Line up 1,000 loose cannons pointing in half-way the right direction

Excellent post by trade union blogger Johninnit from the TUC congress in Brighton. He makes four predictions about how unions (or at any rate unionists) will be using Web 2.0 by 2010. He addressed a fringe on this subject with Eric Lee who helps edit Labourstart (who I have met). I have never met John even though he once made a banner for me in “Second Life”.

1st - He believes that it will empower the grass roots and points to the 13,000 users of the successful TUC network unionreps.org.uk who share advice and resources. Globalisation could also encourage unions to form connections internationally. There is a General Motors Workers’ blog where GM car plants across the world connect with each other.

2nd - More creative on-line campaigning. Unions and activists can nowadays produce near professional quality campaign material. The Postal Strike YouTube video shown (above) on this post (pardon the pun) is he believes an example of what can be achieved by activists. Quality may be mixed '…they may be loose cannons sure, but if you could line up 1,000 loose cannons pointed in half-way the right direction, I know which side I’d rather be standing.'

3rd - Is an improvement in Union democracy and consultation.

4th - Using the internet will also reach out to young workers who would otherwise never consider joining.

The trade union movement is notoriously conservative (with a small “c”) which personally I feel is a reflection on its membership. Membership has fallen since the peak of the 1970’s but in recent years has stabilised. Sometimes you come across activists who think either its all doom and gloom for the movement or equally bizarrely, we’re just on the verge of “Revolution Now” comrades. It’s refreshing to read something which is both positive and realistic about the future of trade unions for a change.

This is not an alternative “techie only” argument to the traditional values of organising, educating, training, internal discipline and building the union. It should not be either a "free-for-all" by activists regardless of rule or policy. Nor of course, is it a substitute for talking face to face to members when this is possible in the complex modern workplace. The success or otherwise of such traditional values will make or break the movement in the end. Rather, our society and economy has changed radically in recent decades (years?) and trade unions simply have to reflect this.

Lobby of Parliament over Pay

Yesterday after work I went to the House of Commons to take part in the “Speak up for Public Services” lobby of MPs organised by the TUC.

I was due to meet up with London UNISON Regional Convener, Gloria Hanson, and UNISON NEC member, Irene Stacey, to lobby Labour MP for West Ham Lyn Brown on “fair pay” for all public sector workers.

All of us work or live in Newham and are Labour Party activists. There had been a packed TUC rally at lunchtime which I had missed and the main lobby was 2-4pm. On route in the Great Hall I met up with John Whitworth, who was also on his way to lobby Lyn. John is a member of the University and College union UCU and had actually been on strike that day at his college over pay! While waiting in the central lobby for Lyn I saw the trade union web and Internet adviser (also an editor of Labourstart and blogger) Eric Lee. Eric spoke to John and took details of the UCU dispute which he would try to get covered in Labourstart. Eric and John also had an interesting and constructive chat about other wider issues regarding UCU.

Gloria and Irene came in with Labour Minister Jim Fitzpatrick MP who they had met beforehand to lobby (Jim represents Canning Town in Newham and Poplar in Tower Hamlets). Years ago I can remember lobbying Jim over social housing issues with a unison convener who was also an active member of the SWP. Jim invited us to Strangers Bar and offered to buy us both a beer (no sandwiches). To my surprise my companion gratefully accepted the offer and seemed to enjoy his pint!

Lyn took the 4 of us to the Palace of Westminster terrace bar. There were a number of UNISON and other trade union members sitting with their MP’s. Including Mike Hayes, from the NEC who gave us a briefing on Equal Pay the other week. The serious business of the day was “lobbying” our MP over what we believe to be the decision to save the government money by paying public sector staff increases below the rate of inflation. The majority of our members are relatively low paid and have been hit hardest by the large increases in many food, fuel and energy prices. The fact that we believe this will also be (is) politically damaging to the Labour Party and the Government was not lost either.

We also discussed the rise of the BNP in East London and potential redundancies in Newham council resulting from a proposed centralisation of services. I had a discussion about cuts in Housing “Supporting People” services and Lyn gave me some helpful advice about how to progress this.

I don’t expect the world to change overnight and as the result of this TUC parliamentary lobby, Gordon Brown is not going to wake up tomorrow and realise that he has made a terrible mistake and will come up with a big wedge of money for us. Nor will such indirect pressures replace the need, when necessary, to confront and stand up to government and employers. We could I suppose just join the protesters outside in Parliament Square and shout at the MPs through megaphones all day. I don’t think that this actually achieves much. While it is not always sweetness and light in the relationship of the trade unions and the Labour Party such as this difference over public services pay. Nor should it. But, just compare this difference with the abyss between the trade unions and the Conservative Party.

The public pay issue is also not just “producer interests” moaning about our share of the cake, it is also pointing out what should be the bleeding obvious to the government that this will not help you win the next election. Never mind the 10p tax fiasco. Reducing in real terms the amount of money that 5 million predominantly low paid voters will receive in their pay packets over the next few years is not only plain wrong for a Labour government to do but barking mad, bad politics as well.

Picture (by ace Parliamentary aide David H) is of Lyn, John W, Me, Gloria and Irene (congratulations on her being re-elected as a London UNISON SGE member). Lyn is looking away from the camera since she is the only one to see that while we were all posing, the House of Commons pigeons were feasting on our crisps and peanuts.