Labour-Only Closed Shops
Trade union are experts at telling everybody else what to do.
But there comes a time when even the most tribal of trade unions need to take a long hard look in the mirror - and ask some tough questions about the state of trade union democracy.
And given the outcome of the recent Scottish elections, the issue of trade union democracy is coming under the spotlight as never before.
Because the simple truth is that the trade unions in Scotland are not reflecting the views of ordinary union members - when it comes to politics and elections.
Instead the trade unions are representing the views and prejudices of a small number union leaders and union activists.
The irony being that this is a complete denial of representative democracy on which the trade union movement claims to be built.
Given that the trade union conference season is now well underway, here's a draft Emergency Motion which calls a spade a spade - and calls upon trade unions to stop behaving like Labour-only closed shops.
The GMB union is meeting in Brighton this week - with Unison's national delegate conference taking place in Manchester later in June.
The reality of trade unions in Scotland today is that a great figure like Jimmy Reid would not be welcome in their senior ranks - because ultimately he belonged to the wrong party.
And the great challenge facing Scotland's trade unions today is that they should employ people in the senior ranks based purely on merit - and from a wide range of political views.
Let's hope that some independent thinkers take up the challenge because at the moment the trade unions look like the industrial equivalent of the Freemasons.
Emergency Motion on Trade Union Democracy
"Conference notes the outcome in the recent Scottish elections which resulted in the SNP (Scottish National Party) winning an overall majority of seats - and the Labour party suffering a disastrous and historic defeat.
Conference agrees that the current practice of our union affiliating to just one political party (i.e. the Labour party in Scotland) makes a mockery of our claim to be a democratic organisation - because the outcome of the Scottish elections means that our union is clearly not reflecting the views of ordinary, rank-and-file union members.
Conference therefore agrees that the present situation is undemocratic and untenable and instructs the Executive Council to suspend the practice of affiliating only to the Labour party - pending a wide ranging consultation with union members in Scotland on how best to reflect their views and wishes.
Conference also agrees that the senior ranks of our employed staff must reflect the union members that we serve - which means ending the Labour-only closed shop which has operated up until now.
Conference further agrees that if we are to maintain the confidence of rank and file members in Scotland, then the senior officials of the union must be drawn from all political outlooks - not just the Labour party."
But there comes a time when even the most tribal of trade unions need to take a long hard look in the mirror - and ask some tough questions about the state of trade union democracy.
And given the outcome of the recent Scottish elections, the issue of trade union democracy is coming under the spotlight as never before.
Because the simple truth is that the trade unions in Scotland are not reflecting the views of ordinary union members - when it comes to politics and elections.
Instead the trade unions are representing the views and prejudices of a small number union leaders and union activists.
The irony being that this is a complete denial of representative democracy on which the trade union movement claims to be built.
Given that the trade union conference season is now well underway, here's a draft Emergency Motion which calls a spade a spade - and calls upon trade unions to stop behaving like Labour-only closed shops.
The GMB union is meeting in Brighton this week - with Unison's national delegate conference taking place in Manchester later in June.
The reality of trade unions in Scotland today is that a great figure like Jimmy Reid would not be welcome in their senior ranks - because ultimately he belonged to the wrong party.
And the great challenge facing Scotland's trade unions today is that they should employ people in the senior ranks based purely on merit - and from a wide range of political views.
Let's hope that some independent thinkers take up the challenge because at the moment the trade unions look like the industrial equivalent of the Freemasons.
Emergency Motion on Trade Union Democracy
"Conference notes the outcome in the recent Scottish elections which resulted in the SNP (Scottish National Party) winning an overall majority of seats - and the Labour party suffering a disastrous and historic defeat.
Conference agrees that the current practice of our union affiliating to just one political party (i.e. the Labour party in Scotland) makes a mockery of our claim to be a democratic organisation - because the outcome of the Scottish elections means that our union is clearly not reflecting the views of ordinary, rank-and-file union members.
Conference therefore agrees that the present situation is undemocratic and untenable and instructs the Executive Council to suspend the practice of affiliating only to the Labour party - pending a wide ranging consultation with union members in Scotland on how best to reflect their views and wishes.
Conference also agrees that the senior ranks of our employed staff must reflect the union members that we serve - which means ending the Labour-only closed shop which has operated up until now.
Conference further agrees that if we are to maintain the confidence of rank and file members in Scotland, then the senior officials of the union must be drawn from all political outlooks - not just the Labour party."
