Friday 26 July 2013

Letters: Run towards the unions, Ed, not away

Letters: Run towards the unions, Ed, not away

Published: 26 July, 2013

• THE speech from Ed Miliband attacking the trade unions affiliated to the Labour Party was not only disappointing but shortsighted. Labour should be working with the trade unions to present an alternative to austerity that working people can relate to.
In Islington, we have demonstrated that unions working with Labour can actually achieve something that benefits workers and residents.

In the last three council elections, Unison and GMB have agreed to a staff manifesto with Islington Labour outlining a number of commitments important to our members, their families and community.
The 2010 staff manifesto included bringing services back in-house, thereby making them more accountable to the community while giving more security to workers, who are often locals too.

The commitment to the London Living Wage for all staff, including those in contracted-out services, was also in the manifesto, meaning that not only workers get better pay but those workers are more likely to spend more money in local shops, thus benefiting the local economy.

It also means that the need for the payment of benefits that subsidise low-paying employers is reduced, again benefiting workers and the community.

More recently, the council has agreed to sign up to the Unison Ethical Care Charter, meaning carers should be given time to travel between service users and be paid for that travel, thus ensuring the service-user gets the full amount of time allocated to them.

It will ensure commitments from contractors that carers will be properly trained, all of which will benefit the most vulnerable as well as the carers.

Ed should follow Islington Labour’s example and run towards the unions not away from them.

ANDREW BERRY
Islington Unison
Labour link officerRun Towards Unions Ed Not Away

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.