One of Scotland’s most prominent trade union figures has been suspended from his job.
Derek Thomson, who is the Scottish secretary of Unite, is facing an internal investigation.
No details have been given publicly about the allegations but the Sunday Mail reported they concern historic allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards women.
The union said such claims were taken seriously and dealt with appropriately. Unite is the biggest union in Scotland with about 150,000 members.
Thomson was confirmed as Unite’s Scottish secretary in 2023 and has served as a key spokesperson for the union on major industrial matters.
Since late 2024 he has been an outspoken critic of management and governments for not doing enough to protect jobs at the Grangemouth refinery.
The Sunday Mail quoted insiders who said the suspension concerns matters that took place a number of years ago, but have now resurfaced.
Internal feud
The paper also reported there had been infighting within Unite between supporters of current general secretary Sharon Graham and her predecessor Len McCluskey.
Following McCluskey’s decision to retire in 2021, Graham launched a series of internal investigations, one of which found he had received flights and football tickets arranged by a firm building a multi-million pound hotel for the union.
McCluskey has denied wrongdoing.
A source told the paper that Thomson and Graham were allies, but the allegations were not necessarily connected to the internal feud and that any claims of inappropriate behaviour should be thoroughly investigated.
