Unison curbs support for Labour

Unison curbs support for Labour

David Hencke and Will Woodward

Thursday March 30, 2006

The Guardian

Britain's biggest trade union, Unison, has withdrawn all support for the Labour party to defend its council strongholds in England in the run-up to the local elections on May 4.

The union, which donates £1.5m a year to Labour, will refuse to finance, canvass or pay for printing leaflets for the council elections until a deal is reached on the pensions dispute which led to a million people walking out this week.

Steve Warwick, chair of Labour Link, the union committee in charge of the elections fund, said it was now neither "politically sensible" nor appropriate to formally give Labour support following the dispute over pensions.

The committee's decision was made just before the national strike staged on Tuesday by 11 local government unions over government plans to remove the "85-year rule", which allows those with 30 years' service to retire at 60.

Mr Warwick said: "What we have done at the moment is withdraw any funding or any leafleting for [Labour] right across England. It is temporary thing until the dispute is settled."

The union emphasised it would continue to provide support for Labour's national campaign.

Today Alan Johnson, the trade and industry secretary, will move to remind the unions of the improvements to working conditions they have won under a Labour government by announcing new support for vulnerable workers. A pilot scheme to prevent abuses in the hairdressing sector is likely to be extended to other areas including catering, hospitality and care homes.