The existing general secretary of Unite, the biggest union (with 1.4m members and the biggest affiliate to the Labour Party) has been re-elected for a five year term of office. Len McCluskey beat his only opponent by a margin of two-to-one in a ballot of Unite’s membership which saw a 15% turnout. This election, where two left-wing candidates where running – Hicks being more grassroots – solidifies the left’s dominance in the organization, which is moving further away from the New Labour. (Réf. 130252)
Both candidates stood firmly on the left of the political spectrum, although Hicks was the more radical of the two. Often dubbed ‘Red Len’, McCluskey is a 62 year old former Liverpool docker who became a full-time local union officer in 1979 and then a national union officer in 1990. By the early 2000s, he had become a key player in the predecessor of Unite, the T&G, helping organise its Broad Left grouping.
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