UNISON National Conference – Setting the Scene

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UNISON National Conference – Setting the Scene

On Tuesday, the National Conference of UNISON, the million-strong public service workers' union, opens in Bournemouth.

This is the union's first conference since Tony Blair's speech following the General Election in which he laid out New Labour's plan, "Reform of Public Services". This plan, which was to be the main purpose of their second term in office, he described as a "crusade" to bring about "investment with reform". The speech issued a warning that the Prime Minister’s commitment "will not flinch…no matter how much opposition". This "commitment", which has been proved by events, is not so much a commitment to investment – where the investment promised, yet not delivered, is being paid for at the expense of increased National Insurance Contributions and taxes of the people – but a commitment to deliver public services to private capital. Public services are being transformed into an even greater source of profit for big business, with massive sums paid over through mechanisms such as the Private Finance Initiative (PFI). Subsequently, this plan of "investment with reform" of Tony Blair and New Labour aroused widescale opposition from every section of public service workers. The government's response was to immediately condemn this opposition as "wrecking" activity. But the delegates come to the conference representing the broad sections of public service workers that are refusing to be silenced by such outrageous attacks of the Prime Minister and who are determined to build the workers’ opposition to this anti-social agenda. This stand will be reflected a number of motions and in the debates.

This is also the first national conference since the terrible events of September 11 and their consequences. There will be important debates on the stand towards the US and Tony Blair's "war on terrorism", with motions calling for the withdrawal of British troops from Afghanistan, and opposition to any further attacks on other countries, as well as opposition to Israeli aggression against the Palestinians.

There are also debates scheduled on opposition to EU monetary union, equal pay for women, on aspects of workers’ rights, on rights of minorities and many other important questions.

Democracy in the union will also be made an issue in the debate on rule changes, on some proposed changes to the speaking and voting rights at conference, and it will also be an issue in the debates on the union's policy and actions. There will be a potential for splits to open up in the conference between those that are considered militant and those considered moderate. What will be important to focus on is how the public service workers themselves can be further involved in building the opposition to Tony Blair's anti-social "Third Way" programme and how the movement can stop this reactionary programme from being carried through.

What is equally important is what should be done to end the political marginalisation of public services workers in dealing with the whole anti-social agenda that they face. Here the debate at conference will centre on whether the union should maintain its funding for the Labour Party if the government continues with its privatisation of public services, whilst a number of motions will continue to try and create the illusion that the Labour Party can be won back for the labour movement and that it still represents the interests of labour, or at least the "lesser of two evils". It would be advantageous if the debate among public service workers could focus on discussing the alternative, and if the debate on the character and links with the Labour Party could be carried out dispassionately and based on the workers’ own experience. It would also be advantageous if the orientation of the Conference could be to draw the members themselves into hammering out what favours their interests and how the battles should be fought.

The UNISON National Conference continues until Friday.