It is common to hear elections labelled as the biggest in a generation, but it will mean little without substantive change. Unite wants a Labour government BUT we need to ensure that Labour makes it count and is tangibly on the side of workers. We now need a Government that delivers for workers, their families, and those who have already earned a decent retirement.
We want a Labour Government not for the sake of tribalism or history, but because we are well positioned to hold them to account and make sure they deliver for our members. Both in our workplaces and our industries.
We won’t kid ourselves, we know it is not a panacea. It is not like flicking a switch, with all our woes instantly fixed. Workers have been paying the price for too long. It will take time to undo the damage inflicted upon the economy, but key steps must be taken towards a fairer society.
Our public services have been driven into the ground and are underfunded to the tune of tens of billions of pounds. Workers faced with plans to cut fossil fuels need new jobs to stop their livelihoods being lost. And we have an investment gap that will require billions more to fill.
To fix Britain after years of neglect is going to need more money and there are clear choices to be made. We want growth of course – and whilst Labour’s proposed changes may move the dial somewhat that is unlikely to be enough. That’s why we need to be honest about tax and have a real conversation about who can pay and should pay. We know that company profit margins are up 30% compared to before the pandemic, so corporations can pay a bit more. So to can the wealthy – the super-rich keep getting richer.
With rising geopolitical tensions, a cost of living crisis and rampant inequality, now is not the time to be timid. We need Labour to be bolder. Unite secured significant changes to the manifesto including on the NHS, steel, and industrial strategy.
But the manifesto did not go far enough on a workers’ transition. Banning licences for new oil and gas exploration in the North Sea without first having a concrete plan for jobs is not acceptable. We will not allow any workers to be the coal miners of our generation – cast aside.
The manifesto also failed to deliver a total ban on “fire and rehire” and did not commit to any meaningful extension of collective bargaining. So we support labour yes, but we do so with our eyes open and making no apology for fighting for workers.
We will shortly launch our Workers’ Manifesto. Alongside the ‘Decent Retirement for All’ Manifesto, it aims to meet the challenges we face head-on, building on work below that we have already begun, to:
- Invest and grow our steel industry and the communities they are the lifeblood of
- Fight for energy security and a just transition for North Sea and other workers
- Restore our public services after years of austerity
- Close the investment gap and create decent jobs
- Radically increase the coverage of collective bargaining
I look forward to working with you.
In solidarity,
Sharon
