They played a damaging role against the print unions in the dispute with the Murdoch publishing empire and they were engaged in supporting breakaway or alternative unions in a number of industries. All this was documented in TUC reports. The AEEU is not the main union in manufacturing. They have important representation in some sections, but there are many sections where they have only a minority interest, including chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, clothing, food and drink, pottery, boots and shoes and shipbuilding and ship repair. Even in the automotive industry there are sections where the TGWU is the main union.
Engineering is a declining area of employment.
There are many members of MSF in the National Health Service, the finance sector, education and the voluntary sector who do not wish to be submerged in a union with a predominant membership in engineering. The merger with the AEEU would be likely to deter rather than encourage recruitment in other areas of employment. It is not a sustainable argument that MSF, with a membership income of approximately 24 millions a year, cannot provide for its own future and attract smaller unions with a clear occupational similarity. The AEEU refused to ballot its members in the recent procedure for the selection of Labour's candidate for the London Mayor. There was disgust and derision among millions of Londoners.