UNISON conferences show continuation of steps forward for the left

Union must prepare to organise and fight under a Starmer government

Below are reports of the National Delegate Conference and Local Government Conference of UNISON which took place 16-23 June in Brighton. Socialist Alternative members took part in both conferences as delegates, as members of the union’s National Executive Council, and as supporters speaking to attendees outside the meetings. 

National Delegate Conference, Ivan Bonsell 

Over 2,000 delegates and visitors met for UNISON’s Annual Delegates Conference. The mood was upbeat, as Britain’s largest trade union looks towards finally getting rid of a Tory government after 14 long years. But there was very little evidence of enthusiasm for the crumbs promised by New Labour’s Starmer, Raynor and Streeting.

As usual, conference started with delegates “moving reference back” - that is, asking conference to agree that the union’s Standing Orders Committee (which controls the running of conference) should have another look at motions that have been ruled ‘out of order’. This is a perpetual problem that activists have to work around – any motion which pushes the boundaries is often not discussed, usually because the SOC decides it is “not competent”, or “could place the union in legal jeopardy”, or because an emergency motion is not deemed to be an emergency.

Delegates have often been frustrated by this. Conference is supposed to be the highest decision making body of the union, but is prevented from discussing important issues. This is based on the precise wording of motions written and submitted months ago, which can’t be amended, being problematic in the eyes of risk-averse lawyers or those who want UNISON to stick to easy campaigns, which don’t challenge Labour councils or involve genuine methods of struggle.

It is true that SOC reps are elected (though indirectly), and the left in the union should prepare to challenge for all these seats. But it is not democratic that delegates allegedly have to be protected from themselves by a small group of committee members meeting behind the scenes and advised by unelected staff members who want an easy life.

UNISON’s outgoing President, Libby Nolan, gave an inspiring address, celebrating UNISON’s involvement in strike action across the UK and the consistent presence of UNISON banners and activists at the hundreds of local and national protests against the genocidal onslaught on Gaza. This was, unsurprisingly, a focus of the conference, when the Palestinian ambassador, Dr Husam Zomlot, addressed the conference on Thursday morning.

There was clearly tension between the President and the General Secretary, Christine McAnea, who represent the two main trends in the union respectively. Libby Nolan is a member of Time for Real Change, in which Socialist Alternative members play an active role. This is the broad left grouping, bringing together most left organisations, some left activists inside Labour and increasingly those who have left Labour. The General Secretary represents the more conservative elements of the union, tied to New Labour, which wanted a Labour frontbencher to speak at conference. As Socialist Alternative previously reported, this was overruled by TFRC NEC members, who didn’t want conference to be addressed by any MP who refused to vote for a ceasefire in Gaza.  

Conference heard how members had taken strike action in multiple service groups and locations, often winning significant gains. A highlight of the conference was a dedicated celebration of members involved in strike action, which set the tone for a more combative and strike-ready union. Debates on the last day agreed the Organising to Win Strategy and heard delegates explain how ballots had been won. This will have played a role in raising the confidence of members and showing that where members have a say in disputes, it can invigorate all those involved, throwing up new activists and the future generation on which the union movement has to be built.

A key theme of the conference was UNISON’s Year of the LGBT+ worker and a number of motions reaffirmed the union’s commitment to equality and liberation. Many trans and non binary delegates made very strong contributions, powerfully pointing out that any UNISON official who has their picture taken with the likes of Wes Streeting can’t be considered an ally of trans people. This underlined the very real and visible tension between UNISON policy on a whole number of issues, and the right wing’s craven and uncritical support for Starmer. 

There was some controversy. A motion trying to prevent activists “speaking in a personal capacity” was easily defeated. For all elected activists, from stewards to President, indicating that you’re speaking or writing personally has long been an accepted practice, allowing people to speak their mind rather than having to be slavishly following every precise policy direction, even if they exist. This has long been a basic democratic right and elements of the union were, in effect, trying to gag activists of the left. Many TFRC delegates explained how dangerous for democracy this would be, and the vast majority of delegates recognised that.

A handful of delegates made reference to the slogan “from the river to the sea” in relation to Palestinian liberation, despite being asked not to, which caused controversy. The demand not to use the slogan was an outrageous attempt by some on the right wing of the union to clamp down on debate and discussion - under the guise that members in the Police and Justice sector would have to report it to the authorities!

We oppose any attempts to hinder debate on this issue.We are certainly opposed to any ban on it or disciplinary action linked to it. 

Many people use the slogan simply to indicate the need for struggle against the brutal Israeli-state occupation and for liberation for all in the region. Whilst fully supporting the right of people to use it and understanding the reasons why it is used it is not a slogan that Socialist Alternative favours as we think it can be interpreted as meaning that not all national groups in the region have the right to self determination, including the Jewish-Israeli population.

Where we could, we raised the need for democratically organised mass struggle  as the key to a solution to oppression, occupation and war the Middle East, which has to be based on socialism - a socialist Palestinian state alongside a socialist Israel, with guaranteed rights for all minorities.

Conference voted to continue to campaign for an end to the war on Gaza and for humanitarian aid to be provided to all those in desperate need of it. By campaigning on issues wider than pay, pensions and workplace rights, UNISON has the ability to assert itself as a union with interest in justice and peace across the world – in direct opposition to the New Labour attitude of managing capitalist stability.

There was further controversy around a motion from a police staff branch calling for all UNISON members to be treated with respect and dignity. Being treated with respect and dignity is something the left agrees with. However a sizeable minority of delegates raised very valid concerns about this motion - as it was motivated by members who seemingly wanted to shield the police as an institution from criticism. In the context of stop and search, Sarah Everard, Chris Kaba and police racism and misogyny, many delegates were concerned that this could be used as an attempt to stifle discussion on this issue. 

Socialist Alternative delegates spoke of the need for unions to campaign on climate issues and for the union to continue with a fighting strategy, particularly with the likelihood of a Labour government coming to power, with no plan or solutions to funding public sector services properly. Any illusions that TFRC members may have had in waiting for Labour have rapidly been revised, and most UNISON activists recognise that the fight under Starmer will intensify. This will particularly be the case if - or most likely when - Wes Streeting moves to privatise more part of the NHS as the only ‘solution’ which big business will accept.

The election of a new Presidential Team (Steve North as President, Julia Mwaluke and Lyn Marie O’Hara as Vice Presidents) indicates the continuation of the TFRC project – transforming UNISON into a fighting democratic trade union. 

The next challenge for all left activists is to grow TFRC in the regions and prepare for a united left challenge for the role of General Secretary in the latter half of 2025. Alongside this important work will be the need to adopt strategies and tactics to resist the further attacks on public sector workers. We also think UNISON activists need to be central to any initial steps towards a new left party of struggle to provide an alternative to capitalism, wars and austerity. Socialist Alternative members will do everything we can to support that. 

Local Government conference, Tom Barker

This year’s UNISON Local Government Conference took place against the backdrop of a general election campaign in which the Tories are set to be utterly destroyed. The Labour Party will be propelled to power not on a positive programme, but on promises of continued cuts, austerity and misery for working people.

It was paramount, therefore, that the Local Government conference of the UK’s largest trade union considered all strategies available to organise against the incoming government. We must be prepared to fight for improvements in pay and conditions but also to win fair funding for our schools and public services. 

In some ways the conference did reflect this. Delegates described the horrors visited on their communities and workplaces by more than a decade of Tory-rule. Delegate after delegate spoke out in support of a fighting strategy for workers, many calling for ‘no faith in the Labour Party’ and a ‘fighting approach from day one’ against the new government. 

Speakers also called out the right wing in the union for frustrating attempts to draw out the lessons on how to beat the anti-strike thresholds which demand a 50% turnout of all members. Very few branches have so far achieved this, but where they did (or got close) it was invariably in branches run the by the left. 

Socialist Alternative members were very visible at the conference speaking in a range of discussions, including fighting back against the exploitation of migrants, the crisis in our schools and the huge strike victory at Ash Field Academy, the need to fight for better pay in Further Education, and others. 

But not everyone agrees that UNISON needs to hold the Labour Party’s feet to the fire. In fact, some of the most essential discussions were denied by the conference’s Standing Orders Committee (SOC). Many motions ranging from fighting cuts at local authority level to campaigning for victimised reps were ruled ‘out of order’ by the SOC, with dubious reference made to bringing the union into ‘legal jeopardy’; some motions were not even printed for this reason. 

Delegates spoke out against these attempts to silence debate, and the conference voted en masse against the SOC. Although preventing UNISON from passing these motions, the SOC did not succeed in preventing these discussions from taking place, which migrated instead into other motions. 

Time For Real Change (TFRC) is the broad left in UNISON and currently has a majority on the Local Government Service Group Executive (SGE). While it takes time to transform a union the size of UNISON, it is clear from this conference and the NDC that TFRC is continuing to make progress in shifting the union leftwards. This will be vitally important if we are going to successfully turn the UK’s biggest trade union into a fighting organisation which unapologetically advances the interests of working people and the oppressed.