November EC Meeting 2019

These developments will in my view be especially important in the light of any general election outcome.

Unsettled environment ahead.

If Labour do win, we will have to be engaged as never before in taking responsibility to build a new economy and legal infrastructure. There will be a huge backlash from some large employers and a new progressive government would need defending. We have seen how hostile the EU has been to governments in Europe seeking to reinvest in public services and industry, and how hostile the US is to governments around the world doing the same. New collective bargaining arrangements, new legislation and a new Ministry of Labour would have to be administered and supported by unions. There would have to be a great degree of active involvement. If Labour do not win there will be an intensifying set of difficulties in dealing with a re energised set of employers. My own view is that we are not likely to see an immediate assault on the unions even from a newly elected Tory government. The main reason for this is that legislation and political culture is already so stacked against us that no immediate new attack is necessary. More likely is a continued use of the Courts, as in the recent CWU decision, against us. With a rise of illusory ‘independence’ thought in Scotland and potentially further wrangles over how to leave the EU, there could be more political paralysis and therefore neglect of all the issues of great concern to our affiliates. Inevitably our campaigning capacity will need to increase . Our political education and reps training will need to intensify. It is unlikely that any winning party will give a commitment to restraining the flight of capital overseas. The decision taken by the Thatcher government in 1979 to remove exchange controls on capital has in my opinion been one of the most damaging of all. It has facilitated the globalisation of capital and the trickle upwards of wealth and the replacement of real production with financial speculation. Without a national commitment to control flows of capital and reinvest in our economy, we will see a further erosion of remaining industrial production and potentially another financial crash. The finance houses have not been sufficiently regulated to avoid this. More economic education in unions on these issues is required. With all of the unsettling political uncertainties ahead at a macro level, the stability, growth, support and solidarity that we can create for our affiliates should be seen as a really positive and unique contribution we can make and testimony to the value of the GFTU. Workers will not stop forming professional associations and unions. We want them all in affiliation. We want to encourage new groups to organise and strengthen all established affiliates. We have been very successful in supporting people into becoming trade union and political leaders. Many people have gone on to great things having started on our young members’ conference, or reps training. GFTU certainty.

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