“We will not sit back and allow Andrew Lansley to destroy our national pay agreement,” general secretary Dave Prentis warned as he addressed UNISON’s health conference in Brighton this morning.
“We will make our stand,” he declared. “If they come for our pay, we will be ready. We will take industrial action if necessary. And we will win.”
Recognising that these are tough times for unions, Mr Prentis told representatives of 450,000 health workers across the UK: “We will not despair. We – you – are the rock this government will not break.
“We could stay fearful. We could lose heart. But we will not. Not in this union. We will stand up and speak out.”
Recalling the huge demonstration on 26 March last year, and the strike by millions of public service workers on 30 November, which forced the government to the negotiating table on pensions, the general secretary recalled: “These were the best days of our union.
“But,” he warned, “there will be more days, more days like that.”
Turning to the Health and Social Care Bill “wanted by no-one” Mr Prentis welcomed the fact that Labour and organisations such as the royal colleges had joined a strong coalition against it at the end.
But he noted, it was UNISON that led the way, and while shadow health secretary Andy Burnham – due to speak to conference this afternoon – campaigned well in the final weeks, Mr Prentis noted that “Labour built the bridges over which the Tories walked” and warned the party that “if it gets back into power, it must repeal this pernicious act” or it will never be forgiven.
Finally, Mr Prentis spoke directly to the activists gathered in Brighton and the members who elected them: “Never underestimate what you do: Every job saved is a family saved.”
The union is under attack from the Conservative Party and organisations like the Tax Payers’ Alliance, because they fear “our ethos of solidarity and our vision of a fairer and more just society”, said Mr Prentis.
“As this government tries to dismantle our society, UNISON will be there to rebuild our communities,” he vowed, because we are the real big society: “One union, one family, one million strong.”
Times are tough, he said, but “this is our time. We may be battle weary but we are not defeated.
“It’s not just about our past, it’s about our future. Keep going, stay strong, stay united. Be proud of our members,” he told delegates.
“For our members – but more importantly with our members – together, we will fight on.”