Hackney Unison helped save Fernbank and Hillside children’s centres in 2021 Photo: Chris Newby (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)
This was emailed to all 1,600 union members of Hackney local government Unison.
At the January branch committee the following motion was passed. It was also agreed to circulate to members.
In just over three months’ time, all council seats across London will be up for election. This only happens every four years.
This year could be more crucial than most, as after 12 years of Tory austerity, funding for local councils has been slashed to the bone. Many of you, if not already informed, are likely to face restructures, with some job cuts, possible downgrades, and in general more work for less in the next 12 months.
If you are interested in knowing more about implementing the practicalities of this motion please contact Brian Debus, Hackney Unison chair.
Hackney Unison branch committee believes that despite talk of “levelling up”, it is clear that the Tory government and bosses intend to continue to make working-class people pay for their crises. This includes attacks on jobs, pay, conditions and services, alongside tax hikes and price rises. As part of this, we anticipate further austerity being inflicted in local government, which is responsible for over one fifth of all public expenditure
- This branch committee further opposes Labour councils continuing to carry out Tory cuts
- We note that Unison is affiliated to the Labour Party, and will only sponsor official Labour candidates
- Nonetheless, this branch resolves to encourage our members to consider standing as anti-cuts candidates in the council elections scheduled for May 2022
- We note that there is nothing that prevents them standing as candidates, in a personal capacity, for any party, which truly supports trade unionist and socialist principles
