Senedd candidate elected to Unite executive as union re-examines Labour link

A Cardiff candidate for the Senedd is celebrating an early win after being elected to serve on the Unite union’s executive council, its highest lay-member body. It is a pivotal moment for the union, which represents more than a million workers across the UK and Ireland.

John Williams, a young hospitality worker and LGBTQ+ activist, is the lead Senedd candidate for the Welsh Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) in Caerdydd Ffynon Taf. He says that his union’s relationship with the Labour Party is increasingly under strain.

In March, Unite cut its annual affiliation fee by £580,000, with Unite general secretary Sharon Graham saying:

members are coming to the end of the line as far Labour is concerned.

Williams emphasises that:

it’s not just UK Labour. Look at the health workers at Cwm Taf Morgannwg, taking their fight for fair pay to Labour at the Senedd. Or the recent struggle of Cardiff bin workers against bullying culture and union busting by a Labour council.

Following a near-unanimous vote of 800 delegates in 2025, Unite is launching a formal consultation on whether to end its historic affiliation with the Labour Party ahead of a rules conference in 2027.

For Williams, this is:

in my opinion, a historic opportunity to pull away from a Labour Party that represents the interests of the bosses and instead build a new workers’ party that represents our members and our class.

The decisive win for the left in the Unite EC elections results opens up the opportunity to move the union forward industrially and politically.

Featured image via the Welsh Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition