The leader of the Unite union has asserted that the Labour Party is failing to adequately represent working people, leading to a significant decline in support from this demographic.
Sharon Graham expressed “serious concern” regarding Labour’s direction, following a Unite vote to reconsider its relationship with the party. This could potentially result in the union formally severing ties and withdrawing financial backing.
This development follows Unite’s suspension of Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner’s membership, citing her handling of bin strikes in Birmingham. A Labour source indicated that Rayner had resigned from Unite in April and defended her record on advocating for workers’ rights.
A Labour Party spokesperson maintained that the current government is responsible for enacting the “biggest upgrade in workers’ rights in a generation.”
Delegates at Unite’s policy conference voted in favour of reassessing their affiliation with Labour should any Unite members face redundancy as a result of the ongoing bin strike.
The vote also included the decision by the union to suspend Rayner in light of her involvement in the strikes.
The Deputy Prime Minister has urged workers to accept a proposal presented by Birmingham’s Labour-led city council to resolve the dispute, stating that the authority has “moved significantly to meet the demands of the workers.”
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Saturday, Unite’s General Secretary stated that Unite members “don’t believe that Labour defends workers in the way we thought they would.”
Graham characterized Rayner’s focus on her membership status as a “Houdini act,” suggesting that Labour should instead address the fundamental issues of “where it was going wrong.”
Ms. Graham stated that Unite members’ sentiments reflected “what everyday people are saying” about the government.
“I have real difficulty in the way that Labour are making decisions,” she said, “in terms of what they tried to do on winter fuel, what they tried to do to people with disabilities, what they’re doing to workers.”
The government faced significant political pressure over its planned reductions to winter fuel payments and welfare, including from within the Labour Party, which were later reversed or substantially altered.
Unite is one of several unions affiliated with the Labour Party, granting it representation on the party’s National Executive Committee and delegate status at its annual conference.
It also stands as Labour’s largest union donor, contributing £1.2 million annually through membership affiliation fees.
Ms. Graham indicated that disaffiliation remains a possibility and that she is facing pressure to convene an emergency rules conference, where a decision on disaffiliation could be reached.
She emphasized the need for members to perceive affiliation as “worth something.”
“At this present moment in time, it is hard to justify it, if I’m being honest. Would that money be better spent on frontline services for my members?” she questioned.
She acknowledged the value of access to political power, but added that it is not beneficial “if you’re walking into a room and that political power keeps saying, ‘computer says no.'”
The BBC understands that Rayner ceased paying her Unite membership dues in April. A Labour source dismissed her suspension as a “silly stunt” on Friday.
Unite members initiated strike action in January over proposed role downgrades as part of the city council’s efforts to address equal pay liabilities.
Unite has also urged the council to ensure long-term pay for Grade 4 bin lorry drivers, claiming in April that their salaries could decrease from £40,000 to £32,000 under new council plans.
An all-out, indefinite strike was declared in March, and a resolution to end industrial action has not yet been achieved.
The conciliation service Acas has been mediating negotiations since May, but talks broke down on Wednesday. The council’s Labour leader, John Cotton, stated that the authority had “reached the absolute limit of what we can offer.”
Unite announced on Friday that it had also suspended Cotton’s union membership. He told the BBC that he was a “proud, lifelong trade unionist” committed to “end[ing] the scandal of gender pay inequality.”
On Friday, Birmingham Edgbaston MP Preet Kaur Gill stated that the union did not need to “get involved” as a “fair deal” was on the table.
She told BBC Radio 4’s The World Tonight that Ms. Graham “should have felt confident in her local officers that were negotiating” and that they were “getting close to a deal before she got involved.”
A Labour Party spokesperson stated: “The Labour government has introduced the biggest upgrade in workers’ rights in a generation to address low pay, insecure work, and poor working conditions, which will benefit 15 million workers across the country.”
They added: “Only Labour is delivering the change working people voted for and so deserve.”
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