Unite has voted to maintain its historic links with Labour – as its chief warned party leader Sir Keir Starmer to listen to the union’s demands amid a rift between the two organisations.
General secretary Sharon Graham told a debate at Unite’s rules conference in Brighton on Monday it is not the time for disaffiliation as it seeks to influence the party if it wins power at the next general election, expected next year.
But Ms Graham said there will be “no blank cheques” for the Labour leader as she urged him to “deliver on jobs, pay and conditions”.
Unite Rules Conference votes overwhelmingly to stay affiliated to Labour but General Secretary Sharon Graham puts Keir Starmer on notice, he must deliver on jobs, pay and conditions if he wins power at the next election.
— Unite the union: join a union (@unitetheunion) July 10, 2023
Delegates chose “overwhelmingly” to remain affiliated with Labour after a “passionate and well-tempered” debate, the union said.
Had they chosen to sever ties, it would have allowed Unite – Labour’s biggest donor – to change its rules to be able to donate to other parties or candidates.
Ms Graham told the debate: “This is the moment of maximum leverage for the union where we can hold Labour to account. Now cannot be the time to walk away. We would be weakening our own arm.
“It would be the worst time to leave the Labour Party when they are in touching distance of power. If we leave we wouldn’t influence that power.
“Labour must be Labour and the union must push them into that position. We must make them take different choices. We will not make the same mistakes of the past. There will be no blank cheques for Labour until we see tangible results.”
Unite said on Twitter: “Unite Rules Conference votes overwhelmingly to stay affiliated to Labour but General Secretary Sharon Graham puts Keir Starmer on notice, he must deliver on jobs, pay and conditions if he wins power at the next election.”
Ms Graham told the PA news agency that the prospect of disaffiliation, although rejected for now, should be a “wake-up call” for Sir Keir that “workers are not happy”.
If the Labour leader gets the keys to No 10 “workers want a proper voice in Parliament,” with businesses already represented by the Conservatives, she said.
Asked about reports of frosty relations between her and Sir Keir, Ms Graham, who made clear when she was elected in 2021 that “Westminster politics” would not be a priority, said it was not about their personal relationship but about holding Labour to account, including on the renationalisation of energy.
Sir Keir has drawn trade union ire for moves to sideline left-wingers, and Ms Graham slammed the recent exclusion of Jamie Driscoll from the North East mayoral contest as a “major mistake”.
The Unite boss has also urged him to stick up for striking workers amid a wave of industrial action across the country in recent months.
She criticised as “beyond belief” shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves’s refusal on Sunday to commit to endorsing the recommendations of the pay review bodies on public sector pay as workers struggle with the cost-of-living crisis.
With about 1.4 million members, Unite is the UK’s largest trade union.
It has been involved in more than 800 separate disputes in 20 months, revealing the scale of industrial unrest by workers.
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