Unison: after conference, turn to campaigning

The National Delegate Conference (NDC) of the public services union Unison was in Liverpool, 13-16 June.

Local Government members are being balloted. Members in Higher Education and the Environment Agency have balloted and struck, and will be taking more industrial action over the next period. In spring, we saw health workers and ambulance workers striking, and a number of hospitals only just missing the ballot threshold to strike alongside their RCN colleagues. Health members accepted the poor pay 2022-23 deal, rejected by Unite and the RCN, but only following a huge campaign for “accept” by the right-wing leadership of Unison’s health service group executive (SGE).

Unsurprisingly Conference focused on the cost of living crisis and how to beat ballot thresholds to deliver effective industrial action. Conference debated a trio of motions on the cost of living: the first calling on the National Executive (NEC) to continue to prioritise campaigns on the issue, the second highlighting the compound effect of the crisis on private renters, and the third on the disproportionate effect of the crisis on Black workers due to the ethnicity pay gap. All motions were relatively uncontroversial.

The focus of the outgoing left NEC and its majority faction, Time for Real Change, at the conference was about delivering industrial action. The right of the union moved to block NEC proposals, helped by the heavy control which the Standing Orders Committee (SOC) has over proceedings.

The SOC was defeated when it counterposed a composite motion calling for the establishment of a project group to discuss winning ballots against the NEC motion on immediate actions to beat the thresholds, and the NEC motion was heard and passed. A motion on taking a one-off payment from branches with large reserves to resource the Industrial action fund and efforts to win ballots was defeated. In the debates speakers spoke about huge difficulties getting over the turnout threshold.

Conference passed policy on campaigning for repeal of the anti-union laws but SOC ruled out of order a motion from Camden Unison calling for support for branches or members defying the laws.

Policy was passed on campaigning for LGBT+ rights, abortion rights, organising black workers and outsourcing. A motion on the NHS passed, saying that Unison should call a national demo and Unison delegates should vote for union policy in the Labour Party.

The left has narrowly retained control of the NEC and must now build active campaigns out of these policies. Last year too much attention and energy at NEC level was sucked into internal Unison issues which are important but will not inspire membership into activity.

Conference yet again failed to prioritise any motion on Ukraine for the international session. A motion on Boycott Divestment and Sanctions against Israel passed overwhelmingly, but with speeches against from Workers’ Liberty supporters.

The new NEC has a very narrow left majority, but positive campaigns to reinstate funding, to win ballots, and to fight discrimination could pass in alliance with independents.