As a committed supporter of trade unions, the stagnant leadership of the movement in the Wales and the UK is a source of frustration and disappointment. The term lions led by donkeys has rarely been more true. With the UK having poorer workers rights and entitlements that most of the mainland European countries, despite having over a decade of Labour rule, it is clear that the Labour-affiliated trade union leaders have utterly failed to use their influence or their significant financial clout.
Whether I lived in an independent Wales, or the British state, or any other country in the world, I would support trade unionism and remain convinced organised labour is vital to any democracy.
But the news of the new appointment of a Regional Secretary (seriously- Wales is not even a nation ) for Unison in Wales is utterly shameful. The union bureaucracy has appointed a person that:
* has never worked in Wales.
* has "admitted she knows very little about Wales".
* and "doesn't even know who Carwyn Jones is".
It gets worse when we can see from the report that at least one of the other candidates for the role was Dominic MacAskill, a longstanding grassroots socialist who is not a tribal Labour party member and has been involved in Welsh politics for decades. Perhaps that was his downfall.
The reality is that appointing someone such as MacAskill would have shaken up the consensus that Unison has with the Labour party in Wales, because he would have insisted on criticising the Government when it was fair to do so, and if it was in his members' interests. Unison has therefore chosen to import a "professional" careerist candidate instead. This is all part of the trend in the Labour-affiliated unions to "modernise" and abandon any sense of militancy or radicalism, becoming toothless and co-opted into an increasingly right-wing Labour party in the process.
The conclusion is that Unison doesn't understand devolution, and in fact doesn't realise that Wales is a nation. A pro-Welsh challenge to the bureacrats in the trade union movement is desperately needed, particularly as governments across Europe are normalising an agenda of austerity and neoliberalism. Genuinely Welsh trade unions, as is the situation in Catalonia, would be a clear step forward.
Labels: Catalonia, Dominic MacAskill, trade unions, Unison
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11 comments:
Unions are their own worst enemy sometimes.
I'm neither a fan, nor a big critic, of unions but I've always had the impression that they've increasingly become monolithic, nepotism-ridden bureaucracies. No doubt Margaret Thomas is someone who's worked for the right people, shaken the right hands and done the right number of years to be "rewarded" a big role.
I suspect that's how certain political parties choose their candidates too.
I'd like to see grass roots unions in Wales based on mutualism - something Labour used to look to - instead of this top-down big-state stuff.
Unfortunately I believe the big unions are as much an obstacle to independence as the unionists are. They probably buy into that guff about keeping working class solidarity between Swansea and Sheffield but not Seville or Sarejevo.
I'm not sure if Plaid should continue to waste time trying to court some of them.
FFS - smell the coffee and leave the union. It's a Labour front. You're a Welsh nationalist, which in their eyes makes you one step away from a Treblinka SS guard. They hate you.
What's this Stockholm Syndrome which Left wing nationalists have with Trade Unions. They hate you. Stop whinging and just leave them. You'll be happier for it.
I would be wary of viewing the existing unions through the lens of being for independence or against independence. Workers' rights is an ongoing struggle that would apply whether we were an independent country or not.
I don't also think Plaid "courts" the unions. Alot of Plaid members are trade unionists including quite alot of the politicians. I'm not sure there are ever meetings between Plaid and the unions or any courting going on. Plaid has alot of political crossover with the interests of union members, as a leftist party. For example, the recent pensions demonstrations, Plaid supported them because it coincided with their policies which are for fair pensions.
The union leaderships will always be wedded to Labour, but union members don't all vote for the party (fewer than ever, apparently) and like any other people in society need to be listened to and represented.
Anon 6:35- i'm not a Unison member.
"What's this Stockholm Syndrome which Left wing nationalists have with Trade Unions. They hate you. Stop whinging and just leave them. You'll be happier for it."
Because trade unions are essential in any society, whether we are nationalists or not, as long as capitalism exists we need trade unions.
Are you seriously suggesting a worker should leave his/her union and opt out of protection and pay bargaining solely on the basis of wanting to live in Welsh state rather than a British one?
I've been making these points for decades: Unions are Labour; Unions are English. Consequently Wales and Welsh nationhood are treated with contempt.
Either ignore them or form Welsh unions. But hoping to change them is a waste of time and effort.
Trade Unions are much less important than they were 30 or 40 years ago so my advice would be to ignore them. Let them die a natural death.
That kind of view isn't possible in the politics of the real world Jac. Unions are essential institutions. I am criticising Unison's decisions specifically. There are other unions that I would have no cause to criticise. I'm not campaigning within Unison or a member of Unison. Saying they are "English" is poor politics. They are better described as being British. You can't "ignore" an organisation that has 100,000 members in Wales, they are part of our country.
Because you are not a socialist you don't understand the importance of trade unions and I presume you are not a worker so don't need one. Alot of Welsh people are not in the same position as you.
We would need trade unions whether we were Welsh, Scottish, British or Argentinian.
I mean, you do know about the role of trade unions in the Irish independence struggle? Even now in Wales if there was to eventually be an independence referendum, we would need votes from people that are members of trade unions. In fact most of the Welsh population is working class.
Welsh nationalism will get nowhere unless it is rooted in the concerns of working class people; jobs, wages, pensions. Not the same thing as trade unionism but something that definitely includes support for the cause, and criticism of sell-out leaders.
Trade Unions are an important and integral part of German capitalism, which has bucked the trend of global economic despair. So, I suppose it all depends on how things are arranged.
True enough Siônnyn in terms of keeping wages quite high (and taxes well). Across northern Europe unions play a huge role in economic policy, although it has to be noted their position is constantly under threat and attack from neoliberals and privatisers.
The trade unions want the working class to pay for the middle class wannabes gold plated pensions. Teachers, doctors the police etc get good terms and conditions its neoliberalism gone mad to expect the low paid to subsidise them via taxation, every worker should have the same government backed pensions as the public sector have got, the trade unions are being elitist which is playing straight into the capitalists hands, giving to some but not to others.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/feb/01/could-wales-leave-united-kingdom
http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/01/26/leanne-wood-a-politician-whose-time-has-come/
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