Post from Andrew Berry, UNISON National Labour Link Committee in a personal capacity.
This weekend is one of the most important events on Labours calendar the National Policy Forum (NPF). With most of the democracy torn out of the party conference it will be the policy forum that will set the agenda and manifesto for the election in less then 10 months. The policy forum consists of constituency elected delegates trade union delegates amongst others http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Policy_Forum
Whilst we had a good a useful discussion on policy at the UNISON Labour Link Forum the other week we will have delegates at the NPF who must remember Labour Link Policy is subservient to policy passed at our National Delegates Conference. While some Labour policies are welcome and they must be firmed up including the repeal of the Health and Social Care bill and Lobbying bill and Scrapping of the bedroom tax. UNISON delegates however must this weekend fight tooth and nail, for anti austerity agenda, commitments to Tory spending limits are simply not acceptable to our members facing more cuts higher workloads and lower wages. We need commitments to end the pay freeze, Labour has clearly made the running that there is a cost of living crisis therefore Labour must end the public sector real terms pay cuts otherwise it's just talk.
Further we need commitments to fund public services including Local Government and the NHS to renationalise rail, mail and energy, amongst others, Labour has marginal shifted to the left from Blairism in now accepting that capitalism can not have free reign however as Tony Benn said " we are not just here to manage capitalism but to change society and define it finer values". Labour should commit to ending policies it started including the attacks disability benefit and the reassessments never mind just sack ATOS. Reverse tuition fees and end academies school bring all state schools back into the local authority control. Labour must take on UKIP and positivity support immigration.
Getting few crumbs from our policies is not only not enough for our members but will make Labour look timid and therefore less likely to win the election. 2015 needs to see Labour not just in power but to using that Power. The Trades Unions can and must make sure the manifesto is positive one that our members can get behind.
Looks like the rail unions have already done a deal which will stop a proper commitment to re-nationalisation. Rather just give the public sector a chance to bid. (So where will the resources come from to do that? The private sector can always make it sound like they will be cheaper ... but then they put in the extra bills later.) Will UNISON be voting to not replace trident and be voting to take this to Conference as a minority position if necessary (it never has done in the past). Will it be pressing to reject state subsidized nuclear power?
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