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Arena Magazine 2005 Issue 2 |
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Politics matter as election day looms
By John Hannett, General Secretary
After eight years of Labour in government the vast majority of Usdaw members I speak to feel better off - and it’s easy to see why.
The national minimum wage has made a big difference to millions of workers. Working tax credits have increased the take home pay of many hard-working families.
Rights at work have also improved especially in terms of family-friendly policies, holidays, and equal treatment for part-time workers.
Add to these the fact that the country has enjoyed the lowest interest rates for decades, the highest employment rates, and a stable economy offering security and peace of mind - all of this explains why Usdaw is backing Labour. A vote for any other Party could let the Tories in.
I'll be voting Labour on May 5 and I urge you to do so too.
I'm delighted to see our Supporting Parents and Carers campaign has attracted widespread support among Labour MPs. Encouragingly this backing is set to continue after the election and with most of the political parties pursuing family-friendly policies these issues will run and run.
The key event in the union's calendar is our Annual Delegate Meeting (ADM) where our members debate and decide all the important issues of the day. I'm looking forward to it, particularly as it's my first ADM as general secretary. This four-day conference is the ideal opportunity for reps to have their say, meet old friends, and make new ones, in and around the Winter Gardens, Blackpool.
The ADM is an excellent example of democracy in action and, if you're going, I urge you to play as big a part in the debates as possible.
New information and consultation rights should mean companies and organisations employing more than 150 staff need to have systems in place to allow meaningful dialogue between managers and staff.
These new changes from Europe should put a stop to the 'bolts from the blue' where in the past staff heard their jobs were to be axed via text messages or from the local radio.
This provides unions with a golden opportunity to increase their presence in workplaces, particularly those where there are union members but where the boss has until now been refusing to engage collectively with staff. More information on this will follow in a future issue of Network and will also be on the web site.
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