New bakers' president wins support of just 2.9 percent of the members

Full time officer Ian Hodson has been elected president of the Bakers, Food, and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) - despite winning the support of less than three percent of the union's members.
Hodson beat ten other candidates in a first past the post election.
21,923 ballot papers were distributed and 3,392 votes cast.
Hodson received 645 votes, 14 more than his nearest rival Tony Richardson. The result was confirmed after a re-count.
The new president will take over from Ronnie Draper was elected general secretary in August.
In the general secretary ballot to replace Joe Marino - who had held the job for 31 years - Richardson finished second and Hodson third. In that poll both received more than 800 votes.
New president Hodson was elected a full time official in 2002 after 14 years working for Burtons Foods on the shop floor, and holding the union positions of shop steward, health and safety rep, branch chair and branch secretary.
Ian Hodson's election statement
The full results of both elections are on the BFAWU website.
The election campaign was reported on The Workers United.

Preparations underway for national protest against cuts before Christmas

Plans are being made to hold a national demonstration against the UK cuts before Christmas - even though the leaders of the trade union movement rejected the idea earlier this month.
The general council of the Trades Union Congress decided to organise a protest in March next year.
Some members of the council wanted a quicker response - as reported on The Workers United.
And the executive of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) met on October 26 and agreed to push ahead with plans for a national demo.
A briefing from PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka and president Janice Godrich posted on the union's website says they will be asking the TUC public sector liaison group meeting on Monday November 8 to organise a protest within six weeks.
I understand the call will be for a national demonstration outside London.
It follows protests across the country last weekend - which were particularly successful in Edinburgh and Belfast.
If the TUC public services group does not endorse the plan I understand the demonstration will be organised by the Trade Union Co-ordinating Group (TUCG).
The TUCG is an alliance of eight unions who work together, primarily on parliamentary lobbying through the office of left-wing Labour MP John McDonnell.
The members of the co-ordinating group are the Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU), the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), the National Association of Probation Officers (NAPO), the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), PCS, the Prison Officers Association (POA), the Rail Martime and Transport union (RMT) and the United Road Transport Union (URTU).
The Trade Union Co-ordinating Group doesn't have a website - but here's a blog post about its launch.

Not quite a dozen seek bakers' top job

Eleven candidates are battling it out to become the new national president of the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU).
The full-time job, voted for by the union’s 28,000 strong membership, is vacant because the incumbent Ronnie Draper was elected general secretary in August.
The ballot closes on October 29. Two women and nine men have been nominated for the post.
Read their election statements.
Draper will replace Joe Marino who has been general secretary for 31 years.
The Bakers’ Union is traditionally on the left of the Labour movement. It is affiliated to the Labour Representation Committee as well as the Labour Party.
In May of this year Marino and Draper wrote to Labour MPs urging them to nominate left-winger John McDonnell to be party leader.
Draper beat three other candidates to the job of general secretary in a first-past-the-post election with a 15.5 percent turnout.
Two of the defeated candidates – Tony Richardson and Ian Hodson – are also running to be president.
BFAWU general secretary election result.