Trots throw toys out of pram over pay consultation

UNISON is beginning a consultation process of its members subject to local government pay and conditions on the employers final offer of 1%. This is following a meeting of UNISON elected lay NJC representatives on Monday.

It’s not at all surprising that the middle class, self proclaimed revolutionary hero of Skidrow-on-Sea, has attacked those he doesn’t agree with as being in some way weasel worded.. timid...feeble...pathetic, inadequate failures (as well as being secret Tories).

The fact that he publically discloses the voting record of a private and confidential internal union meeting on our negotiating stance regarding this final pay offer from employers is probably far more significant.

The ultra left in UNISON not only think they are right and everybody else is wrong on everything but they can say and do anything they want regardless of the interests of our union or our members.

Amazing isn’t it that these people actually think that they can “unite the left” around them?

Now, I doubt that many people in that meeting are that bothered about the childish name calling nor am I criticising anyone at the actual NJC meeting. Since it was actually one of the better meetings I have ever attended, since it was a honest, largely fraternal and constructive debate between lay representatives, who agreed that we were all in a rotten situation but did not all agree on the best way forward. These things happen from time to time and this is what union democracy is suppose to be all about. I respect the reasoned arguments and opinions of those who on this occasion I did not agree with.

What really bothers me is the contempt that the Ultra left extremists outside that meeting since have shown for the Union and ordinary rank and file union members. Demanding that the union preempts the consultation by recommending rejection and strike action. They clearly consider members to be sheep, incapable of any free or rational thought, who must be told what to do and think by the “Great Leaders”. Workers are too thick to know what is good for them so they need to be led by the nose into yet another “glorious defeat”.

Since such an attitude is so essentially divisive and self defeating then you are forced to conclude that the Ultra left could not give a toss about tackling low pay but are throwing their toys out of the pram because they see yet another opportunity for strike chasing and revolution going out of the window.

There is actually a real opportunity for the union to fight back and organise around pay cuts by using it to build density in the workplace to increase our real bargaining power. We also need to talk with and not talk down, to our members about politics and economics. We need to persuade them without lecturing or sloganising, that there is a viable alternative economic policy to austerity.

If we achieve this then we can deliver successful strike action on pay. This will not happen overnight nor will it happen at all if we treat our members as mere cannon fodder.  Or if we try and force them into taking action that they may not believe in at this stage just to satisfy the warped beliefs of a tiny, tiny minority.

This tiny minority really don’t want action to bring about a decent pay offer they just want strike after strike after strike to bring about the fantasy Trotsky idyl of permanent revolution (yes they actually believe in this load of old nonsense).

There are many members who are not activists but are incredible loyal to the union and if the union recommends action they will support it instinctively almost without question. They do so not just out of collective solidarity but because they trust the union to only promise something it can actually deliver. If we play games with that trust then the next time we ask them for support on something we can deliver on then the answer is going to be NO.

Lambeth UNISON Local Government AGM 2013

Picture of the Ritzy Cinema, which is opposite Lambeth Town Hall and was today the Annual General Meeting venue for my 2nd favourite UNISON Local Government branch ever, Lambeth!

Sincere congratulations, of course, to my fellow Labour Party comrades, JR and Ruth, who were elected joint branch secretaries!

My invitation to speak to the meeting must somehow have been "lost in the post".

:)

UNISON's London Regional Committee – the Paragon of the Labour Movement

(Guest Post by my esteemed UNISON colleague, the NEC member for Skidrow-on-Sea)

"I understand that there is a point of view that, since there are an infinite number of numbers it follows that there are an infinite number of realities.

If this is so then there must be a universe in which one day the London Regional Committee of UNISON, which met this morning, will make sense and do what I tell them to do, since I am of course...their Great Leader.

Mathematically, there must be a reality in which there is a Committee which doesn't care that due to my underlings shouting, bullying, threatening and general bad behaviour, London activists haven’t wanted to attend and make quorate Regional Councils (other than its AGM) since 2005. Instead of listening to my speeches they want to go and represent their members at the workplace! How dare they!

Why do we have this paragon of labour movement virtue as a Committee instead of one that realises that led by me (as said Great Leader), the UNISON London regional committee can deliver instant worldwide revolution, universal love and the downfall of the ruling classes!!! All they have to do is just listen and follow me!

In this universe however, those who believe I am their Great Leader on Regional Committee, who just happen to have lost the last 7 elections “on the trot”, demand that the winners listen to me and my fellow losers and stand up for the right of the self important hot air Brigade, not to have functioning Regional Councils, after all, anyone who has not seen my revolutionary light are indeed sorry creatures.

We need effective and vigorous unity to confront the attacks from the Coalition Government. Such unity cannot be built on the basis that working class grass roots branch secretaries don’t do what they are ordered to by middle class derelicts. Just because in the past my followers have wreaked any chance by their appalling behaviour to arrange a quorate Regional Council (other than an AGM) in eight years. If workers won’t turn up to meetings, then what shall we do? We have no choice, we must get rid of workers!

Trade union democracy - which requires well attended decision making meetings - is not an "optional extra". But we don’t want this. What is really essential is to have pointless talking shops instead of an effective response to austerity and to the defence of workers' interests more generally. What we actually need is to call our opponents stupid, make speeches about General strikes and call for the nationalisation of the top 10,000 corner shops.

Given the infinite possibilities of the "multiverse" there must remain hope that the Regional Committee will rise to this potential occasion and cut the quorum to one male delegate, one female (no low paid)  and their cat to ensure that the revolution will now take place due to there being a quorate Regional Council after this year's AGM.

Or perhaps not.

(apologies to folk who have not a clue what this is on about)

Sectarianism, Miserablists and opposing Austerity

I’ve been meaning to comment on this post made by my esteemed UNISON colleague, the NEC member for Skidrow-on-Sea, attacking an unnamed UNISON branch secretary (and as usual interfering in the internal democracy of other branches and Service Groups).

He selectively criticises the branch secretary for sending out an email to all staff warning them of attempts by the SWP and the SP to hijack their campaign to defend public services. However, he fails to mention or quote that part of the email that states the reason why it was sent out. 

Which was due to the violence, abuse and thuggery shown by various outsiders in a “hate fuelled frenzy”. This and threats to patients safety is actively undermining the campaign and putting off potential supporters .

It's the old story of "rule or ruin" by "wreaking and splitting". Ordered by the so called democratic centralist leadership of the various ultra left sects (not by all their rank and file members) if they cannot get their own way.

This is not the way to oppose Austerity nor win anything.

Considering that my esteemed colleague publicly derides anyone who disagrees with him as a "poodle of the ruling classes" it is just hypocritical of him to criticise anyone else as being in any way sectarian.

I also note that the hard working and respected branch secretary he is having a go at started life as a porter in a hospital, who then put himself through night school to eventually become a fully qualified nurse.  Who still works shifts as a nurse on the wards. Unlike the full time middle class bureaucrat who snipes at him from afar.

(ps I am also of course furious that anyone else apart from me should have been awarded “Sectarian of the Year” especially after my 2012 masterpiece Moanie fibbing miserabalists and the LGPS 2014)

Hat tip picture Rustbeltradical (and some interesting comments!)

UPDATE: I have been reminded how the Ultra left got up to similar tricks and destroyed any chance of forming a broad anti-austerity coalition in Local Government in 2011.