Merger and early years (2007–2010) Unite the Union was formed on 1 May 2007 by the merger of
Amicus, a general private-sector union, and the
Transport and General Workers' Union. The general secretaries of the previous unions,
Derek Simpson and
Tony Woodley respectively, served as joint general secretaries of the new union. The executive councils of the predecessor unions became a joint executive council which served until elections could be held for an executive council of Unite. The new council took office on 1 May 2008. They put a new rulebook for the union to a postal ballot of members during July 2008, which was accepted. In 2008, there was a rooftop
hunger strike at Unite's Transport House building in
Belfast. The participants were formerly
shop stewards of the
Transport and General Workers' Union, now a section of Unite. The dispute was over legal fees and compensation for an unfair dismissal action against the workers' employer, arising from a 2002 strike at
Belfast International Airport, and the related actions of a full-time union official employee. In October 2009,
British Airways announced that it would cut 1,700 cabin crew jobs. Unite, which represented 12,000 of the company's cabin crew, said that it had been in talks with British Airways about the company's plans to reduce costs, but that the announcement had not been shared with them in advance. British Airways suspended staff for sharing lists of pilots who had agreed to break a potential strike. Unite's assistant general secretary,
Len McCluskey, said that some members had been suspended for being friends on
Facebook with other attendants being investigated. In a strike ballot, more than 80% of cabin crew members of Unite voted to strike. The
High Court of Justice granted an injunction against the strike on the basis that Unite had not informed its members about the number of spoilt ballots in a previous dispute. In total, there were twenty-two days of strike during the dispute. In November 2009,
Kraft Foods Inc. bid to purchase the confectionary company
Cadbury. Unite represented its staff, and sought assurance about the status of jobs in the event of the purchase. Kraft went on to purchase Cadbury. In a Parliamentary committee, Unite representatives including deputy general secretary
Jack Dromey and national food and drink officer
Jennie Formby gave evidence to an inquiry about the takeover, saying that Kraft had delayed meeting union representatives. Formby later criticised the company for its compensation of £40 million to its outgoing chief executive
Todd Stitzer. The
Labour Party later announced an election proposal to raise the shareholder majority required to approve a takeover to two-thirds, which Unite had lobbied for. During the
2010 general election, Unite were the largest donor to the
Labour Party, giving them £1 million.
McCluskey era (2010–2021) The first election for a single general secretary of the union was held in 2010, with McCluskey, an assistant general secretary considered on the
left wing of the union, being elected. Former joint general secretary Derek Simpson received a payment of over £500,000. Due to the controversy this caused within the union, members voted in favour of new measures designed to limit future payments on departure in a policy conference in 2012. The union began offering lower price membership to students, the unemployed and single parents in 2011. In the same year, the dispute with British Airways was resolved. In the wake of cuts to public spending made by the
Cameron–Clegg coalition, McCluskey threatened strike action to disrupt the
2012 Summer Olympics in London. Also in protest against cuts, Unite supported a successful motion at the
Trades Union Congress in 2012 to consider holding a
general strike. In 2013, leaked documents alleged that Unite was running a covert campaign to ensure its candidates were selected to represent the Labour Party in the
2015 general election. Steve Hart, the union's political director, stated that Unite was supporting 41 candidates. There was particular controversy over the
2013 Labour Party Falkirk candidate selection. Unite claimed that it had not broken any Labour Party rules or the law with its selection campaign.
Ed Miliband, then Leader of the
Labour Party, referred the matter for police investigation, however Police Scotland found there was 'insufficient evidence' to launch an investigation. An
Information Commissioner's Office investigation took place, as did internal Labour disciplinary proceedings. McCluskey was re-elected in an early general secretary election in 2013, defeating Hicks. In 2014, the union achieved a legal ruling by the
Employment Appeal Tribunal that employers need to account for overtime when calculating holiday pay. In April 2014, McCluskey threatened to disaffiliate Unite from Labour and launch a new workers' party if Labour lost the
2015 general election. In July 2015, Unite endorsed
Jeremy Corbyn's campaign in the
2015 Labour Party leadership election. In December 2016, McCluskey announced his resignation in order to contest an election for the post, which was held in April 2017. He was challenged by Unite's West Midlands Regional Secretary Gerard Coyne, who accused him of "putting the Labour leadership before the interests of Unite members". McCluskey won the election, and Coyne was suspended from his position in the union. In 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, several hundred bus drivers working for
Go North West in
Manchester went on strike for over two months in the longest strike in Unite's history.
Graham era (2021–present) In August 2021, McCluskey announced his retirement as leader. In the subsequent election,
Sharon Graham was chosen to replace him as the union's general secretary. The union joined
postal workers strikes in 2022 after members at
Royal Mail voted for industrial action over pay and job cuts. On the anniversary of the start of the
Birmingham bin strike on 11 March 2026, Unite cut its annual donation to the
Labour Party by £580,000, a decrease of 40% from its previous funding of £1.45 million. The Labour controlled
Birmingham City Council had decided to remove Waste Recycling and Collection Officer posts, and a dispute had been on-going for a year. The union states a resolution of the dispute has been formulated at the
Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas), but the Labour-run council has not agreed to it. A periodic Unite rules conference will take place in 2027, which may consider whether the union should remain affiliated to the Labour Party.
Hotel owned by Unite During McCluskey's tenure, Unite spent £98 million on a hotel and conference centre in
Birmingham as costs increased during its construction beyond the initially projected £57 million. Graham told officials in February 2022 that recent valuations were about £28 million. At the time of the investment decision McCluskey had said, it was a "sensible investment of members' money, resulting in a world-class facility that will return an income for our union for generations to come". Graham ordered two independent inquiries, one led by a
Queen's Counsel, which was expected to report by the end of March 2022, and another by the accounting firm Grant Thornton. In April 2022, a raid was conducted by
HM Revenue and Customs and
South Wales police on Unite offices to investigate allegations of bribery, fraud, and money laundering related to the project. As of December 2022, the contents of both inquiries has not been released, as Unite has referred the matter to the police citing "very serious concerns about potential criminality". In July 2025, the BBC reported that McCluskey had taken private jet flights and received football tickets arranged by the hotel contractor, Flanagan Group. == General secretary ==