Demanding a 15% pay rise for NHS workers, 8th August 2020, Hugo Pierre (centre), photo Sarah SE

Demanding a 15% pay rise for NHS workers, 8th August 2020, Hugo Pierre (centre), photo Sarah SE   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

Hugo Pierre, a Socialist Party member, is standing as a candidate for Unison general secretary. The Socialist will be running a series of articles over the coming weeks on ‘why the Socialist is backing Hugo’ and looking at aspects of his programme.

The ballot will run from 28 October to 27 November 2020.

  • National strike action on local authority cuts and for an end to leaving branches to fight alone
  • Labour councils should set no-cuts needs budgets instead of passing on Tory cuts
  • The union should withhold union funding from Labour councillors or MPs attacking members’ jobs wages and conditions
  • For a national fight to win the full NHS pay claim, up to and including national strike action
  • For an end to privatisation and bringing back all privatised services in-house
  • For the election of regional officers, regional secretaries, national secretaries, and assistant general secretaries
  • Reinstate the right to campaign for branches and members of the union, and an end to political witch-hunts that have been a feature of the Prentis regime

Rules introduced by Unison to clamp down on democratic debate in the union mean that candidates for union elections cannot ‘invite or accept’ support ‘in money or kind’ from any entity which ‘is not provided for in Unison rules’. These articles are produced without the authorisation of Hugo Pierre, in order to comply with these requirements.