The public sector union Unison has announced that it is linking up with the general union GMB over the Labour leadership contest.
All they linking up to do, at present, is nothing, i.e. to refuse to take a position in support of John McDonnell, the only candidate defending trade-union policies.
But a joint statement from Unison general secretary Dave Prentis and his GMB counterpart Paul Kenny indicates that the two unions' political committees "will form their agreement by the middle of May, by which time Labour's national executive committee will have set out its timetable for the elections".
Shouldn't Unison and GMB leaders be asking the widest range of their unions' democratically-elected committees which candidates they should nominate? And which recommendation, if any, they should make to members?
If the two unions come up with the same conclusion, ok, but how they can they guarantee GMB-Unison unanimity in advance except by a stitch-up at the top?
According to one GMB insider, the background story is that GMB and Unison are talking about a merger to create a counter to the other behemoth-union just formed, the TGWU-Amicus amalgamation.
