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Report . Text of Motion
UNISON keeps Labour Link - time to reclaim
our party
Delegates overwhelmingly backed a report on UNISON's Labour Link.
UNISON members retain their unique choice to pay into the Labour
affiliated fund, a non-affiliated political fund or no fund at all.
Dave Prentis gave a clear pledge that it was it was time to reclaim
our Labour Party. Referring to the high pressured debate on the
future of the political funds at 2001 Conference, Dave said "Your
anger struck a chord with me. Two years on and it's no longer about
a protest vote. Like it or not, those consulted supported the original
structure. The recommendations do not ignore the issues. They are
honest. They are straight.”
Dave continued, "Today you have the power, the means to make a
difference. If we weaken our debate in the Labour Party, we weaken
our voice. Weaken the link and you weaken our union!”
Conference threw out the first amendment calling for a third fund
and a full membership ballot, moved by David O'Connor from Glasgow
City. "Why does our union give money to a party that supports privatisation?
The NEC were told to report and what came back two years later was
no change. Our members have the right to choose the party we give
our money to. This is not a political amendment. There are no political
motives.”
 But
Glasgow Health's Karie Murphy rounded on the amendment as
dishonest and "fundamentally wrong”. There would be a ballot of
members in any case in 2005, and it was simplistic to talk about
giving money to other parties.
"It's National and Scottish UNISON policy to reject the separatist
agenda. So we would not be able to support the Scottish National
Party or the Greens, but we could support the Conservative & Unionist
Party. Our members would freak!”
Karie continued, "It's my money my choice. I'm not a Blairite,
not an aspiring MP. The Government does deserve a doing, the fight
is with the Government not with the Labour Party.”
The second amendment calling for even more reviews, was also l ost
decisively, but an Edinburgh call for more accountability in a ‘member-led'
political fund was won.
John Stevenson, Edinburgh City explained "This will address
some of the suspicion, whether that is justified or not, some of
the mistrust, whether that is justified or not - but mainly to build
confidence in our APF, to give it the impetus to be inclusive and
to allow it to show that it and its membership are an inextricable
part of UNISON, sharing, promoting and most of all, celebrating
UNISON's values.
"That way we will have the strongest, the most authoritative and
- most of all - the most representative voice to progress our policies
in the political arena”.
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Text of the motion passed:-
Conference approves the recommendations contained in the National
Executive Council's report on the Political Fund Review:
1) the current political fund arrangements offering choice between
the General Political Fund (GPF) and the Affiliated Political Fund
(APF) should be retained. Alternatives, which remove this choice
or introduce a third fund, should be rejected.
2) a new set of measures should be put in place to encourage members
to make speedy and informed choices on their political fund options;
3) the changes made by the APF and the GPF to improve the operation
of the funds should be endorsed and in particular the APF is urged
to develop a programme of action in conjunction with the rest of
the union to extend UNISON's influence at all levels of the Labour
Party.
4) in addition the National Executive Council should consult with
the National Affiliated Political Committee (NAPC) with a view to
bringing forward proposed measures, including any necessary changes
to UNISON rules, to ensure that the terms of its delegation of responsibility
for the APF to the NAPC under Rule J.8.2 include:
a) that there is an appropriate degree of accountability between
the APF and the union's structures at branch, regional and national
levels, consistent with the need to preserve the APF's administrative
separation and control by levy payers; and
b) that the structures of the APF embody the member-led principles
used in the rest of UNISON's structure, by giving primacy and
accountability to bodies, forums, based on delegations from branches;
c) all to be done consistently with the need for approval of
the National APF Committee of any changes concerning the operation
of the APF.
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