Hugo Pierre, Unison NEC, personal capacity
Nominations have opened for the Unison National Executive Council (NEC) elections. They take place against a background of the national strike wave, including among our members, as the cost-of-living crisis rages.
For Unison members working in public services, it is most definitely a ‘lack-of-income’ crisis. In some sectors the union organises in, such as local government, pay is now 20-25% below the level it was in 2009. That effectively means many are working for one day a week for free, compared to then.
Unison members in health, local government and higher education, along with other parts of the union, are in desperate need of a fighting leadership to deal with the cost-of-living crisis and a new Tory austerity onslaught.
It was precisely the previous, right-wing, leadership of Unison’s failure to mount a fight on pay throughout the savage austerity pay freeze, and their capitulation in the 2011 pensions battle which united public sector workers against the Tory-LibDem coalition government, that led to the left capturing the Unison NEC for the first time in the 2021 NEC elections. The NEC is now led by the Time for Real Change grouping. Four Socialist Party members were also elected.
The then general secretary, Dave Prentis, was duly rewarded for his services to capitalism with a life peerage in the special honours list! Although the NEC was won by the left, the general secretary position was won by Christina McAnea, who was the candidate backed by the Prentis wing of the union, and promoted the ‘partnership’ approach with the employers.
Unison members on strike
Unison members in higher education have been in an ongoing battle for pay for large parts of last year.
They have been joined by workers in the health service, particularly the ambulance service, who have now taken two separate days of action with more to follow. Where there is a clear call to action, Unison members have responded.
It is also clear that many more members in the health service want to take action. There was a clear ‘yes’ vote in the national disaggregated ballot, but the Tory anti-union thresholds were missed following years of inaction by the right-wing leadership in health.
The union has pledged to ballot more NHS members against the derisory settlement offered by the Pay Review Body. However, the determination of the membership is often undermined by the actions of the leadership – for example making no recommendation for action on a below-inflation offer for Scottish NHS members, rather than recommending a fight.
Local government
In Unison’s largest sector, local government, members in Scotland took action earlier in the year and forced some concessions from the Scottish employers. In the rest of the UK, the two largest regions voted to reject the employers’ below-inflation pay offer, but nationally the pay offer was accepted.
However, had the leadership waged a campaign of explanation of the offer and what was necessary to win, and recommended rejection, we could have seen close to half a million local government workers joining rail and postal workers on strike.
The left leadership of the NEC must now get a grip and show that they will make a difference to members in the cost-of-living fight.
Unfortunately, for much of the last two years they have been involved in a battle with the right-wing bureaucracy over complaints made against former president Paul Holmes, that was a sideshow for most members.
Not being seen to take seriously complaints made by mainly women members allowed the right wing to use this to mobilise opposition among a certain layer of activists. The NEC has now had to reinstate disciplinary action against Holmes. Socialist Party members have been calling for a fair hearing to allow both sides to state their case.
Unison says it has to be ‘strike ready’ for the battles ahead. There has been an increase in levels of strike pay but that alone is not enough. Organisation and a fighting strategy have to be debated throughout the union and a clear fighting lead given.
That includes taking a lead on maximum unity between trade unions in all the sectors where Unison organises.
Political strategy
This includes the political as well as industrial strategy. It is clear that Starmer’s Labour Party welcomes private sector involvement in health and is preparing to support the same in other sectors too. Starmer has made it clear that austerity in councils will continue under a Labour government led by him, with “tough choices” to be made:
- Campaign for a serious strategy of national action to beat the cost-of-living crisis, including coordination with other trade unions taking action, for inflation-proof pay rises and £15-an-hour minimum wage
- Oppose all cuts – fight for the funds for public services; for no-cuts, needs budgets in councils. No support for politicians who carry out cuts to services
- End privatisation and bring all services back into public ownership, under democratic working-class control and management
- Tories out – but Starmer doesn’t speak for us. For trade unionists in action to stand as ‘no-cuts’ candidates in local and national elections. For a review of the union’s political fund – Unison members need a political voice in our interests. We need a new workers’ party!
We welcome the fact that the Time for Real Change group has agreed not to stand candidates against sitting Socialist Party NEC members, and vice versa. But there remains a battle for the course the union has to take during these elections. That’s why it is vital to elect fighting, socialist candidates to the NEC.
The following Socialist Party members are seeking nomination:
- April Ashley, sitting NEC member, national black members female seat
- Naomi Byron, sitting NEC member, London low-paid members seat
- Jim McFarlane, sitting NEC member, Scottish male seat
- Hugo Pierre, sitting NEC member, national black members male seat
- Adrian O’Malley, national general health service group seat
- Paul Couchman, national local government male seat
- Anthony Hunt, East Midlands male seat
- David Maples, national disabled members general seat
- Mary McCusker, Scottish female seat
Nominations close on 13 February
