LETTER: Morrice's links to Devine leave bad taste in mouth
HAVING read your recent article on Councillor Graeme Morrice, I feel it would be prudent for the constituents of Livingston and the surrounding areas to have all relevant information before making their decision on what party, or indeed which candidate, they should vote for.
Cllr Morrice is the current Labour candidate hoping to take over from the deselected Mr Devine.
He is quoted as saying: "The party made a swift decision to exclude Mr Devine from the party and I am the candidate for the seat now. We have moved on."
Mr Devine currently has two employment tribunals outstanding, both for almost a year now, and Cllr Morrice was well aware of alleged problems that were happening in Mr Devine's constituency office.
Indeed, one member of staff contacted Cllr Morrice regarding the problems. Cllr Morrice's reply at that time was that Mr Devine was their boss and they should do as they were told.
Having spent one day of employment in Mr Devine's constituency office in November 2008, Cllr Neil Findlay
e-mailed Mr Devine expressing his disgust at the MP's behaviour towards staff, the details of which have been widely published.
There is also further correspondence which was sent to various councillors including Cllr Morrice which outlined some of the problems within Mr Devine's office.
In my view, I would be very surprised if Cllr Morrice did anything to report these matters or to take the information forward given that he was Mr Devine's election agent at the time. To date, Mr Devine has gone through 14 members of staff at his constituency office.
In fact, the only person, I feel, who tried to help was Cllr Findlay, who contacted the relevant people to try to get someone to take notice of the many ongoing problems.
If Cllr Findlay had stood and been selected as the Labour candidate then I would not have to write this letter.
The Labour Party and Cllr Morrice may be able to "move on" but the two members of staff still trying to fight their case through the employment tribunals are not able to.
The hearings have been continually postponed at the MP's request, with paperwork arriving well past the stated date, or not at all, and yet this has been allowed to continue.
Mr Devine sends in medical certificates stating he is too ill to prepare for these cases yet turns up days later at court to plead his case in regards to the theft charges currently ongoing.
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Tuesday 07 February 2012
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