MU members need a political voice. Politicians make decisions which affect the lives of musicians at work and at home. Photo credit: Shutterstock
This notice is to inform you, as a member of the MU, that we will be conducting a postal ballot in December 2023 and January 2024 which will give you the chance to decide whether the Union should continue to maintain its Political Fund or not.
When you receive your ballot pack we want you to vote YES
- We have appointed UK Engage as the Scrutineer to oversee the running of the ballot on our behalf.
- In order to ensure receipt of your ballot pack so you can take part in making this crucial decision, please log in to your myMU portal and ensure your postal address is up to date and the details are correct.
Why does the MU have a Political Fund?
MU members need a political voice. Politicians make decisions which affect the lives of musicians at work and at home. Maintaining a political fund allows the MU to lobby politicians in order to influence those decisions. It is vitally important to note that, under the Trade Union Act 2016, the MU is forbidden from committing any funds other than member contributions to the political fund to lobbying or any of the other valuable political work.
If you want us to continue our work on this and other important political work, please vote YES when you receive your ballot papers.
Are all members required to contribute to the Political Fund?
No, if you don’t want to contribute to the Political Fund, you don’t have to. Every member has the right to opt in or out of paying into the Political Fund whenever they want. Voting YES in the ballot just means that those members who do wish to pay into the Political Fund can continue to do so. It is important that you vote, and that you vote YES, so that all members can continue to benefit from the Union’s political campaigning.
Members who have opted in contribute 2p in every £1 of their subscription fees to the Political Fund. It sounds like a tiny amount, but it all adds up and allows us to achieve big things.
Does the money all go to the Labour Party?
No, less than half of the money raised from the MU’s political levy goes towards Labour Party affiliation fees. At this point in time when it seems ever more likely that Labour will win the next General Election its vitally important that we remain affiliated and maintain our excellent relationship with the party.
What happens next?
At this stage, all you need to do is to log in to your myMU portal and ensure your postal address is up to date and the details are correct. That way you will receive a ballot pack when they are sent out.
In December a ballot pack will be sent to your home. You should read the ballot paper and vote YES if you agree to keep the Union’s Political Fund. It must be posted back to the Independent Scrutineer. A pre-paid return envelope will be included.
A further update will be provided nearer the time to set out the posting date and the date by which all responses need to be received by the Scrutineer in order to be counted.