How time flies. It's now two years since Gordon Brown persuaded the Big 4 unions to back the extraordinary step of abolishing the contemporary resolutions which were the last bastion of the old days when we actually used to debate and vote on Party policy.
I found it hard to fathom that people like Tony Woodley and Paul Kenny would support such a step but in the end they did - and were deservedly lambasted at that year's LRC rally in Bournemouth.
Two years on and moves are afoot to reverse that stupid step. See the Tribune story below. Anyone who knows a delegate going to Brighton should try and persuade them to vote for the restoration of this last scrap of democracy at Conference. But as we know the decision rests in the hands of the unions. It is possibly a mark of how disillusioned I have become in the last two years that I do not necessarily believe UNITE, GMB and UNISON will deliver on the day in Brighton. I hope I am wrong.
http://www.tribunemagazine.co.uk/2009/08/14/unions-and-clps-ready-to-reverse-brown%e2%80%99s-reforms/
Thursday, 3 September 2009
BRING BACK CONTEMPORARY RESOLUTIONS!
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You may be interested to know that GMB Congress this summer passed the following covering (i.e. composite) motion which goes beyond calling for the restoration of contemporary resolutions:
C16
OUR UNION’S VOICE IN THE LABOUR PARTY
Congress notes that in expectation of a snap General Election, the 2007 Labour Party
Conference was persuaded to suspend its own right to vote for or against ‘contemporary’
motions on important policy issues. It was however agreed this suspension should NOT
continue for more than two years without being subject to a review.
Congress now believes that the need to restore the right of our union and others to move and
vote on motions at the Labour Party Conference has been clearly demonstrated on a number
of issues, for example, Remploy, Manufacturing, Public Services and Pensions. The need for
this facility has been further increased by the current international economic crisis and is even
more urgent.
Congress therefore calls on our representatives to the Labour Party to press as a matter of
urgency for our union and others to recover the right to submit motions to the party conference
for full debate and voting.
Congress further calls for the criteria for accepting such motions onto the agenda to be
broadened, lifting the restriction, so that they are not restricted to topics involving specifically
‘contemporary’ incidents occurring in the few weeks before the Labour Party Conference.
Congress also believes we should take every opportunity given for unions to bring forward all
matters of concern to our members, and that we should seek commitments of support from the
WHOLE of the Labour Movement.
North West & Irish Region to Move
Northern Region to Second
Excellent news, thanks
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