UNISON leaders defeated over partnership with employers
Just days before councils across Scotland meet to slash hundreds of millions of pounds from public services, the February meeting of Unison Scottish Council was presented with a paper for debate entitled “The Public Sector Workforce Framework”.
The paper, marked “Strictly not for publication” was the product of continuing discussions between the Scottish Government, Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) and the Confederation of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) and was a “framework” …the objective of which is “…the pursuit of the goal of no compulsory redundancies in exchange for agreement to real and meaningful working practices that allow employers to generate the package of savings required to fund this goal”.
An hour before the full Council, the Scottish Committee meeting had debated the paper and on a narrow vote of 11 to 8 recommended acceptance.
Delegates read the paper that was handed out as they assembled. Expressions of outrage were clearly heard. In order to achieve the objective of no compulsory redundancies the proposal states “All parties to the framework are prepared to temper other aspirations in the short term in order to deliver this.” Later the document goes into more detail stating, “Achieving this may mean that other aspirations in relation to pay and conditions cannot be met during that period”
The document represented a thinly disguised attempt by a section of the Unison Scottish leadership to overturn the Scottish Council’s position for co-ordinated industrial action, proposed by the Glasgow City Unison branch, to defeat cuts agreed at its previous meeting in December. Also agreed in December, was Unison’s support for councils to set needs budgets and to call on elected politicians to refuse to make cuts. However, the proposed document from the Scottish leadership is an acceptance that cuts are inevitable, cannot be defeated and that members must shoulder the burden of the current economic crisis.
The debate was sharp and protracted with many delegates opposing on two counts, firstly about being ‘bounced’ into making a decision on such an important issue without time to consult members and secondly, and more significantly, that the content of the proposal represented a ‘sell-out’ of the membership in advance of any struggle against the employers.
A number of speakers condemned the proposal, including those delegates from Glasgow City Unison branch who had been instrumental in putting forward a fighting alternative to the cuts. Many other delegates, some of whom had never before addressed a full council meeting, came forward and expressed their outrage and opposition to the document. Branch delegations that had consistently supported the leadership previously were split, in one case providing speakers both for and against the motion. It was unfortunate that some delegates who consider themselves to be on the left were pushing for acceptance arguing the ‘new reality’ of reduced council budgets. One delegate, a member of ‘Socialist Appeal’, went so far as to explain that his branch had adopted a similar approach twelve months ago (!) when it became clear that the council would be heading for a crisis.
Speaker after speaker condemned, not only the intention of the proposal, but the signal that it would send to employers who would use it to undermine local action. If carried it would also represent a severe blow to the morale of the membership who are looking for a firm lead from the union at this time.
After over an hour of debate the meeting voted to reject the partnership framework by a big majority. This outcome represents a major reverse for some in the leadership whose authority is now damaged. It was clear in the way that the proposal was put before the meeting that the leadership considered that they could marginalise any opposition and use their authority to drive the proposal through. This did not happen. Instead the decision represents a victory for the members who are beginning to experience the full impact of the economic crisis and, rather than backsliding, are looking for the confidence of a clear, consistent leadership armed with a strategy of how to defeat the cuts.
Justice for Unison Four
Four Socialist Party members were disciplined by Unison on trumped-up charges of racism, after producing a leaflet at the 2007 Unison conference, challenging the Standing Orders Committee (SOC) about ruling resolutions off the conference agenda.
Glenn Kelly, from the Socialist, paper of the Socialist Party (CWI England & Wales)After a three-year long battle, we have at last been given justice in a court of law. Unison has been ruled to have acted unlawfully in disciplining us, banning us from office and taking control of our branches.
For three years the union officials have tried to hide behind the smear of racism, citing the three wise monkeys cartoon on the leaflet. But the judgment is absolutely clear on this question: “It is obvious to anyone looking at the cartoon that it is meant to represent the well-known image of the three wise monkeys who see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil.” The judge was coincidentally an Asian woman.
She later goes on to say that: “All four claimants are committed anti-racists and have fought against racism. They quite reasonably assumed that anyone who saw the leaflet would understand the cartoon to be saying that the SOC was out of touch and closing its mind to and ignoring issues that concerned the membership.
The cartoon was not a pictorial depiction of the members of the SOC… but a representation of its attitude towards motions that were submitted to it.”
She describes the evidence from the chair of the SOC as being “inconsistent” and says that it wasn’t credible.
She also challenges the London regional secretary of Unison, Linda Perks. Linda Perks had stated the importance of the perception of the alleged complainants about the leaflet but had failed to speak to any black members of the union, including Beverly Miller, chair of the union’s Black Members’ Committee and Clytus Williams, chair of the SOC.
In relation to the cartoon the judge says: “It must be emphasised that the monkeys in the cartoon could not by any stretch of the imagination be seen to be a caricature of Mr Williams.”
Witch-hunt
What is clear is that we’ve been disciplined because we had the temerity to demand the right to debate whether union officials should be elected and live off a worker’s wage, whether ordinary members should have control over strike action and whether the union should carry on funding the Labour Party, particularly at a time when a Labour government was voting through thousands of redundancies of our members.
Many members, who are delighted at the tribunal result, are demanding that the bans be lifted, that we be reinstated in our branch and national positions and that our Unison branches be taken out of regional administration.
Tens of thousands of pounds and hundreds of hours have been used to try to prosecute this case against us.
Members have a right to know that every penny in the union and every moment will be used in defence of their jobs and aimed at the real enemy which is the employers and this government.
We call on all Unison members and branches to demand that this injustice be undone. Plans are also being made to lobby Unison’s national executive council.
See also: www.stopthewitchhunt.org.uk
