I have been following very closely the pensions dispute as it unfolds and one of my concerns is public sector workers could lose a lot of pay through strike action in what I am starting to believe is a political strike which they cannot possibly win.
I am also a little surprised at the way the government have handled things so far and, as a former national union representative, I have been amazed at times by their ineptitude.
Further confirmation I am afraid that the Tories and sadly many in our party don’t understand the real world of industrial relations.
So why do I believe this is a political strike?
Well, Mark Serwokta the PCS leader is a socialist with an executive dominated by the Broad left and he has been keen to engage in a battle for some time the only thing holding him back in my view is his members who are not as keen on confrontation as he is.
The NUT General Secretary is very similar: she is a past supporter of the Socialist Alliance and has a very left wing activist base but sadly for her like Serwotka her members are not quite on the same page.
Hence the annual calls for action that come from the NUT conference very rarely result in anything on the ground.
To be fair to them, their political stance means they were willing to fight both Labour and this government but of course their hatred of capitalism and their apparent belief that the financial crisis has led to the government proposals means they are going to be very unwilling in my view to negotiate a compromise.
They are also likely to be overplaying the effects of any changes to gain the support of their members in a prolonged battle.
The other unions [Unite, Unison] and the TUCs Boss Barber are different because they are totally wedded to Labour. Every move they make will be after consultation with Ed. This may in part explain why they haven’t joined the strikes just yet.
My own union the CWU has been totally silent largely because in 2007 they agreed to close the final salary pension scheme for all employees and raise the normal retirement age to 65.
This agreement came after 8 days of strike action and was brokered following intense pressure from Brown and Barber.
So I have seen at first hand how a union leader can have much more interest in serving Labour than he does the members.
Hence my fears for other public sector workers and the wider public who are bound to suffer from any prolonged dispute.
So my advice to Danny Alexander or any other spokesperson from the top of the party would be as follows:
- Publicise much more the fact that public sector unions like CWU have already agreed radical pension changes under Labour.
- Point out that certain union leaders are pursuing a different agenda: some because they are wedded to Labour, some because they would sooner call strikes than negotiate.
- Don’t appear as strike breakers or red baiters. Leave that to the Daily Mail. Keep stressing a commitment to continuing with negotiations and the need for change.
- Don’t rule out the use of arbitration or the involvement of an independent mediator to help resolve the issue. Bringing in someone like Hutton who wrote the report or another public figure outside the coalition could be a masterstroke in putting the unions and Miliband behind the eight ball.
So if Nick, Danny or any other Lib Dems want the views of someone who has a bit of experience in these matters then I would be happy to oblige.
If not, I hope my thoughts help other party members in understanding the issues.