UNISON supports Jeremy Corbyn in UK Labour leadership election

Wed 29 July 2015

UNISON has decided to nominate Jeremy Corbyn in the Labour Party leadership contest and Yvette Cooper as its second choice at the union’s National Labour Link committee today (Wednesday).

UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis said:

“Jeremy Corbyn’s message has resonated with public sector workers who have suffered years of pay freezes, redundancies with too many having to work more for less.

“They have been penalised for too long by a government that keeps on taking more and more from them. Their choice shows a clear need for change towards a fairer society where work is fairly rewarded, and where those living and working in poverty supported.

“Today’s decision is a recommendation and our members are of course free to cast their vote as to who they think should lead the Labour Party.”

Notes to editors

UNISON represents 1.3 million workers in the UK.
430,000 have actively opted-in to the union’s political fund.
In the region of 28,000 UNISON members are members of the Labour Party in their own right. And around 15,000 are registered to vote in the leadership contest.

The union’s National Labour Link Committee has 23 elected members from across the UK. The decision was taken following a thorough consultation with all the regions.

Collective bargaining 'essential to the survival of the trade union movement'

#uLGC14 In an inspiring presentation Professor Keith Ewing of Kings College London yesterday called for union members to demand of the politicians seeking our vote, a commitment to renew, rebuild and restore collective bargaining structures “to raise wages and restore fairness at work. “

This is “essential to the survival of the trade union movement,” he said.

The Labour party and trade union link

Dave Prentis blogs: UNISON has always given its members the choice of opting in to its affiliated political fund, that gives them a say in the democratic processes of the Labour Party, or of opting in to the General Political Fund, independent of any political party. Our processes are democratic and transparent. UNISON has never operated the arrangement whereby we pay Labour Party membership fees for new members.

Purpose first - powers later, UNISON tells Scottish Labour

Fri 19 April 2013

UNISON Scotland, one of Labour’s largest affiliated unions, has told the party its first and main task must be to identify the purpose of greater devolution before it can realistically define new powers for the Scottish Parliament which will meet the aspirations of the Scottish people.

Responding to the publication of Scottish Labour's Devolution Commission report today (Friday 19 April), Mike Kirby, Scottish Secretary of UNISON said:

“Labour’s devolution commission has attempted to address - in its own terms - one over-riding question : ‘how can we meet the aspirations of the Scottish people for fuller devolution while maintaining the integrity of the UK which we know they value strongly?’

“In doing so the commission has failed to address the central issue of ‘the aspirations of the Scottish people’ before defining what it regards as necessary powers for the Scottish Parliament.

“How does Scottish Labour respond to the vital issues being raised by the STUC, the industrial wing of the labour and trade union movement, representing 600,000 members and their families and communities?

“How does Scottish Labour address the aspirations of the Scottish people for full employment, properly funded public services, housing, health, social care and education provision, to meet social need and provide protection and opportunity, democratically controlled delivery of vital community services, fairer employment practices and trade union rights.

“UNISON believes the political objectives of Scottish Labour need to be fully in tune with these aspirations which have been debated and agreed by the Scottish trade union movement and published in the STUC’s ‘A Just Scotland’ and in our own UNISON publications 'A Fairer Scotland’ and 'A Fairer Scotland and Devolution’.

“As the conclusion of ‘A Fairer Scotland and Devolution’ argues, if we seek greater devolved powers or any other change, we should do so for the purpose of improving the lives of the people who work and live in Scotland. The constitutional mechanics are a means to that end, and not an end in themselves.”

“Scottish Labour’s first and main task must be to identify the purpose of greater devolution before it can realistically define new powers for the Scottish Parliament which will meet the aspirations of the Scottish people.”

ends

 

Notes for editors

1. UNISON is Scotland’s largest trade union representing 160,000 members working mainly in the public sector.

2. ‘Fairer Scotland and devolution’ is on our website at www.unison-scotland.org.uk/scotlandsfuture/FairerScotlandDevoPaperFeb2013.pdf

3. ‘A Fairer Scotland’ is at www.unison-scotland.org.uk/scotlandsfuture/FairerScotlandNov2012.pdf

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Labour will have 'no hope' in 2015 unless it gets bolder, says Unison chief

The Guardian - Friday 14 December 2012 

Dave Prentis says UK's biggest public sector union is prepared to strike on issue of pay and party needs to get onside

Andrew Sparrow, political correspondent
www.guardian.co.uk,
Friday 14 December 2012 17.17 GMT

The leader of the UK's largest public sector union has accused Labour of "avoiding all the big issues" and said the party will have "no hope" at the general election unless it adopts much stronger anti-austerity policies.

Dave Prentis, the Unison general secretary, said Labour should go into the election promising to abandon public service cuts and to ensure that all public sector workers receive at least the living wage.

In an interview with the Guardian, he also said he expected public sector workers to take more strike action in the future, probably over pay.

Although he was broadly positive about Ed Miliband's leadership, Prentis, whose union represents 1.3m workers, making it the largest in the public sector, criticised the opposition for being too cautious.

• Read the full interview with Dave Prentis
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/dec/14/labour-no-hope-dave-prentis-union


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Ed Balls speech - UNISON reaction

1 October 2012

Commenting on Ed Balls‚ speech from the Labour Conference, Dave Prentis, UNISON General Secretary, said:

“This was a wide ranging speech from a solid and robust shadow Chancellor. Ed will have sent people outside the conference hall a strong message that Labour has the plans our country needs to rebuild our economy and our society.

“But we do need to hear more form Ed on restoring fairness to our society. Under the Tories the gap between rich and poor has mushroomed. Public sector workers have borne the brunt of the recession caused by the failure of the banks and most of them are low paid women. They have had their pay frozen for three years, and more than 700,000 will lose their jobs in the lifetime of this parliament.

“Ed needs to speak to them and show them that Labour understands their suffering. He needs to show them that there is light at the end of the tunnel. And he needs to show them that there is a real difference between Labour and the Tory party.”

ENDS

News release from UNISON Scotland:
http://www.unison.org.uk/asppresspack/pressrelease_view.asp?id=2826

Ed Balls' speech to TUC Congress - UNISON reaction

Tuesday 11 September 2012

Responding to Ed Balls' speech to the TUC in Brighton this morning, UNISON General Secretary, Dave Prentis, said:

“Ed Balls gave a business-like speech to Congress today, dealing with many of the issues that trade union members are concerned about, including jobs and the economy.

“It was heartening to hear that there is a vision developing amongst the shadow cabinet, particularly in some of the areas that we have been campaigning on, such as dealing with the banks, building affordable homes, getting young people back into work and investing for growth in schools, roads and transport.

“It was good, too,  to hear that he recognises that Labour won’t get elected just because the Tories are bad.  And that he recognises the need for a credible alternative, for policies that working people relate to and will want to vote for.

“We at UNISON don’t want a return to 80’s either.  That is exactly where the Tories want to take us. We want a decent future for our children, quality public services that take care of the sick and elderly and fair pay for the workers who deliver them.
“We would like to have heard more from Ed Balls that Labour has a clear  understanding of just how hard working people are really struggling.  If he really understood the massive impact of a three year pay freeze on families struggling to pay for food and fuel, or forced to turn to pay-day loans where interest can be a terrifying 4000% - he, too,  would be calling for an end to the pay freeze.

“Of course we need to get people back into work, but that cannot be done by cutting the pay and conditions of public service workers.”

ends


UNISON UK press release:
http://www.unison.org.uk/asppresspack/pressrelease_view.asp?id=2809


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'Inexcusable that public sector workers should take more pay freezes and pay cuts' UNISON tells Scottish Labour

Sunday 4 March 2012
Speech to Scottish Labour Party Conference by UNISON delegate Gordon McKay, moving resolution condemning public sector pay freezes and pay cuts:

There are times when the people of Scotland just don't realise how much the Tories and their multimillionaire friends are suffering. Sir Fred Goodwin and he will always be Sir Fred to me - you can take his knighthood but you can't take his bonus - Sir Fred is now reduced to scraping by on his last year bonus from RBS of £2.6 million, his £2.8 million lump sum pension and his yearly pension of £342,000. 

And how can we humiliate Stephen Hester the current CEO of RBS by offering only £963,000? One of his banker colleagues summed it up when he said: "Why on earth would someone do this job if that is all the bonus that you give them?"

So with all this hardship that the Tories business friends are suffering, what have public service workers got to complain about?

24,000 public sector jobs in Scotland wiped out by the Tories and the SNP in 12 months. The jobs of those who care for our children, our elderly our vulnerable.

A two year pay freeze and more to follow for those who have given a lifetime of service to their communities. A 9% pay cut in real terms in two years.

Ed Miliband was spot on on Friday when he reminded us that public sector wages are today at the level they were ten years ago. That just makes it all the more inexcusable when both he and Ed Balls said that public sector workers should take more pay freezes and indeed pay cuts.

Public sector workers are struggling to hold society together and trying to keep their own families together. And when they needed the UK Labour Party and asked for Labour to protect them people who had worked and voted for Labour all their lives Ed Miliband and Ed Balls walked away from them.

A consensus with the Tories on austerity, on attacking public sector workers will not work.

It didn't in the 1930s and it won't today. We heard yesterday from one delegate how we lost in 2011 because we hadn't listened to the business community. We still hear it from some who should know better "we need to cut but just not as far and not as fast." Comrades, that way will sleepwalk us to separation and a review of the party entitled 'Where did it all go wrong?"

Scottish Labour needs to come out with a vision of fairness and social justice. We will not blame public sector workers for the greed of bankers. Scottish Labour must work with the trade unions on fair pay and that not mean a pay freeze.

And on pensions we were grateful for the support on Nov 30 but UNISON members will be on strike as from March 13 in the NHS defending our pensions. We expect the same support from the Labour leadership today as we had then. We are sure that the fact there is now no leadership election will not affect that support in any way.

And a word for Nicola Sturgeon. It's decision time Nicola. Are you on the side of the Tories and their business friends, on low paid NHS workers? If you are willing to sit down with us and talk meaningfully about a Scottish solution to these unfair contribution rises to pensions, then UNISON will call off its industrial action. If not - be assured that our members will know what an independent Scotland would look like.

Conference, we don't need to say "shame on the Tories" because everyone knows they hate public services, despise public service workers and treat those who rely on public services with contempt. That is why no-one votes for them.

We do say that Scotland deserves better than the SNP. They implement budget cuts proposed by the Tories, pay freezes proposed by the Tories, pension cuts proposed by the Tories and job cuts proposed by the Tories.

Their sole rejoinder: "It's nothing to do with us".

Frankly it is pitiful. You are the government of Scotland. Start taking some reponsibility, rather than crying "a big boy did it and ran away".

If you implement a cut you are responsible for the cut.

We have elections in two months time and a separation referendum coming. We need to get our policies, right.

Scottish Labour - proud to be Scottish, on the side of families and communities, on the side of fairness and decency. Not a bad slogan.




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