Without trade unions, there would be no Labour Party. Without the Labour Party many of the greatest achievements of the trade union movement would never have become enshrined in law. Despite coming under attack in recent years from both the right of the Labour Party and the left of the trade union movement, the link [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Trade Union Labour Link’
Party funding: Ed moves in the right direction but the devil’s in the detail
Apr 15th, 2012 by Jon Lansman.For the Labour Left, the critical issue about party funding has been protecting the Labour-Union link. The trade unions founded Labour to represent the interests of working people, who at the time were disenfranchised and without a voice. Unique amongst European social democratic parties, Labour’s link isn’t just about money, it remain’s crucial to its [...]
Unite conference agenda: motions threaten cut in Labour funding
Apr 4th, 2012 by Jon Lansman.The preliminary agenda for Unite’s biennial policy conference to be held in late June reveals grassroots pressure for a 20% cut in Labour funding because of the party leadership’s stance on trade union freedoms and strikes against austerity and cuts in public services. A number of similar motions propose that, until the party changes its [...]
The changing relationship between Labour and the trade unions
Mar 17th, 2012 by Billy Hayes.Tony Blair once said that the split between the Liberals and Labour had been a historic mistake that had allowed the Conservatives to dominate twentieth-century Britain. The logic behind this position was that a merger with the Liberals was still necessary, and this in turn required a split from the affiliated trade unions. This, baldly put, [...]
The Labour Union link – without it there is no party
Feb 20th, 2012 by Jim Kennedy.Affiliated trade unions have always had a role in the formal constitutional structure of the Party. The relationship hasn’t always been straightforward. The trade union link has been put under pressure sporadically throughout history – either from external forces or as a result of internal conflict between the Party and trade unions. In relation to [...]
Don’t count on McCluskey to make the break
Jan 18th, 2012 by David Osler.Leeds United defender Norman Hunter, renowned for his perhaps overly robust approach to defence, famous advised young footballers to ‘get your retaliation in first’. The wisecrack metamorphosed into something of a New Labour catchphrase in the mid 1990s, with the line slightly altered to ‘get your betrayal in first’. Recent statements from both Ed Balls and [...]
Defending the Link
Sep 16th, 2011 by Simon Weller.Trade union rights and freedoms, which we have long taken for granted, are now faced with a serious threat. Margaret Thatcher’s anti-trade union laws are still in existence and supported by all three of the main political parties in parliament, and the Conservative-led coalition is threatening to introduce even tighter controls to regulate trade union [...]
Union Link is the Cleanest Money in Politics
Aug 22nd, 2010 by Andy Newman.The Trade Union Liaision Organisation, the group of unions affiliated to the Labour Party, has sought confirmation from all leadership candidates that they will robustly defend the party’s links with the unions. A review of funding of political parties is a likely objective of the Con-Dems, as the Liberals are particularly keen on the idea of state funding [...]
