Tagged with Dave Prentis

UNISON activists need to move on from the General Secretary election

unisonI am not a member of UNISON, and I am neither qualified nor inclined to comment on the respective merits of the various candidates who recently contested their election for General Secretary. However, I do think that there is cause for concern for the whole labour movement that such a large and important union may become distracted by internal disputes at such a critical juncture, when we face a determined assault on living standards and public services by a Conservative cabinet ideologically wedded to austerity. Furthermore, when the government’s trade union bill threatens not only some trade union rights, but also includes the very practical danger of check off (known in UNISON as DOCAS) – the deduction of trade union contributions from payroll – being outlawed in the public sector, which is designed to hobble the finances of public sector trade unions.

UNISON, along with the other unions, will need to show unity and determination to resist. Continue reading →

Dave Prentis re-elected general secretary amidst allegations of ballot rigging

Dave Prentis

Dave Prentis was yesterday declared re-elected as leader of UNISON, the UK’s largest public sector union, amidst allegations of ballot rigging, in face of a call by one-third of the union’s national executive committee for his suspension and with a public petition calling for an independent inquiry and the election to be re-run. One candidate has now issued a legal challenge to the election with the Certification Officer who is responsible for statutory functions relating to trade unions and who could order a re-run of the election.

The ballot-rigging allegations are based on a recording of a meeting in which paid union officials appear to be discussing how to assist Prentis’s election campaign appeared on a website which also carries a full transcript. The London regional secretary, Linda Perks, whose voice is alleged to be the main one heard on the tape conveying her thanks to a meeting of regional union officials for their efforts in interfering with the election, has been suspended pending an  investigation. The speaker is heard saying: Continue reading →

In Bournemouth at the TUC, union leaders firm up against Ed Miliband’s proposals

TUC Congress 2013In Bournemouth for the TUC Congress, the leaders of the three biggest unions affiliated to the Labour Party yesterday firmed up their position against Ed Miliband’s proposals to ‘reform’ the Labour Party trade union link.

Dave Prentis, General Secretary of Unison which already has two sections of its political fund – one affiliated to Labour and the other not, nevertheless said: “although we are put forward as a shining example we will not change the way we do things even if there is a special conference that asks us to do it.”

Unison’s affiliated fund is not an “opt-in” fund of the sort Miliband wants since all the members of Unison’s affiliated predecessors (NUPE and COHSE) were placed in it at amalgamation and the contributions of those who fail to specify which fund they prefer but do not “opt out” altogether are allocated between the sections. Prentis is therefore taking, if anything, a harder line than Paul Kenny of the GMB which announced that it will cut its affiliation next year to the level it expects would result from requiring members to opt in, though this will not affect GMB votes or representation until 2015 and could be reversed anytime before the end of 2014. Continue reading →

The Pensions dispute and the way forward for trade unions

The November 30 strikes saw unprecedented unity in the union movement but the speed of its collapse illustrates just how tenuous it was. Despite claims to have extracted significant concessions from the government, unions that sign up to the government’s offer are really guilty of selling short not only their members but millions more whose hopes for a decent pension depend on solidarity across the unions. This was evident when Danny Alexander triumphantly described the deals as delivering “the Government’s key objectives in full, and do so with no new money since our November offer.” Continue reading →