Kevin Parslow, Unite branch secretary

The period for Unite branches and workplaces to make nominations for the next Executive Council (EC) of the union has now closed. Any candidate with three or more nominations will be eligible to stand in the ballot, which runs from 23 March to 27 April.

Socialist Party members and supporters in the Unite Broad Left are part of the slate of candidates supportive of the industrial strategy of general secretary Sharon Graham, known collectively as ‘Workers United’.

But they also highlight the political strategy agreed in the emergency resolution at last year’s policy conference, for a review of the union’s relationship with the Labour Party in light of the attacks on the Birmingham bin workers by the city’s Labour council, a dispute which has still not been resolved, and in which the council has injuncted Unite.

From early reports, the nomination period has gone well for those standing for this fighting approach. For example, Socialist Party member John Williams, standing for the union-wide LGBT+ seat on the EC, has gained 225 nominations. Others have reported increased nominations in their regions or sectors, and significant support for the programme.

These elections, important as they always are, are especially vital this year. The EC has been hamstrung for the last three years in a battle between supporters of Sharon Graham’s militancy and those, particularly in the United Left, who remain wedded to the union’s link with Labour and want to hold back struggle so as not to embarrass Starmer’s government. It is no exaggeration to say that the future of Unite as a militant union is at stake.

To build a union with a militant outlook, on both the industrial and political fronts, a fighting programme and decisive leadership is required. It will be vital for this programme to be received by Unite members in workplaces throughout Britain and Ireland before they cast their vote. Socialist Party members will play a key role in this, as we have done in the nomination period in a number of branches.