A message to All Trade Unionists

Open Letter from Stephen Morris

General Secretary, Workers of England Union

To the General Secretaries and Executive Councils of Britain’s Labour Party Funding Trade Unions,

Recent public and private discussions about the future of political affiliation mark a turning point for our Trade Union movement. I write with an invitation.

The Workers of England Union made a conscious decision to remain independent of Party-Political funding. We did so because we wanted to give our members clarity. We wanted them to know that their Trade Union exists solely to represent them, without obligation to any political Party. As we have blatantly seen in recent days those Political parties can have corrupt politicians attached to them, they can act in ways that undermine workers and without any concerns for hard working people.

Independence has strengthened our credibility, sharpened our campaigning voice, and restored confidence among our members, who want their Trade Union to speak plainly and act decisively.

We recognise the historic role Trade Unions have played in shaping progressive legislation. That legacy matters. But history alone cannot justify arrangements that no longer serve today’s working people. When affiliation becomes expectation rather than choice, it risks weakening both Trade Unions and democracy.

We are not calling for disengagement from politics. On the contrary, we believe Trade Unions should engage more forcefully but from a position of independence!

Supporting policies, challenging governments, and working with MPs of any party where it benefits workers, without financial or institutional constraint. Don’t just be tied to a Labour Party that is so obviously out of touch with workers across England.

This letter is not a demand. It is a friendly call to reflect, consult your members honestly, and consider whether political independence may now better serve your core purpose.

Should you choose that path, you will not be alone. We stand ready to work cooperatively with all Trade Unions and will help and support them to become truly independent. We want to work together on shared industrial priorities, workers’ rights, and national campaigns.

The strength of our Trade Union movement has always come from unity rooted in principle, not loyalty enforced by tradition and definitely not loyalty to corrupt political systems.

We invite you to walk this path with us.

Standing Together,

Stephen Morris
General Secretary
Workers of England Union

Why Trade Unions Should Stand on Their Own Feet and Reject Corrupt Politicians

Be Independent like the Workers of England Union!

Recent reports that senior Trade Unions are privately considering withdrawing financial funding from the Labour Party mark a significant moment for the Trade Union movement.

When it is reported that representatives of the Communication Workers’ Union, ASLEF and Unite raise doubts about continued funding/affiliation, it reflects a deeper unease felt by workers across England.

For many workers across England being a member of Trade Unions, is not about personalities or party politics. It is about principle, independence, and trust that they will be properly represented when the time comes.

Trade unions exist to defend workers, not governments, not Political Parties, and not careers at Westminster.

Yet decades of automatic political funding have too often blurred that line. When Trade Unions are financially tied to one party, their ability to challenge, campaign, and negotiate freely is weakened.

Members see this clearly. They ask why their subscriptions should bankroll politicians who, once in office, delay, dilute, or retreat from commitments on pay, security, and workplace rights or are found out to be corrupt!!

The Workers of England Union (WEU) took the decision to remain politically independent for precisely this reason. Independence is not neutrality. It is strength.

It allows Trade Unions to engage with all political forces on the basis of workers’ interests alone. This means supporting good policies wherever they come from, and opposing bad ones without fear or favour.

This approach also restores democratic accountability inside our own Trade Union movement. When political funding is automatic, members lose meaningful control.

When Trade Unions stand independently, political engagement becomes active rather than assumed, debated, voted on, and justified to the membership.

Crucially, independence of a Trade Union does not mean isolation. It opens the door to cooperation between Trade Unions on shared industrial goals without forcing alignment on to Political Party loyalty. It allows us to build direct links with working people, communities, and campaigns, not just through parliament, but through workplaces and streets.

Many Trade Union leaders now find themselves under intense pressure from members who feel let down by a government that talks the language of labour but governs cautiously and naively. That tension will only grow.

The question is whether Trade Unions respond by managing discontent or by reshaping the relationship entirely.

The Workers of England Union offers a constructive path forward.

Friendly, principled, and open to cooperation. We do not claim to have all the answers. But we do believe this, “A trade Union movement that stands on its own feet will always negotiate from a position of greater strength”.

The door is open. The conversation is overdue. Stephen Morris has written an open letter to his fellow General Secretaries to stop their funding of the British Labour Party and become truly Independent. We ask all Trade Unionists to push for the same.