Len McCluskey, the General Secretary of Unite, the powerful trade union bloc, has been re-elected for another term of five years, with the fiery trade unionist obtaining in excess of 144,000 votes. His competitor, Jerry Hicks, attained nearly 80,000 votes. Len McCluskey’s re-election to the post of Unite’s General Secretary was followed by a comment from him that he was profoundly honoured on account of the trust that the members of the union have shown in him. Len McCluskey has been exhorting a general strike across Britain to express denunciation of the austerity policies of the Coalition, which have included public sector pay freezes, pension cuts and alterations in the welfare system.

Only 15% of the membership of Unite cast their votes in the election to elect their General Secretary. Len McCluskey, subsequent to his reelection, has remarked that the British working people need a trade union now more than ever to fight for their rights.

Tory chairman Grant Shapps referred to Len McCluskey as a trade union baron, who has been reelected as Unite’s General Secretary with the backing of only a fragment of his membership. The Tory chairman defended the Coalition, contending that they were transforming the economy and pulling out 2.2 million of the lowest paid employees from the tax structure altogether. Notwithstanding these attempts, the trade union bosses remain wholly unreformed, roared Grant Shapps.

Len McCluskey was a key player in the 2010 strike by BA cabin crew, which resulted in the company losing 150 million pounds. Grant Shapps has voiced that Len McCluskey’s reelection to the post of Unite General Secretary would make certain that the Labour chief Ed Miliband would remain idealess about tackling the deficit crisis.

Unite continues to be Labour’s single largest donor, having contributed 32% of the donations to the Labour treasury in the last quarter. Meanwhile, Frances O’Grady, the new chief of Trades Union Congress (TUC), has restored to life the dread of trade union bellicosity, which was witnessed in the 1970s and 1980s. She has uttered that she is desirous of tackling the messiness, which has arisen on account of trade unions being marginalised in society.