Late night holiday reading

While others relax on holiday with trashy novels I was continuing my bedtime reading of the TUC Preliminary Agenda and was driven to online comment by Motion P84 from the Communication Workers Union;

“Political representation of members

Congress recognises the lack of adequate representation at political level for the members of affiliated unions. Congess notes that New Labour, as currently constituted, is now failing to attract the support of our members and that its vote at the 2009 European Election reached an historic low. The present Government’s policy of continuing privatisation, cuts in Government spending and failure to remove the anti-trade union laws is unlikely to change this in the near future.

Congress therefore calls on the General Council to convene, at the earliest opportunity, a conference of all affiliated unions to consider how to achieve effective political representation for our members.”

In the light of the decision of PCS Conference to consult their members on the standing of candidates in elections – and the speech of our own General Secretary at UNISON Conference (which let the genie out of the bottle) this motion could come to have considerable significance.

Even last year those who could see the need for a new approach to political campaigning by the trade unions could not win the support of the leadership of the largest unions. Now the CWU will put the other affiliated unions on the spot.

The genie Dave Prentis let out of the bottle in June may be about to grant some wishes…