Great Britain: Unite’s dispute fund is quietly growing

Nearly 2 years after its creation, the dispute fund of the Unite union now stands at nearly £30m (€36.5m).  It was established in 2012 under the then new general secretary, Len McCluskey with the sum of £25m (€30.5m). This fund is quietly growing, especially since it is rarely used, as the union often manages to reach compromises with businesses simply with the threat of a strike, without truly needing to take action.
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Its purpose was to provide the financial muscle not only to provide Unite members on strike with enhanced strike pay – so that they would not face the prospect of being forced back to work through destitution – but also to provide the funds for campaigning against employers when disputes arose with them. Examples of such campaigning include media advertising campaigns, supplying campaign materials and providing transport to allow demonstrations and flashmob protests by members and supporters to

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