Trade unions could break away from Labour unless ministers deliver on their demands by the middle of a third term, the GMB leader has warned.

A re-elected Labour government must raise the minimum wage, renationalise the railways and restore the right to secondary strike action, Kevin Curran said in an interview with the Times on Friday.

The GMB general secretary warned that unless Tony Blair backed the plans then the union movement "would have to look for a political partner that would advance the interests of people we represent".

"It really is as simple as that," Curran warned.

However, the GMB chief appears out of step with other major union leaders following last weekend's Labour policy summit.

The national policy forum agreed new third term policies to prevent employers counting bank holidays towards the statutory four weeks holiday.

There is also a commitment to ending the two-tier workforce in public services, new forums to bring together unions and employers in low-paid sectors and new moves on pension protection.

Deal

Following the deal, TGWU general secretary Tony Woodley said they were policies "the whole of the Party can unite behind".

And the leader of Amicus, Derek Simpson, said the "united stance" of unions had "paid dividends that will pave the way for a third election victory for Labour".

But Curran has called on ministers to go further, something they are not likely to do.

In such circumstances, he added, the union movement could back candidates from other parties.

"Just imagine if a disaffected, disengaged trade union movement decided to identify independent candidates," Curran told the Times.

"What if we said we are going to concentrate on 300 seats with independent candidates? The difference we would make in national politics would be enormous.

"If the Labour Party turns round and says, we don't want the unions any more, we are not going to go away."