How GMB influences Labour Party policy

There are lots of different ways that GMB raises members’ issues and our policy positions with politicians and the Labour Party.

Labour’s National Policy Forum took place in Leeds on 17th and 18th February and is one way we contribute to the policy making process. It is also a chance to meet directly with Labour’s Shadow Ministers and discuss ways to work together for the good of members. All this is on top of all the other work we do with MPs from all political parties representing the industrial issues facing members and ensuring politicians speak up.

This National Policy Forum had a wide range of consultations on subjects ranging from the jobs, business and trade to health and social care. GMB’s delegates at this policy forum were all armed with key points we wanted to raise in the different sessions that took place and backed them up where possible with the real world experiences of members to make the point. Examples of what were raised in the different sessions included:

Economy, Business and Trade

GMB raised the importance of trade unions and employment rights to improving the world of work including:

• The need for extra employment rights for insecure workers from day one of the job.

• Much greater regulation of employment agencies and their exploitative practices which lead to a race to the bottom and tax avoidance

• Self-employed workers should be entitled to sick pay, maternity and paternity leave

• Labour should use public procurement to lift employment standards with those contracted to work with public bodies as the Welsh Government has done (banned zero hours, umbrella companies, paying living wage)

• Automation needs to work to benefit the workforce. It can reduce the amount of physical strain on manual workers and improve health and safety but it shouldn’t be about replacing jobs.

• Trade unions play a central role in enforcing and strengthening existing employment rights so we need to make it easier for unions to access and organise in all workplaces

Outsourcing was a topical issue following the collapse of Carillion and GMB delegates emphasised we wanted to see a halt to outsourcing, no bail outs for private companies in difficulty but that help should go to the workers. We spoke of the need for a pro-active approach to insourcing of services in all public bodies and the scrapping of costly PFI deals which take resources away from our public services.

Work, Pensions and Equality

The consultation questions focused on in-work poverty and inequality among working people. We made many points including:

• GMB strongly welcomes the proposal for statutory recognition of equality workplace reps who need to be given the time, resources and protection to do their job

• We need to strengthen the Equality Act including returning the clause on third party harassment which would make employers responsible for taking action against harassment or discrimination of workers by customers or other people they encounter in their job

• We need to lift the levels of social security support in the UK to more humane levels comparable to other advanced economies.

• Two thirds of public sector workers are women and we need to remind people that austerity has disproportionately affected women through cuts and benefit freezes.

• TUC research showed that 1 in 7 children (550,000) whose parents work in the public sector are now in poverty – a 40% increase since 2010. Higher wages in all sectors of the economy are vital to tackling poverty.

• Tackling poverty pay through collective bargaining and a minimum wage of at least £10 an hour will have major benefits to a significant number of people facing wage discrimination in the labour market

• While auto-enrolment of pensions has made a big difference, workers on shorter hours (including many part-time workers) and insecure contracts do not qualify. This will have serious long-term implications for workers and society.

• There is a danger that a Tory Brexit would erode EU existing equalities rights and Labour must be vigilant and campaign against this

• Older workers face discrimination in the labour market and there is growing evidence that they receive less access to training. Investment in skills and training for mature workers is going to be even more important as jobs continues to change and develop.

Justice and Home Affairs

We argued there needs to be consideration of:

• Ending the catastrophic privatisation of the prisons and probation system

• ‘Protecting the protectors’ and ensuring greater action taken to safeguard the welfare of those working in the sector

• Continued pressure for tackling recent historical injustices affecting working class communities including an independent inquiry into the role of the state in Orgreave and with the treatment of striking Cammell Laird workers.

Health and Social Care

The policy forum consultation questions focused on health inequalities, public health and the role of the workforce.

GMB supports the integration of health and social care but this must involve the necessary funding. We want to see a significant increase of resources is necessary to meet demand, provide fair pay, ensure adequate capacity, offer secure contracts and attract and retain workers in health and social care.

We raised examples of the poor state of social care include:

• 60% of care workers have less than two years’ experience, and the annual turnover rate for care workers is 48%

• Care workers' average wage is £7.40 and many are effectively paid below the minimum wage due to employers failing to pay for travel time

• A third of care workers in England are on a Zero Hours Contract, rising to over 50% in London – compared to a national average of 3%

GMB also believes we need to recognise the role that work plays in people’s mental health and wellbeing. When it goes well it can be massively beneficial, however when it is poorly paid, insecure, exhausting or with bullying or discrimination it can be damaging to people’s mental ill-health. GMB research shows that 61% of workers on insecure contracts suffered from stress and mental ill-health as a result of their jobs.

Environment, Energy and Culture

These questions largely focus on the growth of renewable forms of energy.

• GMB argued the growth of renewables jobs in the UK is important but must also include far greater efforts to maximise the benefits to workers in the UK and throughout the supply chain than is currently the case

• In the meantime GMB delegates robustly pointed out that gas currently provides 80% of UK homes with their heating and is low cost.

• We would not want to see an increase in fuel poverty through changing energy policies and that this would be a vote loser.

• Nuclear energy provides a very reliable form of zero carbon energy.

• GMB supports energy and water being brought back into public ownership but we believe it is important that there is engagement with unions the respective industries to ensure that there are no unintended consequences.

Early Years, Education and Skills

Our delegates supported Labour's aim of a National Education Service with its core principle of providing an excellent education system for all, from 'cradle to grave.' We believe that getting Early Years right is crucial as is ensuring people are given access to skills and training throughout their working life. As well as supporting efforts to make academies democratically accountable we raised:

• GMB believes that the current Fundamental Right to education and life long learning covered by the EU should be enshrined in UK law during/following Brexit.

• The ongoing privatisation of Further Education and in work training should be stopped and rather than cutting FE, there should be greater investment. This will be a great benefit to not only individuals but also addressing the skills shortage in the UK Labour market and boost productivity.

• Apprenticeships must be high quality and lead to real jobs.

• All public infrastructure project must provide apprenticeships.

Nationwide 1241 designated Sure Start Children’s Centres have been lost since 2010. GMB has long fought against any closures, cuts to centres and any moves away from the universal offer of these sure start. We said that Labour should make a commitment to restoring Sure Start centres that have been closed under the Tories.

Housing, Local Government and Transport

GMB delegates made the following points

• The shaping of devolution must involve local people wherever possible and not be ‘top-down’. This will inevitably mean different outcomes in different parts of England.

• Similarly, party members and those in the trade union movement in the relevant regions and sub-regions must be given a greater say in devolution proposals in their area – it is too important to be left to individual council leaders to enter deals behind the scenes without transparency or accountability.

• GMB does not want to see devolution be a threat to existing national pay bargaining and are wary about the devolution of public services.

• Instead we see the main value of devolution as developing local and regional economies according to more local needs, circumstances and aspirations. This can ensure infrastructure investment, buses and skills are developed in a way that are beneficial to working people in these communities.

• GMB believes we should learn from the good practice from other Labour-led bodies including the Welsh Government, councils and Labour mayors to take action through public procurement to raising employment standards.

• We believe it is important that all Labour politicians engage and work with affiliated trade unions and this is particularly case with devolution with the opportunities and risks it can contain.

• As part of ensuring greater accountability of services and local participation in decision-making there needs to be a sustained effort to insource contracts.

• Public engagement needs to reflect people’s changing working and caring responsibilities and the time pressures this presents. It is important that working class voices are not unintentionally excluded through engagement and there is a role for trade unions to reach and involve people.

International

We emphasised how UK government trade policy can make a big different in supporting or undermining sustainable development around the world. GMB rejects the neo-liberal model which aims to exploit communities, harm the environment and plunder public assets. The Conservatives are desperate to sign trade deals with authoritarian regimes to help compensate for leaving the EU. Instead GMB wants future trade policy to support workers at home and abroad with:

• Legally enforceable labour standards, employment and human rights

• Protection of all public and health services both in the UK and with other countries

• No deregulation and improved standards and protections eg product, health and safety, environmental and quality

• The UK should make it harder for global corporations to pursue ‘investor rights’ over the public interest

Conclusion

It was a successful National Policy Forum and help get across important points for us as a union on behalf of GMB members. All of GMB’s work with politicians is to advance the issues that matter to members and the policies democratically determined by our Congress. Our other political engagement on policy areas affecting members is ongoing.

#POLITICAL