‘Be real Labour’: Unite cuts Labour affiliation fee by 40% and hits out at government

Trade union Unite has cut its affiliation fee to the Labour Party by 40 percent, amounting to a £580,000 drop in funding for the party.

As the union marks the first anniversary of the all out Birmingham bin strike, Unite has hit out at Labour’s “incompetent behaviour” over the industrial action and accused the local council of “dithering around a deal already scoped out by conciliation service Acas”.

Unite accused the Labour government of leaving British industry “fighting for its life”, with “oil and gas workers facing decimation, buy British defence promises broken, the public sector undervalued and the elderly and disabled under attack”.

General secretary Sharon Graham said: “Unite members are coming to the end of the line as far as Labour is concerned.

“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.”

A Labour source said it was “incredibly frustrating” that the bin dispute had not been resolved, but said that “Unite could and should end the strikes”.

Unite, one the largest donors to the Labour Party, is also actively considering its future affiliation with the party, with a rules conference set to take place next year. The union did not 

The union will also now formally consult with members on whether Unite should remain as an affiliate of Labour.

A spokesperson for the Labour Party said: “The Labour Party is proud to be funded by our dedicated party members, affiliated supporters, trade union members and party donors. The Labour government is delivering the biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation to address low pay, insecure work and poor working conditions, which will benefit 15 million workers across the country.”

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