The 2026 National Delegate Conference (NDC) of the public services union Unison runs from 16-19 June, with the Local Government service group conference on 14-15 June.
This will be the first ever NDC under a left General Secretary. Andrea Egan took office on 22 January. How has the union changed, and what is still to win?
Egan faces a difficult task implementing her manifesto, as the union’s right have control of the NEC and there is a vast and entrenched bureaucracy. The union is facing new challenges with Reform now controlling a growing number of councils.
Egan’s manifesto promised to deliver “a members’ union”:
• Conducting a comprehensive review of our union machinery, to ensure that the decisions and policies decided by members are implemented
• Taking a social worker’s wage, rather than the £181k plus benefits of her predecessor Christina McNea .
• Improving the support branches receive from their Regional offices and from Legal Services.
Bureaucracy
It has become standard for the Unison bureaucracy to ignore conference decisions or carry them out so badly that it barely constitutes playing lip service. Conference calls for a national demonstration against cuts have been routinely ignored by the union staff. More recently we have seen the return of badly advertised lobbies of Parliament.
With no formal democracy within the union’s left caucus, Time For Real Change (TFRC), it is hard for activists to decipher what the General Secretary has attempted and what battles are happening behind the scenes with staff. It seems the bureaucracy have made the decision to try to co-opt Egan, agreeing some changes whilst retaining control of the union, rather than launch all out war against her. If a review of staffing begins to democratise the union, that might change.
A big factor in Egan’s win was the failure of Unison to stand up to the Labour government or to the right wing within the Labour Party. Still the left does not have control of the union’s Labour Link. Egan herself was expelled from Labour whilst sitting on the Labour Link Committee.
However, public statements about the government and the party have improved under her leadership. There has been opposition to government policies that conflict with Unison policies, and there have been interventions on democracy in the Labour Party.
There is a big overlap between the Labour and Unison bureaucracies and they will work together to prevent a democratisation of the Labour Link.
On trans rights, the union’s public statements have vastly improved. The statement following the new EHRC draft Code of Practice committed the union to fighting it as well noting that the guidance is not intended for employers.
Combativity
We are yet to see much change in the union’s general combativity with employers. The national pay campaigns seem lacklustre, the national anti-cuts strategy is being outflanked by the Green Party to the left, and Unison is facing another flurry of rep victimisations.
Connor is a Unison libraries union rep at Newham council in east London. He was suspended from work due to his participation in the “Save Newham Libraries” public campaign. Ameen Hadi has been placed under investigation by Salford City Council, following an allegation driven by far-right activists targeting Ameen for his involvement in Stand Up to Racism. The union will not carry out named campaigns for victimised reps. Public statements from the General Secretary could help turn that around.
It will be impossible to support Andrea Egan or hold her to account in carrying out her Manifesto pledge without TFRC itself having some national internal democratic structure. Most members who would want to support pushing forward the promises of the campaign do not know what is going on or what they can do to be more involved.
Activists in London are organising to put forward a elected regional delegate structure alongside open regional and national meetings. For most people their contact with TFRC is simply being asked to vote in an election, not actively engaging in transforming the union through day to day work. §
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