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Description
The Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) is a British trade union representing train drivers. It is part of the International Transport Workers' Federation and the European Transport Workers' Federation. At the end of 2018 ASLEF had 22,424 members. Its current General Secretary is Mick Whelan.
Political affiliation
ASLEF is affiliated to the Labour Party.
Labour was founded in 1900 as the Labour Representation Committee, and in 1903, ASLEF voted to affiliate to it.[55] In the 1906 general election, ASLEF General Secretary Albert Fox was the LRC candidate for Leeds South, where he polled 4,030 votes. Fox lost to the Liberal incumbent John Lawson Walton, but Lawson Walton died in January 1908 causing a by-election. Fox contested Leeds South a second time, but lost to the new Liberal candidate William Middlebrook.
In June 2015, ASLEF endorsed Jeremy Corbyn's campaign in the Labour Party leadership election. Aslef said Corbyn has the "character, vision and policies" needed to win back power for the party. General secretary Mick Whelan said: "Jeremy understands what Labour has to do to win back the hearts, the minds and the votes of ordinary working people in Britain."
