An interesting article on the Labour Uncut website examines the organisational challenges facing Len McCluskey as he takes up his position as Unite General Secretary on 31 January 2011 – the first elected by the union’s whole membership: http://labour-uncut.co.uk/2011/01/18/the-other-kind-of-trade-union-cuts-battle-saving-cost-within-unite/
Unite was a merger of several declining industrial unions and since its formation in 2007 its claimed membership has veered rapidly downwards from an originally inflated figure of over 2 million to today’s reported membership of 1.4 million. Reversing the trend of decline is the main challenge faced by the new Unite leadership and the launch today of the impressive ‘Don’t Break Britain’ signals the beginning of a political mobilisation to support extensive workplace organising campaigns:
http://www.unitetheunion.org/default.aspx?gclid=CJ7ax_jdxaYCFQsJ3wod2m9CGg