Unions and supposed links with the Labour Party.

[thenorthern]

At the moment there is a lot of talk from the Conservatives about the current rail strikes being "Labour Strikes". While at the same time Starmer is denying it and asking his MPs not to attend/support the strikes although he doesn't seem to be having much luck with stopping them?

I was wondering though how much affiliation does the rail unions actually have to the Labour Party? I know the main union the RMT isn't affiliated to Labour and hasn't been since 2004.

 

[Efini92]

ASLEF is affiliated with the Labour Party.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

At the moment there is a lot of talk from the Conservatives about the current rail strikes being "Labour Strikes". While at the same time Starmer is denying it and asking his MPs not to attend/support the strikes although he doesn't seem to be having much luck with stopping them?

I was wondering though how much affiliation does the rail unions actually have to the Labour Party? I know the main union the RMT isn't affiliated to Labour and hasn't been since 2004.

C4 news showed pictures of several picket lines where left leaning Labour MPs were supporting.

 

[507020]

I have read that the RMT isn’t affiliated with Labour and hasn’t been for a long time, but I don’t know how long. The RMT itself claims that it is aligned with Labour while remaining unaffiliated.

The current strikes are certainly more like “Tory Strikes” than “Labour Strikes” given which transport secretary has done nothing to prevent them, unless they aren’t using the word labour to refer to the political party.

 

[Gems]

How can they be Labour strikes when the Tories have been in power for 12 years? Some people will listen to any old tripe and believe it.

 

[jopsuk]

The Tories often bring up Labour's links to the unions as somehow being a hidden and secretive thing when Labour are a party that was founded by the union movement to better represent the workers- though the RMT haven't been affiliated for many years.

 

[mmh]

The Tories often bring up Labour's links to the unions as somehow being a hidden and secretive thing when Labour are a party that was founded by the union movement to better represent the workers- though the RMT haven't been affiliated for many years.

The RMT is no longer officially affiliated to Labour, but has given substantial donations to individual MPs and the party.

I don't have a problem with that myself, having been a trade unionist for many years, but I do think it's somewhat disingenuous to suggest there is no connection.

 

[Starmill]

I don't get it. What's the issue with accepting money from trade unions? It's not dishonourable at all, unlike accepting it from Russian billionaires as the governing party do.

 

[DanNCL]

Bit rich of the Tories to moan about Labour getting money from trade unions when the Tories get much of their own money from Oligarchs...

 

[thenorthern]

How can they be Labour strikes when the Tories have been in power for 12 years? Some people will listen to any old tripe and believe it.

I think they are implying that the strikes are organised by Labour or somehow the union is colluding with them or that Labour supports them.

It's not unheard of for the opposition to organise protests/disruption for example the Conservatives partially organised the 2000 fuel protests. With the current rail strikes though I think the Conservatives are barking up the wrong tree when they claim it's a "Labour strike".

 

[mmh]

I don't get it. What's the issue with accepting money from trade unions? It's not dishonourable at all, unlike accepting it from Russian billionaires as the governing party do.

Well exactly. Most trade unions are affiliated to Labour. If you're in one, you have an option to opt out of the political fund part of your subscription if you want. Most people don't.

I don't think anyone should be surprised about that. What on earth do they think happens? As ever, lots of commenting by people who have zero experience of a unionised workplace.

 

[Ash Bridge]

I don't get it. What's the issue with accepting money from trade unions? It's not dishonourable at all, unlike accepting it from Russian billionaires as the governing party do.

Spot on!

 

[nuneatonmark]

You have to hand it to the Tories. Oh crap! We're in trouble, what could save us? Oh, a strike on the railways, that'll do! Instant distraction from the lying toerags and a big problem for Labour, just before by-elections too. Talk about a massive own goal for the unions!

 

[Greenheart]

I don't get it. What's the issue with accepting money from trade unions? It's not dishonourable at all, unlike accepting it from Russian billionaires as the governing party do.

Only perhaps dishonourable as the parliamentary Labour party doesn't really represent the genuine working class any more, and some members really despise them.

 

[Thermal]

I don't know anything about the official RMT links, but during the recent rail strikes commons debate, several MP's used RMT funding the Labour party as an attack line, until Grant Shapps said that the RMT had donated almost £250,000 to Labour over the last 10 years.

I couldn't help think that in national terms, over the course of a decade, that seems like practically nothing. It's not even the average price of a single UK home. I can't imagine (though may well be wrong) this being enough to gain any influence over an entire political party.

 

[Starmill]

Only perhaps dishonourable as the parliamentary Labour party doesn't really represent the genuine working class any more, and some members really despise them.

That's not my view on them.

 

[birchesgreen]

My union supports the party, and contributes to funding. I can opt out of a proportion of my sub going to the party if i wish, and i can vote for leadership candidates and officers who may want to weaken or strengthen the Labour link.

Workers for Tory supporting/funding businesses don't get any such say of where the fruits of their toil go.

 

[thenorthern]

I always thought it was odd that the TUSC had the relatively large RMT union backing it but it never gets anywhere in elections.

Then I remembered that Red Robbo stood in Birmingham Northfield 4 times as a Communist and the most he ever got was 1.6% of the vote in 1966. Bear in mind at the time it was home to the large British Leyland plant at Longbridge which at the time had around 25,000 workers and Red Robbo was very well known.