GMB union launches investigation after Tim Roache abruptly resigns from general secretary role
Tim Roache quit as GMB boss on Tuesday night.
2 min read
The GMB union has launched an investigation into its former general secretary after he abruptly resigned from the role.
Tim Roache quit as head of the major union on Tuesday night, less than six months after being overwhelmingly re-elected as its chief.
The union on Wednesday issued a fresh statement detailing the health condition that has been affecting Mr Roache, and confirmed GMB regional secretary John Phillips would be stepping up in an acting capacity “with immediate effect”.
GMB also confirmed it would launch an internal investigation after receiving an “anonymous letter” a week ago making “a number of allegations about Tim’s conduct” while he held the top union job.
The GMB statement said: “Tim was diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E.) some years ago, which has previously resulted in two years’ sickness absence from work.
“Having been signed off by medical professionals earlier this week, Tim was advised to refrain completely from work – and has now taken the difficult decision to stand down from the role permanently, indicating that he does not feel mentally or physically able to continue to lead our union.”
And it added: “GMB received an anonymous letter, last Wednesday, in which a number of allegations have been made about Tim's conduct whilst he held the office of General Secretary.
“An investigation has been launched and it is not appropriate to comment further pending the outcome of that investigation.Complaints which are brought to our attention will be dealt with appropriately in line with our policies and procedures and with appropriate regard to fairness and sensitivity.”
PoliticsHome understands that Mr Roache resigned at around 4pm on Tuesday as head of the union, which boasts 620,000 members and is affiliated to the Labour Party.
The GMB threw its weight behind Lisa Nandy in this year’s race to be Labour leader.
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