You don't get me I'm part of the union

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) annual conference began in Liverpool today with a rousing address by the new General Secretary, Paul Nowak, himself a proud Scouser (Liverpudlian).

Mr Nowak spoke about also being a proud grandson of immigrants and said "the real enemies of the working class don’t arrive in a small boat, they fly in by private jet.” He spoke about gross pay inequality, burgeoning food banks, growing hospital waiting lists and the government's disturbing anti-strike legislation and anti-migrant rhetoric. He reiterated that nothing in the UK seems to work anymore - or not for ordinary working people at least.

He spoke about the achievements of unionism in promoting better working conditions, pay and social provisions and went on to highlight the pressing need for more union recruitment. He said that he himself could not deliver this, it was the job of individual unions to increase their membership, but he pledged that the TUC would support them by recruiting and training 500 Black union reps every year to increase diversity.

Mr Nowak is only nine months into his role as General Secretary and his passion for, and commitment to, the cause of unionism is clear, as is his desire for a more just and equitable society. It will be interesting to see, however, how he engages with the suave and emolient London-based Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer. Hopefully the relationship between a son of toil and a lawyer and knight of the realm will prove positive. 

After all, both men come from working class families so they share similar life stories even though their career paths are divergent. For the good of the country, they need to build a working partnership of mutual trust and co-operation. Their common cause.of getting rid of the Tory government should be their primary focus for now. 

Resolving the inevitable strains which arise between governments of any stripe and organised labour will have to take a back seat until the Labour Party is actually in government. The crucial thing is to get them elected to get rid of the Tories. As a retired member of UNISON union, I hope the two leaders will get their act together.

A house divided cannot stand.




Popular posts from this blog

On old age

"The fact is that when I come to think it over, I find that there are four reasons for old age being thought unhappy: First, that it withdraws us from active employments; second, that it enfeebles the body; third, that it deprives us of nearly all physical pleasures; fourth, that it is the next step to death."  Writing his essay,  De Senectute (On Old Age), in 44 BCE, Marcus Tullius Cicero went on to refute these four supposed reasons in characteristically robust and forthright manner. Cicero wasn't one to sit about moping in his own old age; he remained actively engaged in the political life of the Republic whose survival, in the face of tyranny, he championed so fiercely.  Cicero was nine years younger than I am now when he met his untimely end yet he considered himself already an old man; or, rather, his society judged him to be so. His second point about age enfeebling is more germane. Physical decline had not yet impacted him but, six years on from my retirement, I
Read more

Born to rule

When, ten days ago, I posted my piece about the manipulated image of Catherine, Princess of Wales, and her children (see Snap Judgment) I didn't know of her cancer treatment. Had I known, I would have adopted a gentler, though I hope no less critical, tone. But I didn't know, and nor did any of us outside the immediate royal circle, which rather goes to strengthen the case against the monarchy. For Kate and her family the diagnosis of cancer (as yet unspecified) will have been a devastating blow, as will the chemotherapy she is currently undergoing. On a human level, of course I sympathise and extend my best wishes for a full recovery as, indeed, I did at the time of her father-in-law's diagnosis. It is particularly cruel, then, that on top of all this she has been obliged to record a video statement to reassure the public. As if she didn't have enough to contend with already. But such is the unpalatable obligation placed upon any royal personage - noblesse oblige. Whic
Read more

Working to rule

An avowed republican I may be but news of King Charles III's cancer diagnosis is nevertheless a cause of sadness - I might not want him, or anyone else, as my king but I wish the man no harm.  However, Jonathan Swift's opinion that "health is the greatest of all possessions; a pale cobbler is better than a sick king" serves as a timely reminder that ill-health in the monarch is not simply a personal matter, it has constitutional implications. To be blunt about it, Charles' death, in constitutional terms at least, would be no great problem; the king is dead, long live the king. The succession is assured and the crown would pass immediately to the Prince of Wales, who would be pronounced William V. The ship of state would sail on. A long-term or debilitating illness, on the other hand, could have far-reaching consequences for the institution of the monarchy at a sensitive time, coming so soon after the death of Britain's longest-reigning monarch, Charles' mo
Read more