UNISON NEC elections: A fighting left leadership to defend our members’ interests

By Jim McFarlane, UNISON NEC member (personal capacity)

Elections to UNISON National Executive council (NEC) run from 17th April to 19th May.  Standing as part of the Scottish UNISON Socialist Network (SUSN), Socialist Party Scotland members Jim McFarlane and Mary McCusker are standing for seats in Scotland. Socialist Party England and Wales members will also be contesting a number of seats that UNISON members in Scotland can vote for (see list below).

These elections come at a key time for UNISON. At the last NEC elections, two years ago, left candidates won a majority for the first time in the union’s history.

The cost of living crisis and ongoing public sector spending cuts imposed by the Tories at Westminster and the SNP/Scottish Green’s government at Holyrood show that none of the main parties have the political will to address the crisis of capitalism.

Public  services have faced year upon year of cuts, job losses and pay rises below the rate of inflation.
UNISON has over 1.3 million members and has the potential to challenge the cuts and attacks on services but only with a leadership that is determined to mobilise the full force of its membership to take on the employers.

UNISON members in health, local government, higher education and further 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 austerity onslaught.

Where branches and service groups have been able to get through the ballot thresholds and either take strike action or threaten it then concessions have been won.

The left leadership of the NEC must now show that they will make a difference to members in the cost-of-living fight.

UNISON knows 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. Union resources need to be in the right place at the right time for activists. We need to build co-ordination and solidarity with all unions moving into struggle.

With Keir Starmer praising Thatcher recently, along with the disgraceful treatment of Jeremy Corbyn by the Labour Party NEC, it is clear to many UNISON members that Labour are not serious about putting the interests of trade unionists and the wider working class before the interests of big business. 

record of cuts

The SNP have a track record of meekly passing on Tory cuts from Westminster through Holyrood onto local councils. 

More and more, UNISON members are drawing the conclusion that we need a political alternative as well as an industrial strategy to win for members.

We need representatives that will oppose all cuts, not just in words as well as fighting to defend jobs and services. We need a serious approach to building industrial action to win the pay awards members deserve.

UNISON members in Scotland can vote for the following socialist candidates who are members of Socialist Party Scotland and Socialist Party England and Wales:

• Mary McCusker, Scotland female seat
• Jim McFarlane, sitting NEC member, Scotland male seat
• April Ashley, sitting NEC member, national Black members female 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
• David Maples, national Disabled member’s General seat