Unison general secretary election – vote Roger Bannister


A flexible political fund that works for members

Roger Bannister, Knowsley Unison branch secretary and general secretary candidate

Recently, in my campaign to be elected Unison general secretary, I have been accused of ‘misleading members’ by campaigning for a more flexible Unison political fund. The argument is that this would inevitably result in a break with Labour and weaken Jeremy Corbyn’s position as Labour leader.

But in fact the current arrangements governing Unison’s political funds help the right wing opponents of Jeremy in the Labour Party.

The vast majority of Unison members do not actually back the affiliated political fund (by around two to one) as distinct from the union’s general political fund.

Consequently the affiliated fund is undemocratically maintained, because it is not allowed to be debated at conference or be put to the members in a ballot. This fact seldom features in the arguments of its supporters.

Clearly the election of Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader is of great significance. A left-wing leader, committed to pro-public sector policies, could not have been imagined a year ago.

His campaign became a conduit for anti-austerity views that had little opportunity for expression in the general election. North of the border it was the SNP that was able to channel this mood, opportunistically it is true, to Labour’s great cost.

But the Labour Party as a whole has not moved to back Jeremy Corbyn’s political position. He faces hostility from the majority of MPs, Labour councillors, and party officials, nationally and often locally too.

Local government

Right-wing Labour in local government is viciously pursuing austerity policies, as thousands of Unison members know only too well. Even during the course of this campaign, events in South Lanarkshire, Hull and elsewhere have provided further graphic detail of this (see issue 876).

In Labour-controlled Warrington the only councillor that supported Corbyn was Kevin Bennett, forced out of the party for opposing cuts and now a supporter of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC).

Against these realities the demand for flexibility with the political fund remains important – the flexibility to back candidates who support Unison policies and our members. In Warrington, for example, the alternative would mean backing a right-wing Labour candidate, committed to making cuts, against Kevin Bennett.

Unison members are ultimately responsible for Unison’s rules, not the Labour Party’s, and our priority should be our members’ interests, and certainly not the interests of Labour’s right wing.

I am more than happy to be the only candidate in this election challenging the political fund status quo, and backing candidates that actually back Unison.

If you are a Unison member and agree that Unison needs a fighting strategy to beat the cuts and win victories for members, we urge you to vote for Roger Bannister.

Ballot papers will be hitting doormats from 9 November and voting closes 4 December.

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