25.04.2001

Unison

Left unites

As a relatively new member of Unison, I was recently introduced to the world of left politics in the union. Judging from the April 21 Gateshead meeting of the Unison (northern region) United Left, it is a very different beast to my previous experience in the Transport and General Workers Union and the Union of Communication Workers.

The United Left results from a long-overdue fusion of the Campaign for a Fighting and Democratic Unison and others on the left, most notably the Socialist Workers Party. After hearing a report from a Dudley hospital striker, comrades from the SWP, Socialist Party, CPGB and other Socialist Alliance supporters, alongside Labour Party members and independent activists, got down to discussing a range of important issues in the run-up to the general election.

A series of hustings meetings were argued for and Unison members are urged to ask all candidates where they stand in relation to a set of the union's official demands. Unfortunately the grouping has not seen fit to make the outright demand for withdrawal of support from Labour and a vote for the Socialist Alliance, Welsh Socialist Alliance and Scottish Socialist Party. This is perhaps understandable from the point of view of trying to get motions past the union bureaucracy. However, while aware of the bureaucracy's tendency to wield the rule book when it comes to the official structure, as a left faction we should argue for support for workers' candidates - most importantly the SA, WSA and SSP. Labour Party supporters (several at the meeting holding Labour cards told me they would vote SA) should have the right to argue against this position within the United Left.

There was a fruitful discussion on the campaign to defend council housing. New Labour has adopted a variety of scheming approaches to weaken the unions while handing over the council housing stock to private profit. 'Pathfinder estates' are targeted and various bribes are offered to entice tenants into housing associations, etc. The many-headed monster of housing privatisation is an awkward and threatening enemy, but successful campaigns have been waged and the United Left will seek to cooperate more closely with the existing organisations (local campaigns and Defend Council Housing).

That the left in Unison is starting to speak with one voice (there was talk of organising a fringe meeting at conference) and that existing Labour lefts are seeing the futility of continued attachment to Blair's party is encouraging. The meeting provided a useful opportunity to re-establish contact with other SA activists and put trade union work firmly in a political context.

Public services and local authorities are a key battleground for socialists and communists in the fight to defeat New Labour. CPGB members in Unison need to introduce our politics and programme into that fight. This means arguing for openness over our differences and for the need for workers not only to break organisationally from Labour by joining the SA, but to break from Labourism too.

Lawrie Coombs