Questioning the Political Affiliations of UNITE

national | worker & community struggles and protests | opinion/analysis Monday August 17, 2009 15:12 by Member of UNITE trade union

UNITE Trade Union affliliations

Who is making the decisions?

Both MSF and the ATGWU were affiliated to the Irish Labour Party now that they have merged Unite is also affiliated to the Party.

I don't support my trade union being affiliated to the Labour Party either in Ireland or in Britain because I think that both of these parties are now anti-worker and pro big business.

When Mick O'Reilly was regional secretary of the union it was more orientated to the Labour Party in the South and that was a reflection of Mick's membership and support of Labour. Now that Jimmy Kelly is regional secretary there seems to have been a shift in the political orientation of our union towards the People Before Profit Alliance and the SWP, this may reflect him being an ex-member of the SWP.

In the union online magazine there has been two major interviews with leading SWP members, Eamonn McCann and in the current issue Brid Smith. People Before Profit Alliance have also been facilitated with offices in Middle Abbey Street. The interview with Brid Smith is about her election as a councillor and the other successes of the PBPA in the local elections.

Who has made these decisions? I am unaware of a motion being passed at a Unite conference that commits the union to giving support and assistance to the PBPA and I am also unaware of any decision taken by the Irish regional executive.

It would be good to have a debate within Unite on the question of political affiliation in a similiar way to the debates that have happened in the RMT, FBU, Unison and other unions. That debate should I believe focus on leaving Labour in both countries and what role Unite can play in the establishment of a new working class party.

It is an important debate that should be held and should involve all of the members and in the meantime the union full time officials should be careful not to favour one left organisation over another. Are the Communist Party, the Workers Party, the WSM and the Socialist Party going to be offered the same facilities as the PBPA? As a member of Unite I object to my union subscriptions being used to fund the work of the PBPA without it being first discussed and debated. If a decision was to be made to give political support to other parties as well as Labour or even to leave Labour and give support to other left parties then this would be a welcome step in the right direction but it should be discussed, debated and done openly with the full knowledge and participation of the membership not at the whim of full time officials.