unison - don't mention the constitution
WORKERS, MAY 2005 ISSUE
Britain's largest union — Unison — is balloting for its National Executive Council. The critical issue is to ensure member participation and lift the appalling return from 2003 with only 5% (sic) of members voting. Confusing though the ballot paper is, confusing though the relevance of certain posts may be, what the election demonstrates is a paucity of clear thinking about such issues as the EU Constitution and its effects on public services.
Most candidates call for Public Services for People not Profit. But not one mentions the Constitution or the parts of it that refer to further privatisation and sell-off. It is hard to see how the candidates' grand calls for unity across public service unions, to fight issues such as pensions, can be effective when this is not even mentioned in their analysis. It seems many of the candidates are rushing to prove their credentials in "fighting Racism and Fascism", or polishing their "Left" political party credentials.