Busy couple of days, we firstly had apologies from Gordon Brown for not being able to attend (we let him off, he had a baptism of fire with international terrorists and floods), had a new minister of local government, Hazel Blears, as guest speaker, key note speech by our General Secretary, Dave Prentis, Q&A with Labour MEPs and then MPs, workshop on implementing national delegate conference decisions, annual report, debate on Labour Leadership election and motions. There was of course the obligatory UNISON social on the Friday evening where “a good time was had by all”. My red eyes and shaky voice the following morning was down to a horrible common cold and no other possible reason.
The Forum is the annual meeting of elected
UNISON Labour Link representatives and was held in the Midland Hotel Manchester city centre. The hotel is actually built on or about the site of the
Peterloo Massacre. There was about 150 members present from all over the UK. I haven’t been to Manchester since I was in my 20s, and I was most impressed. I will definitely be coming back for a weekend soon.
Hazel was her usual very impressive self – the four “C’s”, combative, confident, certain and proper working "class". She appears to have shrugged off her defeat in the Deputy Leadership, probably thinks “it’s their loss”. I liked her story about how after she became a young Councillor at Salford (fictional setting for Coronation Street); the Town Clerk (who in those days still used to wear a wig and gown at Council meetings) approached her and said he had a “really important job for her”. She was really excited and thought it would be some significant committee position. However, he then told her “we are refurbishing the member’s room and we would like you to choose the curtains”. She said she was so shocked that she agreed. She pointed out the danger Cameron and the Tories poised at the next election as just being “different”. Regardless of policies there will be a “momentum of change” at the next election which will favour the Tories. Labour has got to be different, not in values but in policies.
I was able to ask her my usual question to new ministers about the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) “governance” issues i.e. why is it that staff are excluded from being represented on their pension schemes. Hazel (as Malcolm Wicks, Stephen Timms and Phil Woolas have responded in the past) admitted that this issue was something that she had not been briefed upon beforehand but suggested that involving staff in their pensions was obviously “a good idea”. We need to speak to her further before she gets nobbled by her civil servants. There is a draft Code of Practice on governance issues out at the moment.
Dave Prentis obviously felt at home at the forum. He was amongst friends. He started off by attacking the BNP, he also had a bit of a dig at the “revolutionary groups” who feed off and take for granted the hard work done by Labour Link in trying to influence MPs. He praised Alan Johnson, for wanting talks to take place over NHS pay within 5 days of him taking over as health secretary, when just 2 weeks ago Brown had told Dave himself that there was no more negotiations over pay. Alan Johnson, even thought we won’t agree with everything he does is someone UNISON can deal with.
Dave went off his speech to respond to Hazel and have a go at the awful governance of many (not all) LGPS schemes. Despite a clear European Union directive that we should have the legal right to 50% representation on these schemes we have none. He pointed out that huge amounts of money in the LGPS is used to provide cheap loans to local authorities instead of being invested for the long term. We will probably need to recruit some 800 UNISON pension reps in the near future to sit on pension schemes.
Dave pointed out that UNISON Labour Link is an integral part of the Union and that as General Secretary he will do everything in his power to promote it.
I spoke on the London motion on the Living Wage, the problems with Co-op and the 4th choice for Housing.
Labour Link is obviously as Dave mentioned a “broad church”. However, despite occasional problems, I felt that pretty much everyone present was genuinely united about promoting the wider Labour movement. All of us have shared values and aspirations and we feel the best way forward to pursue these ideals is via the Labour Party and our affiliated trade union UNISON. Watch this space.
Picture above is of London Delegation - Left to right me, Rachel Voller, Louise Couling, Norma Stephenson (UNISON President), John Gough, Bill Beekoo and Ian Horrigan.
Pictures below of London UNISON members in action Bill, Rachel (left), John Gough and Khi Rafe.
