RMT improves on "yes" vote to keep political fund

The RMT transport union, which was expelled from the Labour Party last year, has recorded an enormous vote in favour of retaining its political fund.

The union is the 17th union to hold a successful review ballot in this round. By law, unions with political funds must hold such a review ballot every 10 years.

RMT members voted by 21,131 (88%) to 2,840 (12%) in favour of retaining their fund, in a turnout of 36.9%. The result represented the second highest vote in favour among the latest round of unions' review ballots and was also higher than the "yes" votes the RMT and its predecessor unions recorded in their previous review ballots.

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: "This ringing endorsement for having the fund also highlights the need to change this anti-union law, brought in by the Tories, that forces trade unions to hold such ballots simply to have their say on crucial matters that concern their members." MP John Mann has tabled nine Early Day Motions calling on the government to abolish the legislation.

The Trade Union Co-ordinating Committee, which has supported unions' review ballot campaigns, said the average "yes" vote based on actual votes cast was 75% across all the unions balloting in this round, compared with 80% in the mid-1990s. The group has also been calling for the law to be abolished and has now dissolved as it has completed its work.