Politics
Unite’s Graham slammed for ‘betraying workers’ in ‘secret talks with Reform’
Unite’s anti-worker general secretary Sharon Graham has been slammed by the union’s grassroots activists for ‘betraying workers’ by holding “secret talks” with the far-right Reform UK over the Birmingham bin strike.
The strike, which has dragged on for more than a year, was triggered by another attack by Labour-run Birmingham council on the wages of some of its lowest-earning workers. However, Graham’s tactics have been criticised by union insiders and have failed to win the dispute. The union is also hampered by the collapse of its strike fund since Graham took over the union. She now faces both a personal re-election battle in 2026 and elections for Unite’s ‘exec’, of which her allies are trying to maintain control.
The ‘Reunite the union’ group said Graham’s talks with Reform were “desperate and politically reckless”. It also quoted Birmingham organisers saying they “never see her” and that by cosying with the far-right she has undermined their battle for fair treatment:
Courting Farage is a betrayal of our members already under attack by Reform and the thousands more in the party’s sights. It’s time to reunite, to end Sharon Graham’s appeasement of the far-right, and to stop Reform.
… This is an industrially desperate and politically reckless move. Labour is set to lose control of Birmingham, one of the largest councils in Europe. Latest polling shows that the council is highly likely to be led by Reform.
The union movement has rallied behind the Birmingham bin workers for a year now, including solidarity pickets from other unions. With local elections pending it is legitimate to put demands on parties to expose those who do not support the strikers and to demonstrate that Reform is not the party of workers.
It is politically reckless and industrially naïve to then meet with Reform, gifting them political cover and allowing Nigel Farage to launder himself through Sharon Graham’s tacit endorsement. This sends a dangerous message to our members, suggesting it is ok to vote Reform as a way to end (note “end” not “win”) the dispute.
Importantly, Graham did not bother to ask reps and members in Birmingham about this dangerous stunt. As our reps in Reform-controlled councils know well, if Reform take control of Birmingham they will immediately go on the attack against workers.
“Sharon Graham has no mandate from Birmingham council workers or the bin yards to hold talks with Reform. She hasn’t spoken to us about it at all. That isn’t a surprise as she has only been to all the pickets once in the last year. We never see her.” A Unite rep from Birmingham told Reunite.
“We have to support the dispute, but we also have to prepare for the attacks we’ll all face if Reform take over the council. That has now been totally undermined. It isn’t acceptable.”
For months, Sharon Graham has refused to directly criticise Reform. This is despite Reform’s leadership openly announcing attacks on our members and our union – from repealing new workplace protections, to scrapping protections against discrimination, and plans to create a Trump-style ICE force to attack migrant workers. Now we know why.
In September, Graham claimed she would “talk to the devil himself” when asked by Sky News about potential talks with Nigel Farage. Now she appears to have done just that.
This is an issue far beyond Birmingham. Building resistance to Reform and the far-right is an existential question for the trade union movement. It is outrageous hypocrisy for Sharon Graham to attend the March 28th Together demonstration in London, only to then authorise talks with Reform behind the backs of members. It is scab behaviour to break away from the wider trade union movement and to try and curry a special relationship with Reform.
For our members in Local Authorities.
For our thousands of migrant worker members.
For every member facing attacks from the far-right and Reform.
We must end this appeasement.
Graham’s move might surprise some, but she has a long and awful record in Unite, facing repeated strikes from workers both because of her husband Jack Clarke’s behaviour toward staff and her own attacks on attempts of the union’s workers to organise.
Graham and Clarke vs workers
Clarke was promoted shortly after Graham took over the union in 2021, overseeing the newly-created Bargaining and Disputes Unit (BDSU). Union insiders point out that Unite’s approval procedures for the promotion had not been followed. Prior to his promotion, Clarke was on a final warning from Unite for his behaviour.
BDSU staff were soon in dispute with the union and Clarke over alleged bullying by Clarke and his cronies. However, their complaints were not the first such allegations against Clarke.
In 2018, before Graham became Unite’s general secretary, she asked colleagues to destroy evidence of bullying and misogyny gathered by staff working under him in his previous role. In a stunning December 2024 development, Graham’s lawyers admitted that, following her takeover, the union destroyed the evidence.
Graham and Unite have also spent huge amounts of members’ money on lawyers’ fees, most recently to sue barely-followed and anonymous X accounts on behalf of Clarke.
Unite the anti-union union?
Staff have also accused Graham and her management team of employing intimidation, suspension and anti-union tactics against staff in the dispute. This outraged Unite’s National Industrial Sector Committee (NISC) for the print and graphics sector, and the leaders of two unions representing Unite staff and officers.
So bad has this alleged conduct been that more than 90% of Unite staff working at the union’s Holborn HQ voted for strike action. Three — some say four — of the five women who worked in Clarke’s department since Graham formed it and put him in charge of it have left. Union sources say they also alleged bullying and abuse.
Unite’s staff branch unanimously condemned the union’s abuse of its staff. The influential Officers National Committee (ONC) accused Graham of using Murdoch-style anti-union tactics against workers and officers unionising and taking collective action.
After fighting Graham’s moves to undermine their attempts to organise since the beginning of 2025, Unite’s officer group will soon begin strike action. That and Graham’s “desperate and reckless” cosying with Reform are likely to impact her attempts to get herself and her hangers-on re-elected.
Featured image via MorningStar
By Skwawkbox
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