Labour Hub Editors

UNISON NEC and Presidential Team election – the left narrowly hold the balance of power

By our UNISON correspondent

UNISON’s 2023 National Executive Committee results were published earlier in June. Anticipation had been high, with many in UNISON and the labour movement wondering where the final balance of power would lie. This was especially the case following the 2021 NEC results, which saw the left-wing and pro-organising group Time For Real Change (TFRC – supported by John McDonnell and several other Socialist Campaign Group MPs) take a clear majority control for the first time. This time though, the results and their political implications were not as straightforward as previously.

Out of 67 available seats on the NEC, TFRC won a plurality but failed to win a majority. It remains the largest group on the NEC with 32 seats. The Socialist Party won 1 seat and Unison Unity won 29 seats. The five remaining seats were won by independents.

With no single group holding overall control, this meant that the question of electing the new NEC Presidential Team was crucial. The NEC is split into subcommittees, which work to produce policy and actions across UNISON. The Presidential Team plays a key part in deciding the constitution of these committees. In order to influence policy and plans for the union, groups will be keen for their candidates to hold Presidential roles. The Presidential Team also functions as a public face of the union, alongside the General Secretary.

Eyes in UNISON therefore turned anxiously to the first meeting of the new NEC which was due to be held at the close of the annual National Delegates’ Conference in Liverpool, a couple of weeks after the NEC results were released. On Friday 15th June, the new NEC gathered for the first time and voted to elect the following Presidential Team:

Libby Nolan – President

Steve North – Senior Vice President

Julia Mwaluke – Junior Vice President

All three were candidates from TFRC, and so in simple terms, the left in UNISON can claim to have held the key battlegrounds during these elections. We will still need to wait until July to see the makeup of the various NEC subcommittees, and the balance of power remains on a knife-edge.

Something that I do hope everyone in UNISON can celebrate is the diversity of a new Presidential Team which collectively represents Wales, low-paid workers and black women – especially as 2023 was declared to be Year of the Black Worker within UNISON.

The new NEC has also received its first set of instructions from the National Delegates’ Conference. This year’s Conference floor felt optimistic and unifying in many ways – while there were a couple of fiery debates, many motions relating to equalities and organising passed by clear majorities. Motions passed included:

  • 2024 will be Year of LGBT+ Workers within UNISON – speakers on the motion reaffirmed UNISON’s commitment to trans rights.
  • “We Need to Talk About Palestine”, a motion which committed to actions including continuing to oppose the annexation of Palestinian land by the government of Israel, continuing to support BDS, and supporting the call for action on apartheid to the International Criminal Court.
  • Defending abortion rights, by encouraging UNISON branches to affiliate to Abortion Rights UK and calling on the NEC to campaign for decriminalisation of abortion in England, Scotland and Wales and for fair access.
  • “Taking Effective Action within the Straitjacket of Anti-Union Laws”, which condemned the Minimum Services Bill and among other actions, called on the NEC to devise and roll out a training course for all activists on how to organise industrial action ballots and win disputes.

The coming two years hold a lot in store for the new NEC. Its term will – very hopefully – see a new Labour government come to power following a possible 2024 general election. UNISON remains one of the largest unions nationally, with potential for huge political influence. At a Labour Link fringe event during the week of conference, Deputy Labour Leader Angela Rayner reiterated her commitment to “the biggest wave of insourcing for a generation” as well as her New Deal for Working People, including repealing anti-trade union legislation and the right for unions to ballot electronically.

Hopefully UNISON can continue to hold Labour’s feet to the fire on these and other issues affecting public sector workers. In the meantime, members in UNISON urgently need a fighting and organising union which can support them to deliver strike ballots in the face of the current Tory government, cost of living crisis and brutal cuts to our public services – and the new NEC will need to play its part in this.

Image: https://www.ier.org.uk/news/unison-takes-govt-to-court-over-law-allowing-the-use-of-agency-workers-to-break-strikes/ Creator: Nick Efford Copyright: © 2011 Nick Efford, CC BY-SA 3.0