BRITAIN’S largest private sector union, with 1.2 million members, was formed yesterday after the merger of Amicus and Unifi, which represents the finance sector.

The merger has created a super-union to challenge Unison, which is Britain’s largest union, with 1.3 million public sector members.

Unifi’s 150,000 members are joining Amicus two years after the link was first mooted, in a move that union leaders said would enable them to campaign more effectively against outsourcing and low wages.

Finance will now make up the largest industrial sector within Amicus, traditionally seen as a blue-collar union. Amicus already has 50,000 insurance sector members. The enlarged Amicus intends to use its strength to recruit 750,000 finance workers who are not members of a trade union.

Derek Simpson remains general secretary of the union. Ed Sweeney, general secretary of Unifi who becomes deputy general secretary, said: “As more companies merge and consolidate to become bigger and bigger, unions need to be ahead of the game. Size matters when it comes to utilising the resources necessary to protect workers in modern companies, where cost-cutting and short-termism is rife.”

Mr Sweeney said that it was a myth that finance employers are paternalistic and caring, and that the days of a “safe” banking job were long gone.