A BAKERS’ union is to disaffiliate from Labour, saying the party has “travelled away” from the aims and hopes of working class organisations.
Members of the Bakers, Food & Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) took the decision today, accusing Labour of engaging in a “factional internal war led by the leadership”.
A BFAWU statement said: “The decision by the party to not engage with a union that levied its poorly paid members in 1902 to build a party that would bring about real change to their lives, is the culmination of a failure to deliver those changes during our 119-year relationship.
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“We have a real crisis in the country and instead of leadership, the party’s leader chooses to divide the trade unions and the membership by proposing changes to the way elections for his successor will take place.
“We don’t see that as a political party with any expectations of winning an election.
“It’s just the leader trying to secure the right-wing faction’s chosen successor.
“The decision taken by our delegates doesn’t mean we are leaving the political scene, it means we will become more political and we will ensure our members’ political voice is heard as we did when we started the campaign for £10 per hour in 2014.
“Today we want to see £15 per hour for all workers, the abolition of zero hours contracts and ending discrimination of young people by dispensing with youth rates.”
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