Vote for Me (please)

It's election time in UNISON - we are voting for our National Executive Council (NEC) with ballot papers due to go out straight after the Easter weekend.

I am seeking re-election to the NEC to represent the Greater London Region and am standing alongside a diverse and excellent slate of candidates under the banner of "Reclaim the Union."

Why are we standing? Well...

For years Governments have claimed that we do not have enough money for public services. Yet trillions are found to bail out bankers whose greed has caused economic chaos and who still claim huge bonuses and pensions.

Public Sector workers must not pay through attacks on our jobs, pay and pensions.

We need a fighting leadership that demands the bankers and bosses pay for their crisis. UNISON's current leadership put their relationship with Labour before the interests of our members.

The candidates of the left come from different backgrounds but we share one aim - to put members first and reclaim our union. The following demands are as set out on our campaign postcard (which includes a very recent and entirely accurate photograph of your humble blogger);

• No job losses;
• No pay cuts;
• Save the NHS;
• Equal Pay now;
• Public Services Not Private Profit;
• Stop the BNP - no to racism;
• Defend our pensions;
• Stop the witch hunts;
• Welfare not Warfare;
• No UNISON subs for New Labour Cuts.

I'll blog more - including the list of candidates - when I have recovered from carrying a heavy box of campaign postcards! (Honestly it's great fun out here on the rank and file left, I bet candidates supported by the current leadership don't get half that physical exercise...)

UNISON is a good trade union which it is an honour to represent on the NEC. It could, however, be a great trade union if we could liberate it from the unfortunate mix of lethargic timidity and timid lethargy which has us in its thrall.

I sometimes get a bit of stick for associating with the left in the Union (indeed if I had a pound for every time I had been told that if only I had not chosen to be a "standard bearer for the Trots" great things could have come to me in our Union I would have several quid...) I would however much rather stand alongside socialist comrades (with whom I may have all sorts of disagreements but whose commitment is beyond question) than apologists for a Government which attacks us and a leadership which fails to fight back.

This year's NEC elections offer us a chance to change UNISON for the better. I hope we take it.

For the attention of the Mabledon Place blogwatch squad I must point out that no UNISON resources are used for posts relating to internal union elections (though I must also add my disappointment not to receive complaints about this blog - it is almost enough to make me feel hurt and ignored...)