by Jane Carolan (NEC)

With the date of the General Election due to be announced shortly, UNISON's Policy Committee is preparing to continue its campaign against the BNP and other racist parties.

The union has traditionally used the resources of the General Political Fund (GPF) in particular to campaign for a UNISON Manifesto, and advertised in the UK and Scottish press.

These plans are ongoing but with the continuing threat from the far right, the committee has already decided that we must continue to highlight our policy of "No to racism- NO them and us".

During last year's European elections these campaigns were most successful where branches engaged with local community activists. Anti Fascist campaigners - Searchlight, were funded by the union to conduct research on our behalf to ensure that we had excellent information on where the far right were standing candidates and to ensure that we were able to mobilise against them.

Branches were able to link with church groups, parents organisations, tenants groups, football supporters, a wide variety of people with one thing in common - opposition to the racist message. Use your vote Street or door to door leafleting in selected areas and public meetings were held.

A key feature of the campaign was the message to "Use your Vote". Often fascists are elected as the result of low turnouts. We also targeted messages to our own members in key areas -getting the anti racist vote out.

GPF funding was used for national press advertising and also for local papers. The low vote achieved by the BNP during last year's elections speaks for itself. We must have done something right and must continue to do so.

During a General Election there will probably be less of a spotlight on the right wing fringe by the national media, and as a union we also have other messages that we need to get across.

Nevertheless the anti racist message must remain a union priority. Searchlight will again provide intelligence and we are also contributing toward Unite against Fascism.

Information, materials and resources will be available to branches in the near future. In the year where we commemorate the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, we must ensure that such things never happen again.

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