The leader of one of the UK’s biggest trade unions has been criticised over comments made to a female member of staff who complained about sexual harassment.

In a covert recording of a two-hour meeting in a hotel room, obtained by the Sunday Mail, Gary Smith, the general secretary of the GMB, is heard warning the woman that she will lose an employment tribunal because the union had “better lawyers and they’ll be more expensive”.

He can be heard saying: “You put a gun on the table and we’ll start shooting back.

“You start a shooting match, no greetin’ once you’ve picked a fight in the manner that you did.”

Labour MSP and GMB member, Monica Lennon said she was "disturbed" by the comments.

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The row stems from a 2022 when the woman, who worked for the trade union for 10 years, made a complaint about a fellow employee.

However, the organisation said the issue was a personal matter and it would not investigate.

She subsequently lodged an employment tribunal.

The woman, who has not been named, told the paper she was threatened with redundancy if she didn’t drop the tribunal and sign a non-disclosure agreement.

She did in December 2022.

The trade unionist said she decided to tape Mr Smith at a return to work meeting because she had become so concerned by the GMB’s response to her case.

In the recording, Mr Smith tells the woman he was not having a “wrecking ball” put through his union.

He said: “You were in a shooting match.

“Once you get into a fight with a big organisation, we’re going to come out swinging and we’ll have better lawyers than you, and they’ll be more expensive.

“That’s just what happens. You put a gun on the table and we’ll start shooting back.

“You start a shooting match, no greetin’ once you’ve picked a fight in the manner that you did.

“There’s a learning from there - don’t get into that game, because everything then gets turned into something else. That’s just life.”

“The whole world is not about you and it’s time to be very grown up about stuff.”

He added: “You pulled the gun out. What did you want to happen?

“You’re going to start swinging guns about, people are going to start shooting back at you.”

The woman was dismissed from GMB last month after allegations were made that she had bullied colleagues and sexually harassed a 52-year-old man.

She claimed the process had been unfair and denied the allegations.

She said she was speaking out now about what happened as she felt the union still had to change its approach towards sexual harassment.

A spokesman for the GMB said: “This was a discussion held at a hotel meeting room regularly used by the union and intended to pave the employee’s way back to work after a complex and lengthy internal inquiry into her relationships and professional conduct."

They added: “Extraordinary levels of support had been given to the employee after that investigation to help her address those behaviours and these discussions were intended to ease her return to her role.

“Comments made at the meeting should be seen in that context and the employee would later write to the general secretary thanking him for the union’s support."

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In 2020 the GMB was described as “institutionally sexist” in a highly critical independent report from Karon Monaghan KC.

Mr Smith was elected as general secretary in 2021 and promised to implement Ms Monaghan’s recommendations in full.

He said the union had to “shed these practices and cultures that have blighted us”.

Labour MSP Monica Lennon said she was "disturbed" by the report. 

She said: "No matter what has gone on, Smith's comments are completely unacceptable.

"Thousands of women pay their GMB subs every month to have protection against this type of behaviour.

"But it appears lessons have not been learned and it looks like Monaghan's report has been gathering dust in an office drawer.

"The GMB does not belong to Gary Smith, as he appears to believe. It belongs to its 600,000 members who deserve better and he should apologise."