A Tale of Two Conferences cont. from p1 challenge the big business neo-liberal status quo. Governments should act against the asset-strippers, match public money with a public shareholding, regulate the movement of capital and take back control over interest rates. We can reaffirm our stance in favour of public ownership – not least for the sake of the environment – and against all forms
of privatisation. Numerous motions expose the role of the European Union in pushing forward its pro-monopoly and privatisation agenda, not least on pensions. New EU proposals to weaken trade union and collective bargaining rights must be resisted. Other motions for an independent British foreign policy and to re-
democratise the Labour Party deserve enthusiastic support. We also need to protect and enhance our equalities structures as we build Unite – the union. And let's not forget the terrible plight of the Palestinian people. They need our support, which we can show by boycotting Israeli goods and backing the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and its initiatives.
Unite - the union for a new century
he ambition behind the creation of Unite – the union is a bold step. As the founders of the T&G put it about our own union: 'only two things can hinder it – namely – VESTED INTEREST and APATHY'. There are enormous obstacles but one thing is clear, there is the potential to create an entirely new style of trades unionism for the 21st century. Unite – the union must be flooded with the democratic spirit and it must be peerless in its determination to fight back, unhesitant in taking on employers when it is necessary. It must be absolutely incorruptible by those of wealth and power. Unite must not only be the biggest union, it must be the best. Its administration and organisation needs to be lean and hungry, determined to serve the needs of its membership at all times. Its very size dictates the need to absolutely vigilant that democracy is ever-present. Ensuring that the focus of authority rests not with a new bureaucracy but with a new lay member executive, conference and sectional structures has to be central. The T&G was founded upon a vision that rank and file representatives would determine policies to be implemented by full-time officials, in a model compared to Parliament and its civil service. Amicus has a tradition of being rather more commanded by its central administration. This is a challenge to us. Union structures based upon the way in which capital was formed many, many decades ago are at best irrelevant. We have to face capital as it now is. For example, a London Public Transport District, or a Birmingham Manufacturing Local would both make good sense. We have good models already for
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community based Locals and these should not diminish our existing workplace organisation. Indeed, the focus of Unite’s activity has to be the workplace. A revitalisation of the shop stewards’ movement is well overdue. It is a commonplace now to note that capital operates more efficiently internationally than it has ever done. Clearly, unions must do the same. But workers live in localities; unions have to be there too. Unite - the union must be based on local units, or as in American parlance, 'Locals’ for each significant local centre, bringing together trade and industry in communities and we must recognise the power of devolution. Wherever Unite - the union organises in nations such as Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Gibraltar, then National Committees for those areas should provide appropriate co-ordination. Locals need to be rooted in democracy, served by the convening of quarterly shop stewards/ representatives conferences. Locals should have their own allocated funds, based upon a proportional distribution. Whilst the nature of the proportional expenditure should be dictated by national decisions, the disbursement of an element of funding should be locally determined. Local Committees composed entirely of lay representatives, with relevant ex-officio servicing employees should be responsible for the day to day administration of the Union at this level. The decisive role of Local officials is mainly to service the daily needs of the membership and they need to be locally accountable. Emphatically, their prime function should be to build self-reliant shop stewards workplacerelated structures. Unite - the union offices should be
where they are needed, not where past tradition dictates. We should see offices placed in positions of easy access to members, e.g. in shopping centres and high streets. . The co-ordination of industrial strategy by the trade groups is vital if we are to match the superior forces of capital, that are organised vertically and with rigour. A collective leadership is by far the best aim for the Unite - the union, but neither do we need to have a vast array of unnecessary bureaucrats. Unite - the union must be clearly led by a predominantly lay member, elected Executive Committee. Unite the union must look like the workforce that it aspires to represent at all levels. To that end, the Union’s basis of representation must be proportionate throughout. We need a defined network of MPs, MEPs, MSPs, Welsh Assembly and council members consistent with the rules and obligations of public representatives. Membership of the Union’s Parliamentary group should be constituted anew. The name of the new union cannot be considered as settled and it is arguable that the process that led to what we have was unsatisfactory. Is Unite so disunited that it needs uniting? Whatever we decide for the longterm, this must be a process based on mass, democratic involvement. The abiding principle here is to 'flatten the pyramid'. The shorter the distance between the leadership of the union and the activists, the better and healthier its democracy will be. This is not to say that it is improper to develop a proper career structure. The first issue of importance is that there should be single status for all employees of the union. But this is an opportunity to establish a new culture for a new century. Don’t let’s waste it ...