Yesterday 5th September at a well-attended hustings meeting of United Left supporters in Manchester, Len McCluskey was overwhelmingly elected as the United Left candidate for General Secretary of UNITE, Britain and Ireland's largest trade union.
Len McCluskey is undoubtedly now in pole position to win the race to become the first single General Secretary of UNITE when Joint General Secretaries Derek Simpson and Tony Woodley step down in December 2010, and January 2012 respectively. An election to elect General Secretary designate will take place in the latter half of 2010, with the successful candidate taking up position when Derek Simpson retires and working alongside Tony Woodley for one year before becoming single General Secretary when Tony Woodley himself retires.
Len McCluskey is currently Assistant General Secretary of UNITE from the former T&G Section, with a strong reputation for his progressive left politics and decisive and proactive support for workers in struggle. He has a long and deep association with the T&G Broad Left and now UNITED LEFT, the recently merged progressive left movement in UNITE which brought together AMICUS' left organisation Unity Gazette and T&G Broad Left.
United Left is rapidly becoming a formidable force within UNITE and within 6 months has already expanded its supporter base well beyond the sum of its two predecessor organsisations. Supporters range from national and regional officers of UNITE, the majority of UNITE Executive Council, through to the grassroots membership where a United Left shop stewards network of left union activists is being put in place.
Len McCluskey, a powerful candidate in his own right, will clearly have a very strong organisational base of support and very long headstart over any other candidates when the election campaign formerly opens next year.
Yesterday's meeting was attended by nearly 300 United Left supporters. Len McCluskey was loudly applauded at the end of the meeting following the declaration of his overwhelming vote of support. The Chair called for unity across the left for Len who had proved himself an excellent candidate for General Secretary, and appealed to all those present to work hard in his support in the forthcoming election campaign.
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