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Rise in political fund contributors
The number of union members paying into their union’s political funds rose by 3.4% in the latest year monitored.
The latest annual report of the Certification Officer reveals that 4,954,606 members contributed to funds in financial years ending between October 2013 and September 2014. This compares to 4,791,211 in the previous year.
The number of members not contributing to the funds fell by 27%.
Thirteen unions with political funds had been required to hold 10-yearly review ballots in the period, all of which had returned substantial majorities in favour of retaining the fund.
However, the recently published Trade Union Bill will add additional requirements on unions regarding their political funds. This includes requiring members to opt in every five years for the political fund part of their subscription to be used for political party support or campaigns.