A Sign Of Things To Come?

[naomi24]

//Unite, Labour's biggest trade union backer, has refused to endorse the party's general election manifesto, saying it does not go far enough on protecting workers' rights and jobs in the oil and gas industry.//

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c722zkj9ly8o

 

And after listening to Mr Starmer the other day there's me thinking he has a cure for all industrial ills.   It seems his pupper masters are not quite as convinced.

[ToraToraTora]

Well the reds were never going to stay under the bed indefinately. The fact is that Labour is the party of the unions and like anyone who pays the piper, they want to call the tune. 🎺🎶

[Hymie]

People (workers or not) having rights is not the UK way of doing things.

Don’t even think of withdrawing your labour and going on strike.

[mushroom25]

Unite's beef with worker's rights is specifically targeted at the oil and gas industries, suggesting they take issue with some (or all) of Labour's dash to net zero. Decarbonisation will come at a price, and it's going to be a price that's too expensive for some.

[naomi24]

//Don’t even think of withdrawing your labour and going on strike.//

 

The workers aren't listening to you, Hymie.  They're doing it.

[Gromit]

Labour are not promising anyone that they will end all industrial action.  
I hope they do better than the Tories in finding a solution to the rail and doctors strikes, but they are not promising that either. Still I think actually negotiating honestly and wanting  normalcy to return will get some results. 
The transition from fossil fuels to renewable will have implications for jobs. No one wants a repeat of the misery when tens of thousands of workers were thrown out of work in the transition away from coal. The unions of fearful of a similar situation whengas and oil are recuced. But it is going to happen. The rest of the world are doing it, we have pledged to reduce our carbon emissions, and our North Sea reserves are diminishing.  
I will be very pleased if the Unions do not have their feet under the table at Downing Street.

[Gromit]

* when gas and oil are reduced. *

[naomi24]

Gromit, I'm pretty sure Starmer said he will end the doctors' strike.  

[Untitled]

if they had endorsed you would say labour was being controlled by the unions

now that they haven't endorsed it... you have a problem with it somehow?

i think Unite's criticisms are absolutely correct.

[naomi24]

Labour is controlled by the unions.

[Gromit]

// Of the £21.5m in cash received by the Labour party in 2023, just £5.9m came from the trade union movement, compared with £14.5m from companies and individuals //

Well known racist businessman Frank Hester has given the Conservative Party £15m so far this this. Does he control the Tory party ?

[naomi24]

No Gromit - but the rules don't include him in decisions concerning the party manifesto.  

[Gromit]

Not sure the Unions have been consulted about what Starmer has put in the manifesto? They don't like some of it, which suggests they had no input.

[Untitled]

what exactly is your issue naomi? i don't understand what you think this is a sign of

[ynnafymmi]

Im with Unite here,up here in Aberdeen you have two choices,fish working or oil working.Take any one of these two away and Aberdeen reduced to a ghost-town.

[naomi24]

Gromit, party rules clause 5 - mentioned in the link.

 

unititled, it's a sign of industrial unrest.  The unions are not happy with labour's plans before they take office - although Angela has promised sweeping changes to current legislation so this could simply be leaving the door open for her to go ahead with that. If they agreed now it follows that there would be no requirement for change.   Sneaky perhaps?  I don't know - but I have my suspicions.

[Gromit]

//  But party rules, specifically clause five, require the final manifesto to be signed off at a special meeting of the shadow cabinet, the parliamentary committee of Labour MPs, the Scottish and Welsh Labour leaders, the chair and vice-chairs of the National Policy Forum, the national executive committee, and representatives of affiliated trade unions.  
Clause five does NOT require ALL stakeholders to agree to the manifesto for it to be valid. //

So it doesn't require any unions to endorse the manifesto.

[Buenchico]

There are 124 trade unions in the UK.  Only 11 of them are affiliated to the Labour party. 

So statements such as "Labour is controlled by the unions" and "Labour is the party of the unions" don't really seem to hold that much water.

[fender62]

labour have always been beholden to unions sadly, great at first and made a difference, now it an industry of cash, im thinking plz forgive me but, how much are union leaders on, sounds daft but im thinking of that old film im all right jack..

[Gromit]

The Labour party was a creation of the Trade Union movement, a century ago. Today the unions contribute less than a quarter of the Labour party's funding, and have less influence. Labour are no longer dependent on the unions for their survival. Notions of the unions controlling Labour are half a century out of date.

[naomi24]

If you believe that you'll believe anything.