THE CHALLENGES THAT WE FACE
This union and this country are seeing the worst devastation in public services since Thatcher’s reign when communities were shattered - such is the sustained assault by the Con Dems. As UNISON members we face the most unrelenting attack we have ever experienced, bringing unprecedented challenges to workplaces and communities, say Kenny Bell and Jane Carolan.
More than 500,000 public sector jobs are under threat, the same number in the private sector. The demise of that number of public sector jobs can mean only one thing - that the services that that relied on those workers will no longer exist and no longer be provided.
What this means, up and down the length of the UK, is that many UNISON branches, across the services, face compulsory redundancies, and terms and conditions are under attack; and the coalition now proposes to put all services out to tender.
The NHS in England is to be exposed to the private sector on an unparalleled level with the introduction of GP commissioning which will allow the private sector to commission services on behalf of GPs as well to directly provide services.
The pay freeze and inflation running at more than 4% mean we are facing an effective pay cut and our pensions are under serious attack.
The reality for UNISON members is that public services provide our quality of life, as well as or livelihoods. UNISON members are both service providers and, with our families, we are service users. Our jobs provide essential public services and public sector jobs are essential to the economy nationally and locally.
The challenge for us is that we must be able to deliver for the members both in the arena of their own workplace, and take them with us when we face the inevitable political confrontation that arises from our dispute with the Coalition Government. We must unite all our members, their families, and communities in defence of jobs and essential services.
We recognise the women, people with disabilities, welfare claimants, BME communities and young people are in the frontline and UNISON as the largest public sector union, with 70% women members and a strong track record on equalities has a unique and leading role.
We need to keep fighting hard to defend our rights at work, and continue to fight discrimination, bullying and harassment in all its forms especially racism, sexism, homophobia, and disability discrimination that will result from the policies being pursued by this Government.
Public services will get us through and out of recession.
As a Union we have a vital role to play in the national political arena, challenging the dominant political view that cuts are the only way forward and “that we are all in this together”. We need a trade union agenda that says invest in public services and stop privatising or outsourcing them, tax the dodgers (whether they are so called “Non-DOMS” or corporations) and reverse the public sector pay freeze that sees our members facing pay cuts at the moment. That means developing and promoting an alternative economic agenda based on reducing the deficit through growth, creating jobs and the increased taxation which follows.
THE WORKPLACE AGENDA:
We are in for a long struggle, taking on the coalition government as well as local employers, winning support for an alternative economic agenda and building a real political alternative.
Our defence in the workplace is collective bargaining, and where we vote for it - industrial action. Our union must be focused on this fight, at national and regional level. No service group or sector or branch can stand alone. We are all in this together. This is particularly true about Public Sector Pensions that are not a perk or a privilege but essential for our members if they are to avoid poverty in old age.
· We need to recognise the need for new ways of organising, and to connect with those beyond our usual ranks and maintain our membership by reaching out to those currently unorganised.
· We need to bring in new union members and activists reflecting the diversity of our membership. That means organising and engaging with members in the workplace - promoting our alternative WORKPLACE AGENDA
I. giving members the confidence to fight;
II. campaigning for a positive bargaining agenda
III. no privatisation, avoiding compulsory redundancies;
IV. investment in learning and development, health and well being; work life balance and trade union/workforce engagement.
· We must support branches to take on employers who reject such an approach.
BUT BEYOND THE WORKPLACE
It is essential UNISON builds a campaign which can deliver action, mobilising for demonstrations and rallies, prepared to take direct action including strike action and occupations and capable of challenging all parts of the coalition Govt, calling both Tories and Lib-Dems to account exposing its lack of a mandate and if possible forcing an early general election.
· We need to engage with those most severely hit by the government’s policies – students, women, young people, welfare claimants and the disabled. With these groups we must build coalitions and alliances, bringing together trade unions, service users, community and voluntary groups. Our coalitions must be democratic and participatory, and provide the opportunity for genuine discussion and dialogue, sharing ideas and tactics.
· Within UNISON we need to recognise the key role regions have to play supporting branches and building regional campaigns, bringing together trade unions across the public and private sectors, under the banner of regional TUCs. The attack on pensions offers the real potential for co-ordinated industrial action and regions should be establishing campaign bodies within Unison and in conjunction with other public sector TUs to build the campaign and prepare for action.
· We must develop our political strategy which seeks to get MPs, Councillors and political parties to support our campaign and sign up to our agenda, and producing a public services manifesto for the local elections in May.
SAY YES TO ORGANISING THE FIGHTBACK
· WE NEED A NATIONAL CAMPAIGN BUT THIS IS DEPENDENT UPON STRONG AND EFFECTIVE LOCAL AND REGIONAL ORGANISATION.
· TO DELIVER WE NEED NEC MEMBERS WHO SUPPORT THESE POLICIES, AND ARE COMMITTED TO THE PRINCIPLES OF DEMOCRATIC ACCOUNTABILITY TO THE REGIONS AND MEMBERS.
· WE NEED TO WORK WITH OTHER UNIONS AND COMMUNITIES TO OPPOSE THE POLICIES THAT WILL DEVASTATE OUR PUBLIC SERVICES AND CAMPAIGN EFFECTIVELY AGAINST GOVERNMENT
Kenny Bell & Jane Carolan
More on NEC elections at http://unisonactive.blogspot.com/search/label/NEC%20Elections
