Jump to content

Unite the Union

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Unite the union)
This article is about the British and Irish trade union. For other trade unions named Unite, see Unite § Labor unions.

Unite the Union
Formation2007 (2007)
Merger of
TypeTrade union
HeadquartersLondon, England
Location
    • Ireland
    • United Kingdom
Membership (2020)
1,246,429[1]
General secretary
Sharon Graham
Affiliations
Websitewww.unitetheunion.org Edit this at Wikidata
Unite building in Theobalds Road, London
Offices in Waterford, Ireland

Unite the Union, commonly known as Unite, is a British and Irish trade union which was formed on 1 May 2007 by the merger of Amicus and the Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU). Along with Unison, Unite is one of the two largest trade unions in the UK, with over 1.2 million members in construction, manufacturing, transport, logistics and other sectors.[3][4][5] The general secretary of Unite is Sharon Graham, who was elected on 25 August 2021 with 46,696 votes (approx 3% of Unite's claimed membership) on a turnout of 124,127 (approx 9% of claimed membership), with her term beginning on 26 August 2021.[6]

History

[edit]

Merger and early years (2007–2010)

[edit]

Unite the Union was formed on 1 May 2007 by the merger of Amicus, a general private-sector union, and the Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU).[7] The general secretaries of the previous unions, Derek Simpson and Tony Woodley respectively, served as joint general secretaries of the new union. The executive councils of the predecessor unions became a joint executive council which served until elections could be held for an executive council of Unite. The new council took office on 1 May 2008. They put a new rulebook for the union to a postal ballot of members during July 2008, which was accepted.

In 2008, there was a rooftop hunger strike at Unite's Transport House building in Belfast. The participants were formerly shop stewards of the Transport and General Workers Union, now a section of Unite.[8] The dispute was over legal fees and compensation for an unfair dismissal action against the workers' employer, arising from a 2002 strike at Belfast International Airport, and the related actions of a full-time union official employee.[9][10][11]

In October 2009, British Airways announced that it would cut 1,700 cabin crew jobs. Unite, which represented 12,000 of the company's cabin crew, said that it had been in talks with British Airways about the company's plans to reduce costs, but that the announcement had not been shared with them in advance.[12][13] British Airways suspended staff for sharing lists of pilots who had agreed to break a potential strike. Unite's assistant general secretary, Len McCluskey, said that some members had been suspended for being friends on Facebook with other attendants being investigated.[14] In a strike ballot, more than 80% of cabin crew members of Unite voted to strike.[15] The High Court of Justice granted an injunction against the strike on the basis that Unite had not informed its members about the number of spoilt ballots in a previous dispute.[16] In total, there were twenty-two days of strike during the dispute.[17]

In November 2009, Kraft Foods Inc. bid to purchase the confectionary company Cadbury. Unite represented its staff, and sought assurance about the status of jobs in the event of the purchase.[18][19] Kraft went on to purchase Cadbury.[20] In a Parliamentary committee, Unite representatives including deputy general secretary Jack Dromey and national food and drink officer Jennie Formby gave evidence to an inquiry about the takeover, saying that Kraft had delayed meeting union representatives.[21] Formby later criticised the company for its compensation of £40 million to its outgoing chief executive Todd Stitzer.[22] The Labour Party later announced an election proposal to raise the shareholder majority required to approve a takeover to two-thirds, which Unite had lobbied for.[23][24]

During the 2010 United Kingdom general election, Unite were the largest donor to the Labour Party, giving them £1 million.[25]

McCluskey era (2010–2021)

[edit]

The first election for a single general secretary of the union was held in 2010, with McCluskey, an assistant general secretary considered on the left-wing of the union, being elected.[26] Former joint general secretary Derek Simpson received a payment of over £500,000.[27] Due to the controversy this caused within the union, members voted in favour of new measures designed to limit future payments on departure in a policy conference in 2012.[28]

The union began offering lower price membership to students, the unemployed and single parents in 2011.[29] In the same year, the dispute with British Airways was resolved.[30] In the wake of cuts to public spending made by the Cameron–Clegg coalition, McCluskey threatened strike action to disrupt the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.[31] Also in protest against cuts, Unite supported a successful motion at the Trades Union Congress in 2012 to consider holding a general strike.[32]

In 2013, leaked documents alleged that Unite was running a covert campaign to ensure its candidates were selected to represent the Labour Party in the 2015 general election. Steve Hart, the union's political director, stated that Unite was supporting 41 candidates.[33] There was particular controversy over the 2013 Labour Party Falkirk candidate selection. Unite claimed that it had not broken any Labour Party rules or the law with its selection campaign. Ed Miliband, then Leader of the Labour Party, referred the matter for police investigation, however Police Scotland found there was 'insufficient evidence' to launch an investigation.[34] An Information Commissioner's Office investigation took place, as did internal Labour disciplinary proceedings.

McCluskey was re-elected in an early general secretary election in 2013, defeating Hicks. In 2014, the union achieved a legal ruling by the Employment Appeal Tribunal that employers need to account for overtime when calculating holiday pay.[35] In April 2014, McCluskey threatened to disaffiliate Unite from Labour and launch a new workers' party if Labour lost the 2015 general election.[36] In July 2015, Unite endorsed Jeremy Corbyn's campaign in the 2015 Labour Party leadership election.[37]

In December 2016, McCluskey announced his resignation in order to contest an election for the post, which was held in April 2017. He was challenged by Unite's West Midlands Regional Secretary Gerard Coyne, who accused him of "putting the Labour leadership before the interests of Unite members". McCluskey won the election, and Coyne was suspended from his position in the union.[38]

In 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, several hundred bus drivers working for Go North West in Manchester went on strike for over two months in the longest strike in Unite's history.[39][40]

Graham era (2021–present)

[edit]

In August 2021, McCluskey announced his retirement as leader. In the subsequent election, Sharon Graham was chosen to replace him as the union's general secretary.[41] In September 2021, Unite put forward a motion at the Labour Party conference calling for a £15 an hour minimum wage. The motion was passed by Labour Party members. However, Keir Starmer and his leadership team have not indicated a preference for or against the motion.[42] The union joined postal workers strikes in 2022 after members at Royal Mail voted for industrial action over pay and job cuts.[43]

Hotel owned by Unite

[edit]

During McCluskey's tenure, Unite spent £98 million on a hotel and conference centre in Birmingham as costs increased during its construction beyond the initially projected £57 million. Graham told officials in February 2022 that recent valuations were about £28 million. At the time of the investment decision McCluskey had said, it was a "sensible investment of members' money, resulting in a world-class facility that will return an income for our union for generations to come". Graham ordered two independent inquiries, one led by a Queen's Counsel, which was expected to report by the end of March 2022, and another by the accounting firm Grant Thornton.[44][45][46][47]

In April 2022, a raid was conducted by HM Revenue and Customs and South Wales police on Unite offices to investigate allegations of bribery, fraud, and money laundering related to the project.[48]

As of December 2022, the contents of both inquiries has not been released, as Unite has referred the matter to the police citing "very serious concerns about potential criminality".[47]

In October 2024, news reporting revealed that the Serious Fraud Office was investigating the construction project. According to The Guardian, employment tribunal documents indicated that Unite executives believe that the true value of the building had been misrepresented to the leadership team. The final cost for the centre came to £112 million. [48]

General secretary

[edit]

The union is led by a general secretary, elected by a ballot of members.

Election General secretary
Merger Derek Simpson/Tony Woodley (joint)
2009 Derek Simpson/Tony Woodley (joint)
2010 Len McCluskey
2013
2016
2021 Sharon Graham

2009 joint general secretary election

[edit]

Jerry Hicks, a former member of Amicus's executive, issued a legal challenge over Simpson's extension of tenure.[49] In October 2008, Unite's executive council announced an election for the joint general secretary for the Amicus section. The election took place from January to March 2009 to elect a joint general secretary for a fixed term until December 2010.

Simpson stood for re-election as the incumbent, and Hicks successfully sought nomination to contest the election. Other candidates included two regional secretaries, Laurence Faircloth and Kevin Coyne, and a national officer, Paul Reuter. Faircloth stood down after the close of nominations and endorsed Simpson. A total of 159,272 voting slips were returned, out of a possible 1,096,511 voters, a turnout of 14.5%. Simpson won the election with 37.7% of the total votes cast, and remained in the post of joint general secretary until December 2010.[50]

Candidate Votes
Votes %
Derek Simpson Green tickY 60,048
37.7%
Jerry Hicks 39,307
24.7%
Kevin Coyne 30,603
19.2%
Paul Reuter 28,283
17.8%
Invalid votes 1,031 0.6%
Turnout 159,272 14.5%

2010 general secretary election

[edit]

The first election for a single general secretary of the union took place in 2010. Both Simpson and Woodley announced that they would retire. The union's assistant general secretary, McCluskey, announced that he would stand as a candidate, running on a platform of unification and staying for only a single term of office. Other candidates included Hicks, Les Bayliss and Gail Cartmail. McCluskey was considered the left wing candidate, running on a platform of uniting the union and opposing cuts. Bayliss and Cartmail were also assistant general secretaries, with Bayliss criticising the union's handling of its dispute with British Airways. McCluskey was endorsed by Woodley, and Bayliss was endorsed by Simpson.[51]

McCluskey was elected as the first single general secretary with 42.4% of the vote for a five-year term starting on 1 January 2011.[6] The overall turnout was 15.8%.[52]

Candidate Votes
Votes %
Len McCluskey Green tickY 101,000
42.4%
Jerry Hicks 53,000
21.8%
Les Bayliss 47,000
19.3%
Gail Cartmail 39,000
16.4%
Turnout 240,000 15.8%
Jack Jones House, Liverpool. North West Headquarters

2013 general secretary election

[edit]
McCluskey speaking at the 2016 Labour Party Conference

In late 2012, Len McCluskey called an early election.[53] On 4 March 2013, Unite announced that two candidates were standing in the election: McCluskey, who had won 1089 branch nominations, and Hicks, who had won 136 nominations.[54] This was Hicks's third successive attempt at becoming Unite's general secretary. On 14 April 2013 it was announced that Len McCluskey had been re-elected for a five-year term.

Candidate Votes
Votes %
Len McCluskey Green tickY 144,570
64.2%
Jerry Hicks 79,819
35.5%
Invalid votes 1,412
Turnout 225,801 15.2%

2017 general secretary election

[edit]

In December 2016, the incumbent general secretary Len McCluskey announced his resignation in order to contest an election for the post, which was held in April 2017. McCluskey was challenged by Unite's West Midlands regional secretary Gerard Coyne, who accused him of "putting the Labour leadership before the interests of Unite members". Coyne, a member of the Unite Now faction,[citation needed] was widely viewed as a centre-left figure within the union, has a close relationship with the Labour Party and had the backing of the deputy leader Tom Watson.[55] Ian Allinson later announced that he would stand as a "grass-roots socialist" candidate.[56] Concerns were expressed about breaches of data protection law during the campaign, leading to Unite's assistant general secretary for legal affairs producing a report on the allegations.[55][57][58]

Coyne was suspended from his position as West Midlands general secretary by the union on 20 April, after voting had finished, the day ballot counting began. It claimed that Coyne had brought the union into disrepute.[38][59] The following day it was announced that Len McCluskey had won the election.[60] On 2 June Coyne announced a legal challenge against the result.[61] In December 2017 it was announced that Jeffrey Burke, an employment law specialist and a retired high court judge, has been appointed to examine both sides of the case by the Trades Union Certification Officer.[62] The certification officer rejected Coyne's claim that the election should be declared null and void.[63] After detailed investigations, Coyne's further complaint to the certification officer was dismissed in October 2018 on all ten counts, and the officer found that Coyne had included misleading information in some of his election literature.[64]

Candidate Votes
Votes %
Len McCluskey Green tickY 59,067
45.5%
Gerard Coyne 53,544
41.3%
Ian Allinson 17,143
13.2%
Invalid votes 317
Turnout 130,071 12.2%

2021 general secretary election

[edit]
The Yorkshire, North East and Humberside regional headquarters is in Leeds

In July 2020, McCluskey said he would stand down in 2021, with an early election to select a new general secretary.[65] The United Left faction held a primary to decide which candidate to support in the election, considering two assistant general secretaries: Howard Beckett and Steve Turner. Beckett has been endorsed by the blog The Skwawkbox and the former general secretary of the Labour Party Jennie Formby.[66] Turner was a member of the Trotskyist Militant group in the Labour Party but remained in Labour when many Militant members left to form the Socialist Party. Turner was seen as more willing to work with the Labour leader Keir Starmer, whereas Beckett said that Starmer needed "to be held to account".[66] Turner was chosen as United Left's candidate in a ballot, winning by 370 votes to 367. Beckett challenged the result, but Turner's victory was upheld after reports into the conduct of the vote were completed.[67][68] Beckett later announced he would still stand as a candidate.[69] Sharon Graham declared herself as a candidate from the left of the union without seeking endorsement from United Left. A new group, Workers' Unite, is expected to support her on a platform more focused on workplaces than internal Labour Party politics.[70] Gerard Coyne, who stood against McCluskey in the 2017 general secretary election, announced his candidacy in January 2021. He is a supporter of Labour leader Keir Starmer.[66][71]

The election was called in April 2021, with nominations closing in June, voting held in July and the result announced on 26 August.[72] The threshold to join the ballot was increased from 50 to around 150 by a combination of an increase in the percentage of branches required to nominate a candidate and a less restrictive definition of what counts as a branch. The change was criticised as a "stitch-up" by critics of McCluskey, because it gave more power to union officials who had sole discretion to request nomination packs for newly-created branches.[73] The nomination period closed on 7 June, with the numbers of valid nominations being:[74][75]

  • Steve Turner: 525
  • Sharon Graham: 349
  • Howard Beckett: 328
  • Gerard Coyne: 196

On 18 June, Howard Beckett withdrew and endorsed Turner, with both issuing a joint statement that Beckett would support Turner on a blended policy manifesto.[76] Graham was elected on 25 August, with the support of 46,696 members (approximately 3% of Unite's claimed membership,[77] with her term as general secretary starting on 26 August.[41][78][79]

Candidate Votes
Votes %
Sharon Graham Green tickY 46,696
37.7%
Steve Turner 41,833
33.8%
Gerard Coyne 35,334
28.5%
Turnout 124,147

Membership

[edit]
Unite membership since 2008
year members
2008
 
 1,635,483[80]
2010
 
 1,515,206[81]
2012
 
 1,424,303[82]
2014
 
 1,405,838[83]
2016
 
 1,282,671[84]
2018
 
 1,291,017[85]
2020
 
 1,246,429[86]
Numbers represent memberships on last day of year, as reported to the Trades Union Certification Officer.

During 2012, despite wider falling trade union membership and the tough economic climate, Unite increased its membership by more than 50,000 members.[citation needed] The union claimed a membership of 1.2 million in August 2021.[87]

Factions

[edit]

There are a number of factions within Unite.

Unite Now

[edit]

Unite Now is a movement established in 2011 which is "moderate left". It presents itself as an independent movement for lay members, activists and officers. Supported McCluskey in his first election but they opposed the calling of an early general secretary election in 2013. Unite Now campaigns for greater transparency in the union and are critical of the unions centralised hierarchical decision making structures. They campaign for greater financial transparency, a move away from the current centralised executive powers with a more independent Executive Council which has set term limits. Not aligned to any political section of the union it has grown in influence within lay activist ranks, officers and key manufacturing sectors of Unite.

United Left

[edit]

United Left, the main left-wing grouping, is mostly made up of members on the left of the Labour Party, but also includes members of other political parties such as the Socialist Party and the Communist Party of Britain, as well as those who belong to no political party. The United Left supported Len McCluskey in his elections. The faction is considered dominant within the union.[66]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Unite the Union Form AR21 for year ended 31 December 2020" (PDF). GOV.UK. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  2. ^ "TULO's member unions". Unions Together. Archived from the original on 11 March 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
  3. ^ "Community, Retired & Young Memberships | Unite the Union". Unitetheunion.org.
  4. ^ "Unite the Union: 2019 Annual Return" (PDF). Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  5. ^ "Trade Unions in the UK". Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Len McCluskey chosen as new Unite leader". BBC News. 21 November 2010.
  7. ^ Curtis, Polly (24 October 2010). "Voting begins in crucial battle for Unite union leadership". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  8. ^ "Hunger strikers in bad shape". libcom.org. libcom collective of libertarian communists.
  9. ^ "Belfast airport workers: Union leaders' broken promises". Socialist Party<!. 11 September 2001. Retrieved 17 December 2009.
  10. ^ Gordon McNeill (18 June 2008). "Press release: Sacked airport shop steward rejects union compensation "offer"". Retrieved 25 June 2008.
  11. ^ "Belfast Airport Shop Stewards – The Truth and Nothing but the Truth". Transport and General Workers' Union. 20 June 2008. Archived from the original on 15 September 2008. Retrieved 25 June 2008.
  12. ^ "British Airways cuts 1,700 Heathrow jobs". The Guardian. 6 October 2009. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  13. ^ "BA suspends cabin staff in Facebook row over list of strike-breaking pilots". The Guardian. 12 February 2010. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  14. ^ Davies, Caroline (12 February 2010). "BA suspends cabin staff in Facebook row over list of strike-breaking pilots". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  15. ^ Milmo, Dan; Lewis, Paul (19 March 2010). "BA strike: The people behind the action — and those who would break it". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  16. ^ blog, Adam Wagner on the UK Human Rights; Network, part of the Guardian Legal (18 May 2010). "The British Airways strike and the human right to free assembly". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  17. ^ "Former Unite leader paid £500,000, sparking 'golden goodbye' row". The Guardian. 18 July 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  18. ^ Clark, Andrew; Wood, Zoe (18 November 2009). "Chocolate wars: now the ambassador's favourite and a US giant eye Cadbury". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  19. ^ Inman, Phillip; Moya, Elena (14 November 2009). "Unions and MPs blast RBS for backing foreign takeover bid for Cadbury". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  20. ^ "Cadbury management criticised for caving in to Kraft takeover". The Guardian. 19 January 2010. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  21. ^ Wearden, Graeme (16 March 2010). "MPs quiz Kraft over Cadbury takeover - as it happened". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  22. ^ "Todd Stitzer departs with £40m after selling off Cadbury to Kraft". The Guardian. 16 April 2010. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  23. ^ Webb, Tim (12 April 2010). "Labour's 'Cadbury law' would require two-thirds vote for takeovers". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  24. ^ Stratton, Allegra (9 April 2010). "Labour manifesto to include 'Cadbury law' protecting British businesses". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  25. ^ Rogers, Simon (21 May 2010). "General election 2010: party donations, week by week - UPDATED". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  26. ^ "Inside the minds of our union bosses". The Guardian. 3 September 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  27. ^ "Union boss Derek Simpson received £500,000 golden goodbye". Daily Telegraph. London. 19 July 2011.
  28. ^ "Winning Together - Decisions of the June 2012 UNITE Policy Conference" (PDF). Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  29. ^ "Unite launches cut price membership for students and the unemployed". The Guardian. 17 July 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  30. ^ "BA and Unite reach deal to end cabin crew strikes". The Guardian. 12 May 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  31. ^ Sparrow, Andrew; Milmo, Dan (28 February 2012). "Union leader threatens public sector strikes to disrupt London Olympics". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  32. ^ Milmo, Dan (11 September 2012). "TUC to consider general strike". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  33. ^ Wintour, Patrick (3 July 2013). "Ed Miliband urged to confront Unite over general election candidates". The Guardian. London.
  34. ^ "Police rule out Falkirk vote rigging inquiry". BBC News. 25 July 2013.
  35. ^ Neate, Rupert (4 November 2014). "Coalition seeks to limit impact of holiday backpay ruling". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  36. ^ McSmith, Andy (1 April 2014). "Unite union boss Len McCluskey threatens to launch party to rival Labour". The Independent. London. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  37. ^ Syal, Rajeev (5 July 2015). "Jeremy Corbyn gets backing of Unite in Labour leadership race". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  38. ^ a b Eaton, George (20 April 2017). "Len McCluskey's rival for Unite general secretary, Gerard Coyne, suspended". New Statesman.
  39. ^ "Striking bus drivers vote to accept deal to resolve row over pay and conditions". Guernsey Press. 17 May 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  40. ^ Bowman, Jamie (18 May 2021). "Striking bus drivers vote to accept deal to resolve row over pay and conditions". The Bolton News. Newsquest. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  41. ^ a b "Sharon Graham becomes first female general secretary of Unite union". Sky News. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  42. ^ Parkinson, Justin; Scott, Jennifer (28 September 2021). "Labour conference: Members vote for £15 minimum wage amid row". BBC News. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  43. ^ "Royal Mail managers announce strike dates over cuts to 700 jobs and pay". Unite the Union. 5 July 2022. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  44. ^ Wheeler, Brian (7 April 2021). "Unite union faces questions over £98m hotel scheme". BBC News. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  45. ^ Hall, Rachel (20 December 2021). "Unite launches inquiry into building costs of Birmingham project". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  46. ^ Boycott-Owen, Mason (15 February 2022). "Unite union faces £70m shortfall over hotel investment". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  47. ^ a b "Reports on Unite's Birmingham hotel find 'potential criminality'". The Guardian. 8 December 2022. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  48. ^ a b Crerar, Pippa (21 October 2024). "Major fraud investigation under way into £112m hotel built by Unite union". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  49. ^ "Unite to hold election for Joint General Secretary". Unitetheunion.org. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
  50. ^ Unite Amicus Section – Election of Joint General Secretary Independent Scrutineers report Archived 20 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  51. ^ "Voting begins in crucial battle for Unite union leadership". The Guardian. 24 October 2010. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  52. ^ "Unite's union general secretary results". 21 November 2010.
  53. ^ "Statement by the General Secretary to the Executive Council" (PDF). 4 December 2012.
  54. ^ "Two candidates to stand in Unite general secretary election".
  55. ^ a b Hope, Christopher (31 March 2017). "Labour wars: Unite election explodes into civil war as Tom Watson accused of 'dirty tricks' to bring down Jeremy Corbyn ally Len McCluskey". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  56. ^ "Unite: Ian Allinson is third candidate to enter leadership contest". BBC News. 16 December 2016. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  57. ^ "Unite statement in response to comments made by Gerard Coyne". Unite. 4 March 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  58. ^ "John Spellar MP must explain how he came to be in receipt of Unite's member data". Unite. 27 March 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  59. ^ "Unite suspends Len McCluskey challenger Gerard Coyne". BBC News. 20 April 2017.
  60. ^ "Len McCluskey re-elected as Unite general secretary". BBC News. 21 April 2017.
  61. ^ "Unite union faces legal challenge as McCluskey rival calls for poll rerun". The Guardian. 2 June 2017.
  62. ^ Rajeev Syal, Unite to face retired high court judge over Len McCluskey election, The Guardian 19 December 2017.
  63. ^ Syal, Rajeev (4 May 2018). "McCluskey and Unite cleared of breaching election rules". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  64. ^ Busby, Mattha (6 October 2018). "Len McCluskey complaints dismissed by union watchdog". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  65. ^ Reporter, Patrick Maguire, Red Box. "Len McCluskey: Pressure on Keir Starmer as union boss confirms early exit". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 26 July 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  66. ^ a b c d "After McCluskey: who will win Unite's crown?". www.newstatesman.com. 17 July 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  67. ^ Waugh, Paul (23 July 2020). "Starmer Critic Loses Bid To Become Left's Candidate To Succeed Unite's Len McCluskey". Huffington Post. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  68. ^ Waugh, Paul (24 July 2020). "Probe Into Unite Union Selection Dismisses 'Dead Man Was Given Vote' Claim". Huffington Post.
  69. ^ Watson, Iain (19 August 2020). "Battle to succeed Unite's Len McCluskey heats up". BBC News. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  70. ^ "Will trade union contests help or hinder Keir Starmer?". BBC News. 10 January 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  71. ^ "Starmer supporter plans bid for leadership of Unite union". The Guardian. 10 January 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  72. ^ "Unite leadership race under way as union announces election to decide Len McCluskey's successor". Sky News. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  73. ^ "Unite Union Facing 'Stitch-Up' Claim Over McCluskey Successor Election". HuffPost UK. 14 April 2021. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  74. ^ Walker, Peter (18 June 2021). "Four candidates for Unite leader through to members' ballot". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  75. ^ "Unite 2021 general secretary election". Unite. Archived from the original on 31 May 2021. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  76. ^ Rodgers, Sienna (18 June 2021). "Beckett pulls out of Unite general secretary race and endorses Turner". LabourList. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  77. ^ "Membership Types".
  78. ^ Sparrow, Andrew (25 August 2021). "Unite likely to be calmer but more distant with Labour after Graham win". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  79. ^ "Sharon Graham announced as Unite's new general secretary". Unite. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  80. ^ Annual Return for a Trade Union — Unite the Union — 2008 (PDF) (Report). Trades Union Certification Officer. 31 December 2008. p. 2.
  81. ^ Annual Return for a Trade Union — Unite the Union — 2010 (PDF) (Report). Trades Union Certification Officer. 31 December 2010. p. 2.
  82. ^ Annual Return for a Trade Union — Unite the Union — 2012 (PDF) (Report). Trades Union Certification Officer. 31 December 2012. p. 2.
  83. ^ Annual Return for a Trade Union — Unite the Union — 2014 (PDF) (Report). Trades Union Certification Officer. 31 December 2014. p. 4.
  84. ^ Annual Return for a Trade Union — Unite the Union — 2016 (PDF) (Report). Trades Union Certification Officer. 31 December 2016. p. 2.
  85. ^ Annual Return for a Trade Union — Unite the Union — 2018 (PDF) (Report). Trades Union Certification Officer. 31 December 2018. p. 2.
  86. ^ Annual Return for a Trade Union — Unite the Union — 2020 (PDF) (Report). Trades Union Certification Officer. 31 December 2020. p. 3.
  87. ^ "Sharon Graham announced as Unite's new general secretary". www.unitetheunion.org. 25 August 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Unite the Union.
Retrieved from "https://wiki.riteme.site/w/index.php?title=Unite_the_Union&oldid=1252528762"