Political Fund Review Ballot 2023/2024 Results

In the MU Political Review Ballot 2023/2024 members voted overwhelmingly in favour of retaining the Union’s political fund:

• 18% of members participated in the process
• 95% voted in favour of retaining the political fund

We would like to thank all members who voted in our latest political fund review ballot. Your engagement in our democratic processes is absolutely vital and hugely appreciated. We are legally required to ballot members every ten years on whether to retain a political fund, and we are please to announce that you voted overwhelmingly in favour of us doing so.

All members had the right to vote in the ballot, whether they contribute to the political fund or not, and all members continue to have the right not to contribute personally if they don’t want to, regardless of the positive response. We can now continue to maintain a political fund for another ten years until a further review ballot is required.

Find out more about MU Political Fund

Scrutineers report

The balloting process was overseen by independent scrutineer, UK Engage. Subsection 78 (4) of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 requires us to publish the content of their report on the process, which is set out for that purpose, below:

MU Political Fund Ballot - Independent Scrutineers Report

Our independent scrutineers' report, as required in accordance with section 78 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, for the above ballot which closed at 12 noon on Friday, 19 January 2024, is as follows:

THE RESOLUTION is that the political objects set out in section 72 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 be approved as an object of the Union.

Voting

Vote	Number of voters	Percentage of voters
Yes	5,600	95.21%
No	282	4.79%

Number of individuals who were entitled to vote in the ballot	32,728
Number of votes cast in the ballot	5,890
Votes cast in the ballot as a % of individuals who were entitled to vote	18.00%
Number of spoilt or otherwise invalid voting papers returned	8
Number of valid voting papers returned	5,882

I hereby declare that:

• There are no reasonable grounds for believing that there was any contravention of a requirement imposed by or under any enactment in relation to the ballot.
• That the arrangements made with respect to the production, storage, distribution, return or other handling of the voting paper used in the ballot, and the arrangements for the counting of the votes, included all such security arrangements as were reasonably practicable for the purpose of minimizing the risk that any unfairness or malpractice might occur.
• That we have been able to carry out the functions conferred on us without any interference from the trade union or any of its members, officials, or employees.
• A copy of the register of voters (as at the relevant date) was not examined nor were we requested by any member or candidate to inspect or examine a copy of the candidateship register.

If you would like a copy of the above report please complete our online request form with your details and the details of your request and we will provide you with a copy, free of charge.

Official notice

Under our political fund rules, we are required to provide members with the following official notice regarding the ballot result and your right to exemption from contributing to the fund:

Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 (as amended)

A resolution approving the furtherance of political objects within the meaning of the above Act as an object of the union has been adopted by a ballot under the Act. Any payments in the furtherance of any of those objects will be made out of a separate fund, the political fund of the union.

Every member of the union has a right to be exempt from contributing to that fund. A form of exemption notice can be obtained by or on behalf of any member either by application at, or by post from, the head office or any branch office of the union or from the Certification Office for Trade Unions and Employers’ Associations, by emailing info@certoffice.org.

This form, when filled in, or a written request to the like effect, should be handed or sent to the General Secretary or Assistant General Secretary, Musicians’ Union, 30 Snowsfields, London SE1 3SU.

Other ways to change your contribution

You can also make amendments to your political fund contribution by:

• Changing the settings on your myMU account:
• Completing an online request form.