Sharon Graham’s secret talks with Reform betrays workers
News that Sharon Graham’s team have held secret talks with Nigel Farage’s Reform party is being met with anger across our union. 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.
The Times has exposed that Sharon Graham’s team have held talks with Reform, which the far-right party described as “constructive,” about ending the Birmingham bin dispute.
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.
We must Reunite.
