The relationship between the Labour Party and the trade unionists has always been close, dating back to the formation of the Labour Party during the late 19th century by the trade unions. The keynote speech from the Labour leader during the annual TUC conference is usually compared to a best man speech at a wedding. A speech full of rapture and applause with a few jokes thrown in as well. However, this was not the case yesterday when the next chapter of “Red Ed” took place yesterday afternoon.
During Ed Miliband’s speech he was heckled and jeered when he admitted that the strikes taken by public sector workers over the summer was a “mistake.” The Labour leader was referring to the on going saga between the trade unions and the Coalition Government in respect of the changes to pension reform. This was not seen as the best move by the audience at the TUC conference as trade unions currently provides 80% of Labour's funding.
Today it has been announced that the four leading trade unions in the United Kingdom will consult members over the possibility of strike ballots over the pension reform. If the strike action is passed them potentially over 1.5 million public sector workers on strike, starting in November. The changes to pension reform would see public sector workers having to pay more money each month into their pension fund.
This has been met by fierce opposition from the trade unions who feel it is unfair that their members must pay more money at a time when public sector wages have been frozen and many public sector workers are losing their jobs or are being made redundant as a result of budget cuts. In theory, the Labour Party would normally back any action made by trade unions, however in this case they feel that it is unfair to the general public who would suffer from days of no transport or for students whose education could suffer if their teachers are on strike.
David Prentis, the leader of Unison, the biggest trade union in the public sector who had today announced the possible is a strike action has said to the TUC conference that “Now is the time to make our stand” and has admitted that the trade unions could potentially be “vilified” by the general public. The government response has stated that the impending strikes would make the general public “angry” and that the increase in pension contributions is needed to support an ageing population. This has been expressed in the increase to the retirement age with people potentially working until the age of 70 by 2020.
Unison has stated that they have amassed a war chest of £32.4 million to help finance any impending strike action, which would be similar to the strike action that has taken place across Southampton over the summer. With having first-hand experience of how the strikes have affected the quality of the living in the Southampton area where wheelie bins have overflowed and the streets in Southampton have amassed a level of rubbish, which was close to becoming a health and safety hazard.
Now imagine this on a nationwide scale, imagine weeks without your bins being collected, the streets overflowing with rubbish and the increased possibility of transport networks being brought to a standstill with millions of commuters unable to get home… This is not the impending future we want to be living in.
I do agree that we have to save money on a nationwide scale, however I feel that the government should find different ways to save money or to have closer consultation with the trade unions to find a better solution to the problem. It is not just the workers who suffer, it is the general public as a whole whose livelihoods will be affected and may be brought to a complete standstill as a result of the impending strike action.
However, I feel that Ed Miliband and the entire Labour Party should work more closely with the trade unions, supporting the consultation process between them and the Coalition Government because ultimately he would not have been made Labour leader if it was not the change of votes from the trade unions in the final round of voting against his brother David earlier this year. In a time where there is high political unrest and where phone tapping and expense scandals have scarred the reputation of the British government, Ed Miliband needs to remember that it is not just the general public he needs to impress, it is the company's who support and fund his political vision.
In British politics you will never be able to please everyone, but in the case of the trade unions and the impending strike action that could affect the entire British nation it is up to the Coalition Government and the Labour Party to try and find a compromise, which will leave both parties happy and stop risking the tarnished reputation of which British politics has found itself in. If this is not the case then potentially we could see another Miliband taking the trip down from Sunderland in the foreseeable future and the final chapter of the tell of “Red Ed” may not be a happy one.
The strained relationship between the trade unions and Ed Miliband has turned a darker shade of Red
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