Unifi,
the financial trade union, is to merge with Amicus, Britain’s largest private
sector union.
Members
of the financial union voted nine to one in favour of the merger, which will
see Unifi retain its identity and staff, and absorb the existing Amicus finance
members.
The
merging of Unifi’s 140,000 members and Amicus’ 50,000 will create a union with
two-thirds of all trade union members in the finance industry.
Ed
Sweeney, general gecretary of Unifi, said: "By combining the resources of
these two great unions, we can represent members’ interests much more forcefully."
He
said the union would fight to close gender and board/branch pay gaps in the
finance sector, as well as addressing pensions entitlements and the risk of
‘wholesale job losses on the back of the bandwagon to outsource’.
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In
addition, members of the GPMU print and media union are to be balloted over a
merger with Amicus. If this goes ahead, Amicus will become the biggest union in
the UK, with a membership of around 1.38 million.
