council of Unite announced that there would be an election for the General Secretary (Amicus section), with a timetable of January/February 2009 for the election, the results being announced in March 2009. This election was for a fixed term until December 2010.

The Executive council also postponed the adoption of the new rule book and integration until May 2009. This action was taken in light of the potential success of a legal challenge to Simpson's extension of tenure by a "single member" of the union.[7] Jerry Hicks, a former member of the union's Executive and its General Purposes and Finance Committee and unfairly dismissed convenor of Rolls Royce at Bristol, disclosed at the outset that he was the person behind the challenge. He made the same legal challenge that Simpson deployed successfully on his predecessor Ken Jackson.[8][citation needed]

Candidates seeking nomination for the election, and their main union positions at the beginning of March 2009, were:
Derek Simpson (incumbent)[9]
Jerry Hicks (former convenor, Rolls Royce, Bristol)[10]
Laurence Faircloth (Regional Secretary, South West Region)[11]
Kevin Coyne (Regional Secretary, North West Region)[12]
Paul K. Reuter (National Officer)[13]

All candidates received sufficient nominations but Laurence Faircloth stood down after nominations closed, recommending

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