The deadline for branches to make nominations in the forthcoming elections to the UNISON NEC (Friday 16 February) is fast approaching. Branches only need to submit a nomination form identifying the name(s) of candidate(s) they wish to nominate, and the seats for which they are nominating them. The relevant forms are on the UNISON website here.
As I am posting from my personal computer I can declare an interest as one of the candidates of the left in the forthcoming elections. In many constituencies members will be able to choose between left-wing candidates who will speak up for UNISON members and our opponents who will meekly do as they are told by the Union machine.
If you are a UNISON activist you should find out if your branch has made any nominations. In Greater London, as well as myself, MarshaJane Thompson and Phoebe Watkins are running as candidates of the United Left. Other good candidates include Daniel Robertson, running for the Young Members seat, Raph Parkinson and Margaret Greer in the Additional Members constituency; Mandy Berger, Emma Goodall, Paul Holmes and Glenn Kelly in local government, and; Kate Ahrens, Alison Brown, Paul Harper and Len Hockey in health.
I won't list all of the good candidates. If any UNISON member would like more information about other candidates of the left please comment on this post.
Good left-wing union activists often fail to devote enough attention to union elections because we are too busy being (well) activists and doing the work that keeps the union alive. The price we pay is a somnambulist leadership unaware that our utterly inadequate response to New Labour’s attacks upon our jobs and pensions is failing to build our Union into the effective tool for collective self-defence which we want and need.
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