Man the Barricades
Curiously Unite did not release the detailed voting figures yesterday - just like the GMB union - but claimed a 3 to 1 majority on a turnout of 31%.
Which means that around 23% of the total membership voted positively - in favour of industrial action - while 77% or so either voted No or couldn't be bothered to vote.
Hardly a firm base on which to challenge the government of the day - or its mandate to govern the country - never mind a prolonged campaign of industrial action.
A Unite spokesperson described the result as 'resounding'.
I suppose it is in one way - but only in comparison to the ballot for Unite's general secretary - which produced the following outcome:
Unite Election 2010
Len McCluskey was elected as the new leader of Unite - the UK's biggest trade union.
Len McCluskey received 101,000 votes - or 6.7% of Unite's 1.5 million members.
Jerry Hicks came second with 52,000 votes (3.5%)
Les Bayliss came third with 46,000 votes (3.0%)
Gail Cartmail, the only woman, came fourth with 39,000 votes (2.6%)
238,000 members took part in the ballot - which represents 15.8% of the 1.5 million members claimed by Unite.
Len McCluskey - who has been a member of the Labour Party for the past 39 years - said of the latest strike ballot:
"Yet again public sector workers are telling the government that enough is enough. They have endured wages cuts, rising living costs and horrific job losses, as this government forces the less well off in this country to pay for the sins of the elite. They are not prepared to stomach this attack on their pensions, too."
But the reality is that any government - even a Labour government - would be forced into a similar position over public sector pensions - because it's not a party political issue.
The present government's proposals are based on a detailed report from John Hutton - former work and pensions minister in the last Labour government.
So this is really just a lot of windy rhetoric - and political hot air.
Instead of fighting to defend final salary pension schemes - Unite should be trying to protect the lower paid.
But they're not and that's why the planned strike is really all about politics - and not pensions.
