- Conference
- 2012 National Delegate Conference
- Date
- 27 February 2012
- Decision
- Carried as Amended
The public sector cuts and job losses are not just a response to the economic conditions facing the country. They are a sustained ideological attack on public services driven by a right wing Tory Party who have pulled their Liberal Democrat collaborators into supporting them in the ConDem Coalition. These cuts are an attempt by the Tory right to reverse the years of improvements made to public services and arrest the progress, slight thought it may be in some areas, towards a fairer society and the Lib Dems are going along with them. They have deceitfully used the cover of the economy to implement these swingeing cuts and continue to claim that there is no alternative, but we all know that there are alternatives.
Conference therefore calls on the National Executive Council to:
1)intensify UNISON support for the campaign for a Robin Hood Tax and encourage all our members to support this campaign;
2)facilitate UNISON regions and branches to lead the membership in local campaigning against the cuts to jobs and services, working with appropriate local organisations who share our values and are committed to campaigning, including political campaigning, in line with the policies and priorities of UNISON;
3)continue the provision of resources through the National Fighting and Organising Funds to enable additional resources to be available to regions and branches to help through the difficult period up to the 2015 General Election.
In addition Conference urges the Labour Link to:
a)take such appropriate measures as are necessary to ensure that candidates selected as Labour party candidates at all levels, e.g. councillors, Members of Parliament etc, are committed to improving the quality of life for working people and their families and that they are representative of working people;
b)ensure that UNISON’s views are represented at all levels within the Labour party and the link between the party and the trade unions is strengthened not weakened;
c)campaign for the return of a Labour government committed to improving the quality of life for ordinary working people, including ensuring all employment and trade union rights and facilities which the ConDems may cut are reinstated and improved upon.