Unite rift with Labour Party

A very public rift between Labour trade union affiliate and the country’s second largest union, Unite, emerged last month.

The union’s policy conference in Brighton voted “overwhelmingly” to re-examine its ties with the Labour Party and to suspend Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner’s Unite membership in the row over the long-running Birmingham bins dispute over pay and redundancies.

Controversial plans by Birmingham council which, among other things Unite says, would leave some members facing annual pay cuts of up to £8,000, saw refuse workers walking out earlier this year in industrial action that has drawn national attention.

Rayner called on the union to agree to a pay deal the union had already rejected.

A motion at the Unite conference saw the union committing to “discuss” its relationship with Labour should the redundancy process be forced through.

The union also suspended John Cotton, Birmingham council leader, and a number of other Birmingham councillors who are Unite members.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Unite is crystal clear it will call out bad employers regardless of the colour of their rosette. Angela Rayner has had every opportunity to intervene and resolve this dispute but has instead backed a rogue council that has peddled lies and smeared its workers fighting huge pay cuts.”