Solidarity (British trade union)

Solidarity is a United Kingdom trade union formed in late 2005 by the British National Party (BNP).[2] It is named after the Polish trade union Solidarność, and its logo (which it has trademarked) is also inspired by that of the Polish union.

Solidarity
Full nameSolidarity Union
Founded2005
Members204[1]
Key peoplePatrick Harrington
Office locationEdinburgh, United Kingdom
CountryUnited Kingdom
WebsiteSolidarity website

Solidarity recruits from all industrial sectors and professions. Solidarity has already stated that it has no plans to apply for affiliation to the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and will not be bound, therefore, by agreements not to poach members from other unions.


Leadership political profile

Executive composition

The first union president was Adam Walker, a BNP member and three times a parliamentary candidate (in Bishop Auckland in 2010 and 2017 and in Rotherham in 2015). Since 2015, he has been chairman of the BNP, following the departure of Nick Griffin as leader. Walker was subsequently replaced as union president by David Kerr. Kerr was replaced as president in November 2019 by Glen Nicklasson.[3]

The union general secretary is Patrick Harrington

Controversies

Funding for the BNP?

In a 2006 report in the newspaper Wales on Sunday, John Walker, then national treasurer of the BNP, claimed that the union was likely to contribute funds to the party:

"There probably will be a political levy at some stage to the BNP just as other unions raise money for Labour. It is quite possible and feasible that when Solidarity becomes fully functional some element of funds raised will be donated to the BNP, but that will have to be decided through consultation with the membership."[4]

Solidarity's general secretary, Harrington, responded in a letter to the newspaper that this was Walker's "personal opinion", that the recipients of union grants would be decided directly by members, and that members could opt out of the political fund if one were to be established.[5][6]

Solidarity's annual returns to the Certification Office from 2006 through to 2018 indicate that the union has not yet established a political fund. [7]

Alleged front status

Allegations that Solidarity is a BNP front organisation were first made by Searchlight magazine on the Stop the BNP website on 24 January 2006[8] and repeated by Barrie Clement in The Independent on 1 February 2006.[9]

Membership numbers

As of 31 December 2018 (the last figure filed with the Certification Office) Solidarity had 139 members.[10]

gollark: There are two (2) political ideologies. No others exist.
gollark: I'm glad *someone* knows what I do and do not understand regarding things.
gollark: Great!
gollark: I generally want less, but pandemic control is somewhat hard to do outside of governments with how things currently work.
gollark: Arguably, people infecting you with viruses infringes on your rights.

References
  1. "2017 Annual Return" (PDF). www.gov.uk. Government Certification office. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  2. "BNP's Trade Union Shock". The Voice. 6 February 2006. Archived from the original on 19 July 2006.
  3. http://www.solidaritytradeunion.com/news/950-17-11-2019-solidarity-has-a-new-president.html
  4. "Union funds BNP". Wales on Sunday. 19 February 2006. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  5. http://www.certoffice.org/CertificationOfficer/media/DocumentLibrary/PDF/789T_2012.pdf
  6. "Letters to the editor". Wales on Sunday. 19 February 2006. Archived from the original on 15 April 2012.
  7. https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140701202912/http://www.certoffice.org/Nav/Trade-Unions/Solidarity.aspx
    - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/solidarity-annual-returns
  8. https://web.archive.org/web/20060629031719/http://www.stopthebnp.org.uk/index.php?location=news&art=354
  9. "Alleged front group for BNP wins union status", The Independent, 1 February 2006 Archived 3 February 2006 at the Wayback Machine
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