“UNISON newsletters often include negative stories about employers.
However, the article about the Towy Community Church in the March
Carmarthenshire Star crosses a line from negativity to malice.
It makes anonymous, unsupported allegations about the church, and
implies that it plans to be discriminatory in its employment practices
and the help it offers the public.
The church has run a food bank in Carmarthen for the past eighteen
months without discriminating. No evidence is presented that the
debt counselling service will discriminate or lack professionalism,
but this is implied. ”Reports indicate….” has always been the last
resort of shoddy journalism.
The article is also divisive. Christian members (who may be members
of Towy Community Church) must wonder whether UNISON can properly
represent them if they do not embrace its secular ideology.
The article shares a page with stories about a libel case and a ‘slur’
against staff. How ironical that the Star is happy to cast slurs. Will its
editors ask UNISON members to fund their libel defences? Who knows?
Please publish this letter. Unlike the pusillanimous perpetrator of
the pejorative piece, I am happy for my name to be printed.”
John Williams.
