It appears that Sharon Graham’s leadership is failing to support the Chair of the Health RISC of London and Eastern, Mark Dunne. Mark Dunne, a mental health nurse of 25 years service, has been subject to a sham redundancy by East London Foundation Trust which removed him from post in July.
Mark Dunne has been Unite Branch Secretary and Staff Side Chair of East London Foundation Trust (ELFT) for x years. He has been a leading figure in Unite in Health and has been responsible for driving forwards an organising and campaigning agenda in the London & Eastern Region. Mark drove the ballot for ELFT to come out on strike in the pay dispute in 2022/23, and has driven work to develop, coordinate and organise health branches across London. He has been a loud voice against the cuts imposed on mental health services, and was in the process of organising a campaign against the £25 million pound cuts planned for ELFT this year.
As a result, Mark has been targeted by his Trust leadership who deleted Mark Dunne’s job despite the position still being needed. Mark was elected to be Staff side Chair in 2020, and still had 12 months left on his term of office. He was terminated on 29th despite protests from ELFT Branch. This is a clear case of a leading NHS trade union representative being victimised for their activism.
Silence from Unite
Shamefully, despite Sharon Graham’s leaderships claim to be for workplace organising and a fighting agenda, and claims they will stand with and defend union reps who are victimised, there has been no publicity from Unite nationally about Mark’s trade union victimisation. No press release or statement has been issued by Unite of the Unite Executive despite it being repeatedly requested by Mark and other ELFT reps. Sharon Graham supporters elected to the Unite Exec from London and Eastern Region have been approached and requested to make the case for more publicity for Mark, but so far no change has been forthcoming from the Unite Leadership.
The shameful silence from Unite’s leadership shows the lie to the supposed commitment from Sharon Graham and her supporters to be fighting for a militant union. To not publicise the targeted sacking of a leading trade unionist in the NHS is criminal and has deprived Mark of public support right when he needs it most. ELFT branch have held three protests at ELFT HQ over Mark's sacking, and are preparing to ballot over the cuts and Mark’s termination, but this has all been driven by the branch and Mark, not the region or national. There are real concerns that Sharon Graham supporters in Unite will try and leave Mark’s issue off the ballot.
As of the time of writing, there are reports that the ballot of strike action has been delayed. If this is the case, its more evidence that Sharon Graham's commitment to defend militant reps is paper thin. Mark Dunne has the support of his branch, Unite should be pushing forward with a strike ballot against cuts and in defence of Mark.
Mark has stood for election to the Unite Executive on the Members United slate, so it is impossible not to conclude that that this failure to support a leading union rep is due to factional reasons. At a time when the NHS is in deep crisis and trade unionists willing to lead a fight are extremely thin on the ground, to allow one to be sacked without a serious public campaign defies belief.
In other cases of trade union victimisation, Unite and Sharon Graham have stood very publicly against it.
Unite has set its own standard
Sharon Graham has repeatedly taken a strong position against trade union victimisation.
When Unite rep Pete Randle faced victimisation, Sharon Graham said: “Unite will not allow Pete to be victimised for carrying out his trade union duties” and pledged to “continue to do whatever is necessary in defence of our rep.”
As recently as January 2026, when two Unite reps were dismissed at the International Transport Workers’ Federation, Unite demanded their immediate reinstatement, promised its “complete support”, launched a strike ballot and pledged to escalate the dispute.
As a minimum the above should have been done for Mark already. A ballot is being prepared, but while the cuts at ELFT have received national press coverage and this has referenced Mark’s sacking, this coverage was not due to Unite. How much more coverage could this issue have if Unite publicly threw its weight behind Mark’s case?
Every Unite representative should receive the same protection and solidarity, regardless of political views, internal alignment or position within the union. Reps must be free to debate and disagree while knowing that when an employer attacks them for their trade union activity, their union will stand behind them.
That principle only means something if it is applied equally.
We call upon Unite and Sharon Graham to publicly reaffirm their full support for Mark; provide the necessary regional, national and media resources; support continued campaigning and demonstrations; pursue an appropriate remedy with ELFT; and give this case the same determination shown when other Unite reps have faced victimisation.
This is not a request for special treatment.
It is a demand for equal treatment.
An injury to one is an injury to all.
