Unison conference: anger management

Submitted by Anon on 22 June, 2007 - 12:56

By a delegate

Unison national conference in Brighton, 17-19 June, was dominated by the issue of pay, indeed the proposed 2% pay freeze formed the backdrop to the entire week. And on Friday afternoon an emergency motion was passed that committed the union to pursuing a strategy of linking up with other public sector unions.

A lively fringe saw three meetings with hundreds in attendance. John McDonnell was there to promote the Public Services Not Private Profit campaign to which Unison is still not signed up. The United Left meeting on pay and the meeting in support of victimised activists Tony Staunton, Yunus Baksh and Karen Reissman both demonstrated the interest of delegates in issues that weren’t debated directly by the conference.

Thursday morning saw a briefing on equal pay. Following a ruling against the GMB last year, any direct discussion of the issue has been ruled out of order because it may put the union in “legal jeopardy”. The union seems to have changed tack on the issue and is now arguing for a full settlement from central government to pay all the outstanding claims. In fact one speaker — the chief executive of Thompson’s, the union’s lawyers! — made it clear the collective industrial action would be more effective in settling this historic dispute than the courts (which had been the previous strategy the union relied on).

On international work there were motions passed on Cuba uncritically lauding its humanitarian efforts, Palestine (see page 5) and a commitment to developing work with migrant workers.

Dave Prentis used his speech to talk up the union’s achievements in the last year and launch an attack on the left. Talk of activists controlled by central committees and lacking independent thought were ironic in the context of Unison’s backing of Brown and Johnson in the Labour Party.

On the union’s achievements Prentis was quickly challenged by an NHS Logistics worker who detailed how the leadership had continually delayed industrial action until it was too late to count.

With the developing mood for industrial action brewing the bureaucracy will want to keep a lid on any action and are seeking to cow the left now. Some it seems are already keeping their heads down.

In a Health Sector fringe meeting, SWP members warned against overtly criticising the leadership for their slowness in acting or warning of a potential sell out, saying it might affect “the mood”. With clear indications that the health pay dispute may be run on the basis of opposing staging and accepting 2.5% rather than the union’s above inflation target, being honest now, rather than letting on after the event is surely the better way to act.

Overall the conference was militant in mood over pay and continuing cuts in services. Unfortunately the motions passed, submitted some months in advance, didn’t reflect the depth of this anger. The main job now is to get that desire for action back into the branches in preparation for the strike ballots due in the autumn.

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