Graham, the general secretary for just over a year, presided over 450 disputes in the past 12 months and counted the pay outcome as a win 80% of the time. He said strikes were “reaching a crescendo at the moment” because of the cost of living crisis, when every penny in people’s pay packets counts. Graham warned that it was a “miscalculation by anyone, whether it’s Keir Starmer or Liz Truss, frankly, to assume that unions are a hateful beast” as workers vote in ever greater numbers to strike. With strikes ongoing in the Liverpool docks and elsewhere, Graham said she was needed in negotiations and supporting striking workers and was therefore “highly unlikely” to be at the Labor conference. Graham, who met Starmer for “detailed discussions” last week, also called on Labor to be more “robust” in defending workers in disputes over higher pay in Felixstowe, Liverpool and elsewhere. Labor will come under pressure to support inflation-matching pay rises, join picket lines and re-nationalise at a crucial annual conference for Keir Starmer. On the issue of supporting striking workers, the Labor leadership initially banned frontbenchers from picketing earlier this summer, but this appears to have been relaxed after several ignored the advice. Starmer said he fully stood behind the workers and understood why they were striking without explicitly supporting those on the horse in many disputes, such as the rail strike. Asked if she would like to see Starmer join her on a picket line, Graham said: “Whether he’s doing it as a captain, I mean, I’m sure he’d say he’s got other things to do. Of course, I would be very happy to welcome and I’m sure our members would be if they were there, but I think it’s a start. When you say something like that, don’t go on [the picket line], in people’s minds it conjures up something that is wrong. Whether that’s what he meant or not, that’s a different story, but it’s just people’s minds: it’s actually the wrong place. And I think that’s wrong, I think it needs to be fixed.” On Labour’s approach to tackling the cost of living crisis, he added: “I think I want a much stronger response. That when employers are making the kinds of profits we are talking about, whether it’s Liverpool Docks, Felixstowe Docks or other industries, that they should pay their workers a proper rate of pay… I would also like it to be said that of course there is no nothing wrong with supporting workers in your constituencies when they go on strike… But I think the main thing is consistency. If people can see that Labor is firmly on the side of working people, that message will start to get through and I think Labor needs to do that more strongly.” Graham also voiced his support for the renationalisation of the energy sector – another policy that Starmer’s Labor did not support. But he expressed optimism that Truss’s election as prime minister allows Labor to draw a much clearer line with the government. “I think, I really hope that there will be a clear dividing line that will start to open up between Labor and the Conservatives that people will really start to see it… For the first time in a long time we will actually see what these two parties stand for and what will be their differences”. At Truss herself, Graham said she gave an “evil smile” when she learned of the plans for tougher strike laws, as she predicted the new prime minister would follow suit. But he said Unite was ready for any move by the government to do so and had proved it was possible to reach higher thresholds for strike action. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. She was also scathing of the Truss’ “low economics on steroids” with policies such as removing the bankers’ bonus cap and planning tax cuts for the better. “Of course it doesn’t work,” he said. “If that’s the case, if there was a trickle down, then I wouldn’t be in 450 disputes with employers who have a clear ability to pay. There’s no leak there.” Graham said her approach over the past year has been to “bring brains and brains” to pay disputes by taking companies’ finances to court and challenging those who say they can’t afford to pay workers more. He won the post after saying he would bring Unite “back to the workplace”, but said he still believed politics mattered hugely and that unions should have their voices heard in parliament. Unite is Labour’s biggest donor and Graham’s predecessor, Len McCluskey, regularly made policy announcements and was deeply involved in the party, strongly supporting Jeremy Corbyn in recent years.
