Unite members are looking at steps to cut ties with Labour and join up with the new Corbyn-Sultana Party

Unite the Union has held the first follow-up meeting to the successful ‘Trade Unionists for a New Party’ campaign launch it hosted in July.

Over 220 Unite activists attended a ‘Unite for a New Party’ call to discuss the details of what needs to be done in this currently Labour-affiliated union to make sure that it can be at the heart of the new anti-austerity and anti-war party that is in the process of being formed.

Unite for a New Party: Labour-affiliated union discusses next steps to support the Corbyn/Sultana Party

Unite member and former Labour MP Dave Nellist chaired the meeting, which he opened with a video message of support from Jeremy Corbyn. Corbyn stressed the importance of trade unionists in realising his and Zarah Sultana’s recent call for a “new kind of political party”.

The next speakers, present in a personal capacity, were the Unite Executive Council member Suz Muna and the Unite convenor of Birmingham Labour Council’s Waste and Environmental Services workers, Matt Reid.

Suz explained the historic decision made at the Unite policy conference in July for the union to “discuss our relationship with Labour”. This was after the council announced the effective fire-and-rehire of refuse workers striking against pay cuts of up to £8,000 a year. Matt reported on the latest developments ‘from the frontline’.  The meeting pledged its continued solidarity with the bin workers in this defining struggle.

A model motion for Unite branches: out with New Labour, in with the new party

Discussion then turned to the details of what needs to be argued for in a union that at this point is still affiliated to Labour. It centred around a model motion for union branches that Unite circulated in the meeting’s calling notice. This read as following:

This Unite branch welcomes the emergency motion that was passed at the recent Unite Policy Conference in support of the striking Birmingham bin workers.

We support the demand in the motion that “Unite should discuss our relationship with Labour” in response to the brutal attack on our members on the bins by the Labour Birmingham City Council and backed up by Starmer’s government.

We also note the statement by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana calling for a new political party “rooted in our communities, trade unions and social movements”, with over 700,000 people signing up to be kept informed which will include many Unite members and other trade unionists.

Therefore, this Unite branch calls for the Unite Executive Council to:

1. Continue to back those Unite-supported MPs who have so far had the whip removed for opposing New Labour austerity, and others that are similarly disciplined.

2. Launch the discussion at all levels of Unite about our relationship with Labour and the need for a political strategy that supports our members taking political action on the basis of agreed Unite policies.

3. This discussion should lead to the convening of special policy and rules conferences to draw political and organisational conclusions, potentially including the building of a new workers’ party, standing and supporting workers’ candidates, calling for a conference across unions to build a political alternative for workers on a pro-worker, socialist programme

4. Unite should send delegations to meetings and conferences organised by trade unionists on political representation for workers.

Debating tactics

Participant generally agreed with the tactics, making arguments illustrating some of the different issues involved.

For example, Dave Reid from Cardiff Trades Council, and an officer of Cardiff General Unite branch, reported on the trades council’s initiative. Three others in Wales now support the plan to convene a conference in October. There, they will discuss how unions can ensure there is a workers’ voice in the 2026 Welsh Senedd elections.

However, because it has been posed as a discussion, he explained, in line with the Unite conference decision – and with a speaker invited from Labour (will they turn up?) to debate how politicians can represent workers – there is no constitutional bar to Unite branches sending delegates even under the current rules.

But there was debate too about the tactics proposed. Phil Smart, the branch secretary of Unite WM6070, pointed out that the union’s objects including:

to have a strong political voice fighting on behalf of working peoples’ interests… so as to promote a socialist vision

Therefore, he argued that since Starmer’s Labour was so obviously not delivering, the Executive Council could use its powers under Rule 13.6:

to amend the rules between Rules Conferences

Other speakers accepted that such a move was possible.

However, given the requirement that 75% of the Executive Council would have to agree, they argued that a membership campaign which gathered such support to compel the EC to take this step could also achieve the convening of special policy and rules conferences. This would result in a more deeply-rooted and long-lasting change in the union’s political strategy.

Other Trade ‘Unionists for a New Party’ follow-up meetings to come

The main task, though, everybody agreed, was to take the arguments to every corner of the union. With Unite holding the next Executive Council in October, the participants agreed to reconvene the meeting in the autumn. There, they will assess progress. Branches and union committees would notify Dave Nellist of all instances of them passing the model motion.

A short video of Dave, Suz, Matt, and Jeremy’s contributions to the meeting is available here.

Other unions have organised initial follow-up meetings to work out what to do next. Registration details for each of these are as follows:

UNISON – Monday 18 August, 6.30 pm. Register here.

NEU – Monday 18 August, 7.30 pm. Register here.

GMB – Wednesday 20 August, 7pm. Register here.

USDAW – Sunday 31 August, 7pm. Register here.

PCS – Tuesday, 9 September, 6.30 pm. Register here.

Watch out for union-specific meetings for RMT and NAPO members, and others in the coming weeks, and the report of the CWU meeting held on  11 August.

Featured image via the Canary