The following is a statement from Gill George, an SWP member who sits on Unite's Health Sector National Industrial Sector Committee.
"Absolutely brilliant"
This was the response from our leading public sector activists today as our final meetings of public sector committees rejected the Tories' attacks on our pensions.
Last Wednesday, our Health Sector National Industrial Sector Committee voted unanimously to reject the 'Heads of Agreement'. On Tuesday this week, our Local Government NISC voted two to one to reject. Today, our MOD and Government Departments NISC voted unanimously to reject; our Community Youth Workers voted unanimously to reject in a phone conference; and our Health NISC re-affirmed its absolute support for an ongoing fight on pensions.
In meeting after meeting, our leading activists talked about the need for more industrial action to stop the attacks on our pensions - and to stop the massive attacks of service cuts, privatisation, job loss, pay cuts and regional pay that we know the Government has lined up for us. A strong theme emerged of a need for unity. Activists understood the need for all our public sector members to stand together against common attacks, and for Unite to stand publicly and proudly with the other unions that are willing to fight. Of course we're stronger when we fight together.
Unite's position is now an excellent one (attached). A Public Services Combine this afternoon endorsed the strong views coming from all of our public sector groups. We've rejected the 'done deal' announced by Danny Alexander on 20th December. We're seeking central cross-scheme negotiations to challenge the Government's 'principles' of paying more, working longer and getting less. We'll move to further industrial action to stop the attacks being imposed on 1st April. Our leadership is mandated to organise a meeting of like minded unions that can take our opposition to the Government forward. We're committed to coordinating our opposition across our public sector sections within Unite and with the other unions that are fighting back. The paper supported by the Public Services Combine is attached.
There was nothing automatic about this outcome. We fought for it. As a Left within Unite, we should all of us be very proud of the work we have done to create a strong policy in an immensely influential union. Many of our activists in the public sector have worked flat out since 19th December - but we've been ably supported by so many other UL supporters. My own view is that the successful request for a special Executive Council meeting was particularly important. This gave confidence to lay members - and was a sharp reminder to national officers that we have an Executive that is willing to take control of this union. We have a real success here, carved out of the cumulative efforts of many of us.
We've still got a massive job of work on our hands. We've got a pensions fight to build, and a pensions fight to win. The outcome of this one will shape the future for the battles that lie ahead. Today, though, we got things back on track after the disgraceful shenaningans of Barber and Prentis on 19th December. From today, Unite's position is a principled one of seeing this not as a series of isolated disputes, but as a fight across the public sector - and a fight that will be won through unions working and striking together. This is a stance that we urgently need to take forward within our wider movement.
Comments
Explanation from Gill George
The wording is based very closely on a statement agreed by a group of UL activists across all our public sector areas in the run up to Wednesday's meetings. This statement, written by UL activists, was put to a vote and agreed unanimously at the Health NISC. It wasn't formally put to a vote in MOD and Government Departments, but I understand that both that NISC and the Community Youth Workers phone conference unanimously rejected the Government's 'final offer' and agreed on the need for urgent industrial action (i.e. before imposition) to be coordinated within Unite and with other unions.
The statement drafted by lay activists was reviewed by Len, working with Dave Mathieson, during the day on Wednesday. The final form of words, approved by Len to the best of my knowledge, was pretty much the same as our original but with the addition of a sentence, 'We call on the Unite leadership to organise a meeting of like minded unions to build a coalition that can take our opposition to the Government forward'. It's a good addition, and one that strengthens the original statement. So the statement from activists, with this excellent amendment, went forward to the Public Services Combine. The Combine of course has the job of progressing NISC policies in a joined up way, rather than making policies.
I was initially told that the statement had been agreed by the Combine - and I'd certainly anticipated this, as the wording went forward with Len's blessing. I've found out since that Len advised the Combine that the statement should not be voted on.
I've spoken to five people now who attended the Combine. All of them are angry and frustrated about what happened. The outcome of the Combine seems to have been that our public sector NISCs have been told to go away, to meet separately and to agree their next steps separately.
This just isn't consistent with the policy decisions of our NISCs. All our public sector NISCs have expressed a need for urgent industrial action that is coordinated within Unite and with other unions. With pension changes set to be imposed by the Government on 1st April, it's astonishing that the call from our NISCs to progress a fightback before imposition is now viewed as ultra-left. We now have clear and straightforward policy established by our Health NISC, our Local Government NISC, our MOD and Government Departments NISC, and by Community Youth Workers. Our policies are not being progressed. 'Death by NISC' isn't going to win a pensions battle. We've told the leadership of Unite what needs to happen - and that's a coordinated fight, built now.
At this stage I believe we have some very significant problems. I understand and would support the frustration expressed by Marie Taylor in an earlier post. The pensions fight is in the balance. A positive intervention by Unite - to implement the policy decision now coming from every single public sector NISC - could still be decisive in getting this back on track. Further delay will ensure the defeat of a fight that is of historic importance to our movement as a whole.
- Gill George