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NIPSA General Secretary Election: Vote Carmel Gates

NIPSA General Secretary Election: Vote Carmel Gates
Date:2007 c.
Organisation: Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance
Author:Carmel Gates
Type:Leaflet
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Discuss:Comments on this document
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Commentary From The Cedar Lounge Revolution

25th July 2022

Many thanks to the person who forwarded this to the Archive.

As noted previously the Archive is keen to expand its collection of documents relating to trade union campaigns and activism.

This is a leaflet from the election for General Secretary of NIPSA, the Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance. As wiki notes:

The Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance (NIPSA) is a trade union in Northern Ireland affiliated to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. It is the largest trade union in Northern Ireland, with around 46,000 members, and is organised into two groups, the Civil Service Group, for the staff of public bodies employed on civil service terms and conditions, and the Public Officers Group, for employees of education and library boards, health and social services boards, the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, district councils, other public bodies and voluntary organisations.

Carmel Gates was General Secretary in the early 2000s and ran again in 2007. The Time for Change group was a ‘campaigning group fo NIPSA activists who want to build NIPSA into a fighting democratic union’. We’d appreciate any further information on the timeline of this.

Interestingly Carmel Gates won election as General Secretary of NIPSA last year. She is a supporter of Militant Left (CWI in Ireland) .

Comments

  • Michael McKeown

    Carmel Gates was not General Secretary in the early 2000s as stated here. She ran an unsuccessful campaign in 2007 but was elected ( by a minority of those voting ) at her subsequent attempt i

    By: Michael McKeown | 25th September 2023, 9:00am

    Carmel Gates was not General Secretary in the early 2000s. She stood unsuccessfully for election for the first time in 2007 before getting elected by a minority of those voting several years ago. The “Time for Change” group was a Trotskyist front set up and controlled by the Socialist Party, formerly known as Militant Tendency, which Ms Gates was a long-standing member of. The name has changed from time to time, eg to “ Broad Left”, but the leadership and agenda did not. Ms Gates campaigned twice for General Secretary on the Socialist Party policy of senior officials taking only a “ worker’s wage”, but has gone silent on this pledge since election. She is currently paid more than double the average Nipsa member’s salary.

    Reply to this comment

  • George McIlvenny Sr

    Carmel Gates was elected by a large majority, not a minority of those voting.

    By: George McIlvenny Sr | 19th March 2024, 7:43pm

    Carmel Gates was elected as general secretary getting 43.9% of the vote, with the other candidates getting 34.4, 11.8 and 9.9 respectively - this is not a minority share and gave her a majority of 9.5%. NIPSA's General Secretary, and indeed all the NIPSA officials, are low paid compared to other trade union officials, due to pay being pegged to NICS payscales. Ms Gates did not campaign on the grounds that she would only take a workers wage - this was a campaigning point for Ms Gates Partner and one of the current Deputy General Secretary's of NIPSA, Patrick Mulholland, when he unsuccessfully ran to be general secretary in 2017.

    Reply to this comment

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  • By: Anonymous Thu, 28 Sep 2023 08:18:05

    Carmel Gates was not General Secretary in the early 2000s as claimed above. She stood unsuccessfully for election for the first time in 2007. She was successful at her second attempt in 2021, despite gaining only a minority of total votes cast. “ Time for Change” was a Trotskyist front group, which from time to time changed its name to “Nipsa Broad Left”, set up and controlled by Ms Gates and other members of the Socialist Party, formerly known as Militant Tendency. Ms Gates campaigned on the Socialist Party policy that senior officials should take only a “ worker’s wage” but has gone silent on this pledge since election.

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  • By: WorldbyStorm Thu, 28 Sep 2023 09:29:18

    In reply to Anonymous.

    Thanks for the clarification, the post has been amended to reflect she wasn’t General Secretary in the early 2000s.

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