In an unprecedented move, Unite has cut its funding to Labour by £580,000
Unite has voted to cut the affiliation fee it pays to the Labour party by 40% in response to the ongoing Birmingham bin worker dispute.
The trade union, which is Labour’s largest affiliate, said the move to cut its funding to the Labour party by £580,000 from £1.45 million was “unprecedented and shows the anger of Unite members”.
A series of one day Birmingham bin worker strikes started on 6 January, while their all-out strike began a year ago today, on 11 March.
The dispute with Labour-run Birmingham City Council began over proposed pay cuts of up to £8,000 a year for some workers, and the elimination of Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) roles.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Workers are scratching their heads asking whose side are Labour on, who do they really represent, because it certainly isn’t workers. Workers and communities are paying the price.
“Labour needs to wake up and smell the coffee. “The cut in affiliation fee shows the anger of Unite members. Stop taking workers for granted, spine up, do your job and be real Labour.”
Prior to Unite’s rules conference next year (which decides affiliation), the trade union has made the decision to cut its affiliation. Unite says it will now formally consult with its members to see whether they want to remain in the Labour Party.
Reacting to the affiliation fee cut, Mainstream’s Interim Council said: “Unite’s decision today is unprecedented – and it should set alarm bells ringing across our party. It reflects a growing anger across the labour movement that we are drifting away from the workers, communities and values that made us.
“Today’s rupture is the direct result of a leadership that has too often taken its own movement for granted.”
Neal Lawson, Director of Compass, said: “This is what the legacy of this hyperfactional project at the top of the Labour Party will be: membership gutted, voters going to the Greens and unions wanting nothing to do with them.”
“It is the latest in a series of existential death indicators for Labour. Unless a significant change in direction is taken then this ship will have sunk itself.”
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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