567,000 to 493,000. However, the NEC-backed motion which was eventually adopted did commit the union to continue campaigning against the bill and to consult with branches on "the practicalities of implementing a policy of non cooperation".
Disputes in branches around Asylum and Immigration are likely to erupt in the near future as employers ask staff to cooperate by carrying out checks on the coatus of their star or "service users". Already Lambeth Council have instructed staff to co-operate or be sent home.
Unison branches should campaign locally with refugee organisations and support members who refuse to act as immigration officers.
A new left caucus was set up called Unison Labour Left. Many of its supporters backed Bickerstaffe in last year's election for General Secretary, and now nose this as the vehicle for or. ganising supporters of the Socialist Campaign Group inside Unison.
The creation of yet another left formation inside the union is misguided when there are no differences on principles.
Co-operation on the left to commit the union to action in defence of its members such as at Hillingdon Hospital or to win the minimum wage will hopefully lead to a united left with those who want Unison to be a fight. ing union. crews, but because of the division into several companies, over twenty differnt claims have had to be progressed.
A mass meeting tot train crew representatives has forced the national executive to call ballots to go out from 17 July, but many companies will still not be affected and RMT drivers are yet to be involved.
A positive vote in the ballots is vital, with a rapid call to action needed to tie in action with the existing LUL dispute.
But the key to success lies in ensuring that those companies not yet involved are rapidly brought into the dispute and that the drivers are balloted.
While this is clearly the intention of the national executive, the level of coordination and planning necessary to achieve this is not yet apparent.
Transforming the structures of the union and creating the political climate where this becomes possible must be a clear priority for the left leaders of the