Unite elects its first female General Secretary

 

Sharon Graham - Unite General Secretary

Sharon Graham has won the election to become the next General Secretary of Unite the Union. She won the election after receiving 46,696 vote to become the first female leader of the union. Steve Turner and Gerard Coyne received 41,833 votes and 35,334 votes respectively. Unite said that a total of 124,147 vote were cast by Unite members.

Ms Graham said the she was "honoured" to have been elected and understood the "tremendous responsibility" the role brings. She added: "Our members expect their union to be in their corner so I was proud to stand on a manifesto that pledged to put our members and our workplaces first. I will deliver on those promises. Unite is an incredible force for good in the UK and Ireland but I am fully aware of the huge challenges our members face in the workplace. As General Secretary, I will put the power of our union into defending their jobs, improving their pay and protecting their rights."

Ms Graham has led recent disputes at British Airways and Crossrail as well as campaigning to unionise Amazon. She has described herself as the "workers' candidate", and currently leads Unite's organising and leverage department which specialises in taking on hostile employers. Len McCluskey, the former General Secretary, described Ms Graham as "the most formidable campaigning force in our movement." Steve Turner had the support of the Communist 'Morning Star' group, and Gerard Coyne had the support of Rupert Murdoch and the Daily Mail.

In her 'Candidates' Election Address, Sharon Graham said that she didn't belong to any faction and wasn't supported by any clique of MP's. She stated that she would take the Union back to the workplace and added: "The answer is not to spend more time in Westminster or to support a different Labour faction. We can't rely on politicians and I won't be signing blank cheques for any party... I will take on the 'undercutters' and the race to the bottom by organising all non-Union employers across our industries, like Amazon. She has pledged to leave no stone unturned in exposing the whole truth about blacklisting past and present, and alleged complicity in it, by union officials.