Unison elections: Socialists stand for a fighting and democratic trade union

AS COUNCILS announce savage cuts and council workers are given 90-day notices to prepare for the sack, trade unionists will be looking to their leaders to mount a determined battle to save all jobs and services.

Unison, which represents over 1.3 million workers, needs determined fighting leaders. The ballot to determine who should fill vacant seats on the union's national executive committee has started. Two members of the Socialist Party are standing.

Hugo Pierre is standing for the local government male seat. This seat is vacant because the previous incumbent, Glenn Kelly, has been banned from holding any positions in Unison following the witch-hunt of himself and three other Socialist Party members.

Many activists understand that Glenn and others have been attacked because they have opposed the strategy and tactics of the Unison leadership and argued for a fighting democratic union. The campaign to 'defend the four' has received huge support and is widely recognised by trade unionists in many other unions.

Glenn says: "I have known and campaigned alongside Hugo for many years. I am confident that he would be a fighting NEC member."

Hugo is the school members' convenor in Camden Unison and has organised successful industrial action against poverty pay amongst nursery nurses and teaching assistants. He has recently prevented the council from closing a school for deaf children. He has been involved with anti-racist campaigns locally and nationally.

John Malcolm is standing for the Northern region male seat. John is branch secretary for the Tees and Wear Valleys Healthcare branch.

Socialist Party supporters are also backing Kit Leary who is standing for the young members' seat.

The ballot started on 27 September and ends on 22 October.

UNISON NEC Byelections: Vote Hugo Pierre for the Local Government Male Seat

Vote Hugo Pierre: Vote to Fight For Jobs, Conditions & Our Communities

The Con-Dem Government plans to axe our jobs, privatise our services, hold down our pay, slash our pensions and cut public services. I believe UNISON could stop this Coalition of Losers by co-ordinating national action against their plans.
As the school members’ Convener in Camden UNISON, I have organised successful industrial action amongst nursery nurses and teaching assistants to raise them out of poverty pay; I have organised to stop cuts and closures recently preventing the Authority from closing a deaf school.

I want our national leadership to change so we become a fighting and democratic union.

Defend Services: Fight Job Cuts

Autumn 2010’s ‘Spending Review’ will unleash cuts threatening 1 in 4 of our jobs over the next four years: What they can’t cut, they’ll privatise. A fight branch by branch will leave members in weaker branches in trouble. I believe UNISON must co-ordinate a national fightback against these national attacks.

Save Our Pensions

The government claim council workers have ‘gold-plated’ pensions – the average is £77 a week for men and £50 for women! We need a national campaign to protect our pensions, a leadership organising action including coordination with other public sector unions.

No to Pay Cuts

Hard-nosed Local Government Employers introduced the pay freeze this year when everything is 5% more expensive. Members are asking 'what is UNISON doing?’ We have not been asked for our opinion or what action to take to defeat this pay freeze?

We need a hard-nosed union leadership to fight this pay cut. Successful national pay campaigns build confidence and organisation to fight cuts.

Save Our Schools

UNISON must fight Academies aimed at tearing up contracts and threatening other local authority schools’ budgets by uniting school staff with parents in national opposition to these plans.

Schools Workforce Remodelling failed to deliver our members out of poverty pay. It delivered more exploitation by Headteachers wanting ‘teachers on the cheap’! We need national action to fight for the best pay, terms and conditions for our members in schools.

End Racism

I oppose any attempts to divide our campaigns or UNISON by racism.

Economic Crisis

An extra 1.3 million face unemployment. Public Sector workers could be forced to pay for a crisis created by private greed and the ‘market’s’ chaotic planning.

I believe UNISON’s leadership must campaign for:

• Democratically planned and accountable public services
• Democratically run nationalised banking and finance sector
• Democratic control of the wealth created in society

Stop Funding New Labour!

Even before the election, Labour Councillors voted for cuts rather than fight for the budgets our services need.

We shouldn’t hand over our funds to New Labour when they will hand back cuts to our jobs and conditions.

I want UNISON members to democratically decide to fund candidates in elections who support UNISON policy. As a socialist, I believe we need a new party based on the trade unions with socialist policies to fight for working people.

Hugo Pierre
Camden UNISON