THE sacked leader of a club organisation with two million members is to appeal against his dismissal.

Mick McGlasham general secretary of the Club and Institute Union, was suspended from his £46,000 a year job in London in August and sacked in December of last year.

Now friends of the 62-year-old, who was born in County Durham, say he is confident of winning an appeal against his sacking and is prepared to go to an employment tribunal.

The case could have widespread implications for the future of the CIU, which was founded 150 years ago.

It now has 2,100 social clubs and more than two million members.

Mr McGlasham’s supporters issued a statement exclusively to The Journal, which broke the news of his suspension and sacking last year.

Mr McGlasham and his number two, Maxine Murphy, were sacked following a probe into the alleged misuse of a CIU credit card.

The CIU upheld his sacking despite the findings of a barrister called in to investigate the matter, who exonerated Mr McGlasham and Ms Murphy of any financial impropriety. A third staff member was also sacked. The statement on behalf of Mr McGlasham, who said he was unwilling to comment personally at present, said: “Even though the CIU selected, appointed and paid for the specialist barrister to do his job, the national executive despite accepting that Mr McGlasham was not culpable with regard to alleged misappropriation of union funds and regarding him as ‘entirely exonerated of any impropriety whatsoever’ chose to completely disregard his findings and recommendations and the general secretary remains dismissed.

“The Rules of the Workingmens’ Club and Institute Ltd strictly prohibit the dismissal of the general secretary in the way it has been done and the case for the reinstatement of Mr McGlasham continues.

“Mr McGlasham has instructed his solicitor to submit a complaint to the employment tribunal.”