Last week, over 800 delegates at Unite the Union’s National Policy Conference voted to expel Angela Rayner from the union and to “re-examine Unite’s relationship with the Labour Party”.
By Socialist Alternative members in Unite
This was in response to the announcement that the Labour council in Birmingham were pulling out of negotiations over its long running dispute with bin workers and, and even more disgracefully, that they are going to use fire-and-rehire to impose a new contract on those workers.
Rayner, Local Government Minister and Deputy PM, has not intervened to remove the commissioners who are imposing these attacks. And worse, rather than speak to those workers being attacked, she has visited sites which are part of the council’s scabbing operation.
Throughout the week, the anger at Starmer’s Labour Government was already palpable. Whether that was over the Winter Fuel Allowance, attacks on PIP or Labour’s ongoing support of the genocide in Gaza, the overwhelming feeling among delegates was that Labour is not on the side of Unite members.
In her speech midway through the conference, General Secretary Sharon Graham spoke of “holding Labour’s feet to the fire”. In response, one delegate commented that the time for this had passed – we now need to “throw Labour into the fire”.
A delegate and member of Socialist Alternative member spoke in favour of a motion calling on Labour councillors to carry out Unite policy and vote against cuts, but also pointed out that where they do so, they are quickly expelled from their Labour groups. He also called on the union to support independent socialists and trade unionists on councils, and for the union to engage with the call from Corbyn and Sultana for a new party of the left.
A motion was passed calling for a re-examination of the union’s Labour link. This opens up a real opportunity to discuss political organisation within Unite and across the workers’ movement. Reps and branches must now push to ensure the union’s leadership is good to its word.
Branches and committees should now discuss motions calling for a Special Rules Conference to discuss disaffiliation from Labour, and for the NEC to suspend any further payment of affiliation fees while the discussion is ongoing. But it is not enough for the union to stop supporting Labour – we need a political voice. We also need to call on the union leadership to open up discussions with those working to form a new left party.
Steps forward
There were also important steps forward made at the conference on the union’s stance regarding the genocide in Gaza. Previously Graham had emphasised potential risks posed to members’ jobs in defence and manufacturing by the activity of campaigners looking to stop arms and goods getting into hands of the Israeli state.
This time, during her speech, she announced that the union will support any workers in those industries who wanted to take action to stop the genocide. This was also enforced by a motion from the NEC. While this has always been the policy of the union, the shift in tone from Graham is a step in the right direction. It is a testament to the campaigning done within and from outside of the union to shift Graham’s position. This should be seen as an opening to organise such action at arms factories, ports and other key sectors, and to call on the union to help coordinate the struggle.
Sharon Graham also dealt in her speech with some of the corruption allegations against the former leadership of the union. This includes a £53 million overspend on a hotel and conference complex in Birmingham, tens of millions on affiliated services and links of some figures within the union to blacklisting organisations, which have systematically victimised trade union members in service of the bosses.
She also outlined some of the bullying and harassment she has faced from those within the union who do not want the truth to come out. This has included the leaking of her home address and thugs doorstepping her. She announced that the report, due to come out in a matter of days, revealed that some individuals within the previous leadership “were motivated to commit fraud”. She also pledged that she will do everything she can to get members’ money back.
However, some of the weaknesses of the Graham leadership were still on display, particularly around the question of defence spending. Labour’s commitment to ramping up spending on the arms industry was treated as a positive step. But it was not mentioned that this will be done at the expense of members’ jobs and services in the public sector, nor that workers have no interest in inter-imperialist conflict which only serves the interests of the bosses.
The direction of travel at the conference was positive for building Unite into a fighting, democratic union. It is no coincidence that much of this is coming as we head into the campaigning period for next year’s General Secretary elections.
Build an organised left!
In her term, Graham says that over 1,000 disputes have taken place and the union has delivered £450 million in pay rises for workers. This is all very impressive, but next year’s election is vital. Simon Dubbins, a figure on the right of the union, has announced his candidacy. A win from the right would be a huge setback, tying the union more closely to Starmer’s viciously anti-worker government and signalling a retreat on the more militant approach to disputes we have seen in recent years. Graham needs to take that threat seriously.
Graham’s supporters failed to win a majority on the union’s NEC in large part because she hasn’t explicitly built an organised and democratic left within the union united around a fighting programme. Instead it has been left to the candidates to indicate their support for Sharon Graham as individuals. This is the urgent task if we are to build on the gains made in the recent period, as well as hold Graham accountable where she gets it wrong.
