They warn any attempt to “reboot” the petition would be considered invalid.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has issued a warning to its members following alleged petition fraud to trigger a no confidence vote in the union.
A petition calling for a vote of no confidence in the RCN’s senior leadership team, including Chief Executive and General Secretary Pat Cullen, was launched just hours after the RCN actively urged its members to accept a proposed 5% pay deal.
On Thursday it was claimed in a public statement by the petitioners that the required 1,000 signatures had been achieved and submitted to the union. However, just hours later, the union claimed “hundreds” of names, including that of a deceased member, were added “fraudulently” to the petition and has now deemed it “invalidated”.
A new “anonymous” petition has since appeared.
A grotesque act.
A spokesperson for the RCN issued a warning to members yesterday evening that any attempts to “reboot” the petition would also be considered invalid.
In the statement sent to NursingNotes, they explained, “We have reason to believe hundreds of names were fraudulently added to the petition. It would be a grotesque act and against the spirit and purpose of the EGM mechanism.
“This will be forensically examined from Monday, and we will seek justice and clarity for members. Attempts to reboot the petition with an even greater cloak of anonymity will be considered invalid too.
The spokesperson added that “Individuals with concerns should contact governance.support@rcn.org.uk”
RCN members will be able to vote on the proposed 5% NHS pay deal in the coming week.
