Whenever there is talk about a crisis between the unions and the Labour Party, I reach for Lewis Minkin s book The Contentious Alliance. It s comforting in that it s a reminder of just how often we have been here before in our history. It s also instructive in that it graphically illustrates that the link has constantly been re-evaluated and renegotiated over time. This is one reason why dwelling on the origins of the party, and the unions original aspirations to give working people representation in parliament, is not always helpful.
The Partnership in Power project took the debate further by recognising that a successful Labour government would have to govern for the whole electorate, not just for the unions or the party. It therefore defined a new balance between these forces.
My own union, UNISON, accepted the basis of the new partnership and embraced the new opportunities on offer. From day one we used the policy consultation process to put forward the views of our members on diverse issues, such as the economy, equalities, the environment and international affairs and a large number found their way into the final policy statements. The issue of the two-tier workforce in public services, which the government is now busy addressing, was first raised at a National Policy Forum in Durham several years ago. So while undoubtedly the process could be improved, we can already document the successes of the new partnership.
For UNISON, a continuing link with the party is crucial because of the formal policy-making and representational rights we obtain through our affiliation the delegations, the votes, the seats, both locally and nationally. But it is crucial for the informal contacts which go with it the strengthened relationships with ministers, party and council leaders; the help and support of the UNISON group of MPs; the local links with party and community campaigns. All of these factors help to underpin the advantages of a continuing and developing partnership with the party.
Of course, it is inevitable that over a prolonged period of Labour in power, relationships are sometimes strained. As is well documented, the party has never succeeded in governing for two full terms, so the pressures are new and challenging. The prospect of a possible third term means that the unions will have to adjust, on the one hand to rising members expectations and, on the other hand, to a Labour government that is trying to govern for the whole electorate, with all its competing demands.
Adjustment and change is necessary on both sides to strengthen our future mutual prospects. The government cannot ignore the election of a new generation of leftwing union leaders or the increasing rumblings of industrial discontent. They represent dissatisfaction with the government, which is as much to do with lack of respect and recognition for members jobs and the services they provide as it is about discontent with their pay and conditions. Equally, the government s affair with the City and the private sector looks increasingly wrong-footed as they fail to deliver the new dawn. In this context, at least on a temporary basis, the concerns of the unions are echoing those of the electorate as a whole.
So we should have the courage, once again, to re-evaluate and modernise the link, learning from history but also taking the relationship forward. Any new understanding has to be based on our common core values and the democratic socialist principles set out in Clause IV. It must also recognise that the party-union link, and our relationship to government, is not a private matter but one of legitimate public concern. Hence all levels of involvement have to be transparent and open to scrutiny, passing the electoral and parliamentary rules but also passing the electorate s sense of what is fair. It is therefore vital that the unions are not seen to be buying candidates, policies or votes. Ultimately, the most effective contribution that the unions can bring to the party link is to have the trust of the public and to articulate the concerns of their members and the interests of the public at one and the same time. If this is achieved, the link would be immeasurably strengthened. This is the real challenge for the future.