'Who is Labour representing?': Unite boss warns government at risk of decimation at polls
Unite’s executive council voted to cut its affiliation fee to Labour by 40% (£580,000) in protest against the party’s stance on the Birmingham bin dispute.
A top union boss has warned that the government will face decimation at the polls in May if they don't work out who they are representing.
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Sharon Graham, General Secretary of Unite the Union, criticised the government and questioned what it was doing for workers when speaking to LBC's Nick Ferrari at Breakfast.
She said: "I think, genuinely across the board, workers are scratching their heads, asking who is Labour representing? And if they can't answer that question pretty swiftly, I think that there will be decimation at the polls in May."
Asked whether she would back a change of leadership, Ms Graham said it is "not a personality contest", it's about the policies.
"I don't mind a boring leader, as long as they do the right thing, quite frankly," she added.
She noted issues in Birmingham with the ongoing bin strikes and suggested it is like dealing with Amazon, the way the council has run this dispute.
Read more: Next week’s Tube strikes called off after progress in dispute over hours
Read more: Unite union fined £265,000 over Birmingham bin strike injunction breaches
‘These workers’ lives are in jeopardy because of council incompetence.’
— LBC (@LBC) March 19, 2026
Union head Sharon Graham tells @NickferrariLBC that bin workers are at risk of a 25% cut to their pay, unless Birmingham City Council accept their deal. pic.twitter.com/68GydTsAaL
Union members in Birmingham started an all-out strike in March last year in a dispute over pay, with little or no sign of a deal to end the deadlock.
Ms Graham said: "I think there's going to be a problem for Labour going forward, workers need to be backed. That is what Labour do.
"Labour is supposed to be there for everyday people. That's the job they have in hand. That's why they were voted in. They need to get on with it."
Ms Graham will renew Unite’s support for the strikers during the rally on Thursday, which follows the announcement of a fine against the union of £265,000, with £170,000 costs, after the council took legal action over picketing.
Last week, on the anniversary of the all-out strike beginning, Unite’s executive council voted to cut its affiliation fee to Labour by 40% (£580,000) in protest against the party’s stance on the dispute.
Asked if she would reconsider the funding cuts to Labour if Andy Burnham or Angela Rayner were Prime Minister, Ms Graham insisted again that it is all about policies, not the person.
"This is not a personality contest, or just we like one better than the other. I'm sick and tired of listening to promises.
"I want to know what is Labour going to do for workers in Britain, for communities in Britain.
"People are on their knees. They are on their knees with the cost of living crisis. They can't take much more."