People’s Charter is campaigning tool alongside Million Voices

The People’s Charter provides a campaigning tool to re-build credibility with the voters, the public and our members, Scottish Convener Mike Kirby told the National Convention of the Charter in November.

Representing the General Secretary at the gathering of trade unions and community organisations, Mike said the Charter and UNISON’s Million Voices campaign were ‘complementary’ and provide a “platform for the wider alliances which will be essential in securing social progress and restoring confidence in electoral process.”

The meeting followed similar ones in Glasgow the previous week and the Charter in Scotland hosted a meeting of sympathetic MSPs during trade union week at the Scottish Parliament. Mike outlined how events and issues this year have turned the electorate off politics. When a debate was needed on progressive taxation to meet social need, the headlines were captured by politicians’ expenses scandals.

“The cause and effect of the economic crisis was laid at the door of a political process compliant to big business, and to be paid for by tax payers directly and through attacks on public services for decades to come”.

Add to that disaffection about legally suspect wars and cow-towing to America, Mike argued that voters now find their voices stand a better chance of being heard in ‘issue’ campaigns.

“As politicians lose face, there is a need to re-build credibility with the voters, the public and our members in trade unions”, he said, and the People’s Charter can provide a campaigning for that”.

A call for the STUC to sign up to the People’s Charter was defeated on a majority vote in April. However, The STUC will convene a conference of trade unions and community groups in February after the Congress went on to back the development of Charter for Public Services based on enshrining the rights and responsibilities to which all parties, governments and the people can base the future of public services.

“But UNISON Scotland has backed the People’s Charter”, said Mike. “How can we oppose something which includes much of our current policy?”

“The Charter is not a charter for an alternative political party but an opportunity to construct broad alliances in pursuit of our objectives.”

“We want to see changes that put people before profit and public interest before private greed”, he added.

UNISON’s Million Voices campaign aims to counter the misinformation and attacks on public services and workers put about by some politicians, some media and representatives of private sector business like the CBI, Institute of Directors and their ‘think tanks’ like the so-called ‘Taxpayers Alliance.’

Mike argues that The People’s Charter complements that and gives us a platform to work with whoever shares our pursuit of common objectives. These include an end to corruption and sleaze in the public services. Drawing on the history of arms manufacturers’ influence on policy, Mike warned of similar influence from privateers in public services.

The “military industrial complex... has enabled arms manufacturers to drive public policy in their own self interest by funding political parties, think tanks, academic research and media interests. Since 1945 it has been a driving force for wars”.

“It is no exaggeration”, said Mike, that a similar situation exists in public services in the UK and abroad where privatisation policies have been driven by private corporations and ‘their parliamentary mouthpieces.’

“UNISON’s groundbreaking 2008 report on “The Rise of the Public Services Industry” is the outstanding trade union analysis of the the UK public services industrial complex”, said Mike.

“These companies will be salivating at the prospect of a Tory Government taking power in May 2010.

“That’s why UNISON Million Voices Campaign must urgently include critiques of the main private sector predators in health and local government which are as hard hitting as those of the POA against the prison service privateers”, added Mike.

“That’s why the People’s Charter can provide an umbrella to bring together those fighting for a fairer economy for a fairer Britain, fairness and justice, improved services, more and better jobs and a better future for all.”

www.thepeoplescharterc.com/

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