One of the largest trade unions in the UK, Unite the Union, is under investigation by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) over the construction of a hotel and conference centre that cost £112m to build. The building, located in Birmingham, has been valued at just £29m, indicating that a total of £83m was wasted. This came after an inquiry led by KC, commissioned by Unite’s General Secretary Sharon Graham, found that £14m was missing from the project and was not included in the project’s final accounts. The SFO has refused to comment on the matter.
Unite had intended the Birmingham project to be a profitable investment while also saving the union money on hotel and conference costs. Included in the complex are a four-star, 195-bedroom hotel, a 1,000-person capacity conference centre, as well as the organization’s regional offices. Completed in 2020, the project has since become a point of controversy for Unite after it was discovered that the ruling executive council had been misled as to the true value of the project.
South Wales Police conducted a search on the union’s London headquarters in 2022 as part of a separate investigation into bribery, money laundering and fraud within the organization. The police stated that the investigation is ongoing. Unite has confirmed that it is pursuing legal claims to recover the lost funds and that the general secretary has put procedures in place to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
In response to the investigation, a spokesperson for Unite has said that the case is currently with the SFO and that the General Secretary will examine all possibilities of any financial wrongdoing. Sharon Graham took over the role of General Secretary in 2021. The spokesperson also stated that Graham has been the target of numerous attacks by those with much to lose since she launched the inquiries, both inside and outside the organization. Nonetheless, Graham has remained firm in her determination to discover the truth
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