Left turns up heat on UNISON chiefs
Fred Leplat, Islington Unison (in a personal capacity)
Every day of UNISON’s national conference in Bournemouth, June 17-21, was not surprisingly dominated by the question of privatisation. Every area of local government and the health service is being "reformed" along private sector lines.
However, during the 30 minutes of the speech by the Northern Ireland minister John Reid the P-word was not mentioned at all.
The conference of local government branches, held for 2 days before the main conference, agreed to a campaign of nationally co-ordinated action against privatisation including a one-day stoppage and a demo.
The effects of privatisation, in particular the "two-tier" workforce and low pay was at the heart of these two-days.
Delegates rejected a voluntary code of practice negotiated by Unison with the government. Under this code, private employers are supposed to offer new employees in privatised services terms and conditions which are "broadly comparable" to those of transferred staff. Delegates recognised that this voluntary code was not even worth the paper it was written on.
Conference heard of the tremendous victory of tenants in Birmingham and Southwark voting against the stock transfer of their homes. Unison is now committed to affiliate to Defend Council Housing and to oppose Arms Length Management Organisations running housing.
Tracy Twist of Birmingham Unison told delegates "We won a tremendous victory by uniting tenants and the council workforce. The national Defend Council Housing played a key role".
Low pay in local government is being challenged by regional and national industrial action. Over 250,000 earn less than £5 an hour. Unison local government members in London have already taken 3 days strike action for a £4000 London Weighting claim.
July strike
A further day’s action may take place on the 17th July with the GMB and TGWU. This day would coincide with a one-day national strike of Unison over a national claim of £1,750 or 6% whichever is the greater.
The continuing privatisation programme of the government has hardened delegates’ view that the union’s funds should not be handed over so liberally to New Labour. Nearly £2million was donated to New Labour over and above the basic affiliation.
Last year delegates agreed to have a review of the union’s two political and had instructed the NEC to bring a report to this year’s conference. Instead the NEC has just started the consultation.
Delegates therefore passed overwhelmingly a motion censoring the NEC for the slow pace of the review of the political funds. Desperate attempts by the NEC to save its skin from a hiding failed as it described the motion as a "Trojan horse" for disaffiliation from the labour Party.
The mood of the membership and of delegates at conference is more critical of New Labour and Unison’s NEC for its lack of action against the attacks on services and members. This has been translated into an increase of the strength of the left on the NEC.
So concerned is the majority of the NEC about this development that it attempted to introduce a rule change preventing NEC members speaking in conference against the NEC. Delegates, who clearly saw this as an attempt to gag the left, also rejected this.
United Left
The strength of the left at conference was reflected by the United Left holding a 300-strong fringe meeting and selling nearly 500 copies of its bulletin.
Racism and the attacks on asylum seekers by the government was also an important feature of the conference. In the debate, delegates repeatedly condemned David Blunkett, Home Secretary and Unison sponsored MP, for his reference to asylum seekers "swamping" schools and GP practices.
Unison is now committed to support asylum seekers’ right to work, against their forced dispersal and for the closure of detention centres.
Delegates recognised that New Labour is laying the seeds of racism through many of it policies which have increased poverty. Conference therefore agreed to campaign against the BNP and to call with the TUC a demonstration in Manchester against racism.
On international issues, the conference also unanimously agreed to support the Palestinian people and work with the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, to oppose any attacks on Iraq and to affiliate to the Stop the War Coalition, and to continue oppose neo-liberal globalisation and support the European Social Forum this November in Florence.