{"id":7936,"date":"2016-03-02T17:06:42","date_gmt":"2016-03-02T17:06:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=7936"},"modified":"2016-03-03T13:14:17","modified_gmt":"2016-03-03T13:14:17","slug":"tu-bill-biased-plans-slammed-by-lords","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=7936","title":{"rendered":"TU Bill : \u00e2\u20ac\u0098Biased\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 plans slammed by Lords"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Buried within the trade union Bill are plans to choke Labour party funding by changing the way members sign up to contribute to unions\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 political funds.<\/p>\n

 
\nIt was an unabashedly partisan move that today (March 2) the House of Lords ripped apart.<\/p>\n

 
\nIn a new report<\/a>, a cross-party Lords committee slammed the way the government has aimed to implement its proposals to require union members to opt in to political funding instead of opting out, as they do now.<\/p>\n

 
\nThe report could very well throw a spanner in the works for the trade union Bill, which may be delayed until there is significant progress on political funding reform talks across all parties.<\/p>\n

 
\nThe Lords select committee report highlighted that all evidence points to the fact that Labour party funding will take a substantially hit if an opt-in system were introduced.<\/p>\n

 
\nTrade union political funding has before used an opt-in system, and the Lords committee noted that when this was first introduced in 1927, the percentage of members choosing to be part of their union\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s political fund dropped from 75 per cent to less than 50 per cent.<\/p>\n

 
\nNorthern Ireland has historically used an opt-in system since the 1920s, and there, only 28 per cent opt in to their union\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s political fund, compared to rest of the UK that uses an opt-out system, where a full 85 per cent of union members contribute to the fund.<\/p>\n

 
\nConservative estimates show if opt-in measures go through, Labour party funding could take a hit of \u00c2\u01416m each year \u00e2\u20ac\u201c a substantial portion of the party\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s total funding.<\/p>\n

 
\nIn another clear attempt to hobble trade union political funding, the government has gone even further by proposing that the opt-in process should be conducted by paper only and that members should be asked every five years whether they want to continue opting in to their union\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s political fund.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThese provisions\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6do not make it easy for union members to opt in; rather, they provide points of friction which will discourage opt-in,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 the Lords committee noted.<\/p>\n

 
\nNo popular mandate<\/strong><\/em>
\nThe committee pointed to the fact that Tory government had not included its specific plans on changes to trade union political funding in its election manifesto, and so concluded that the proposals do not have a popular mandate.<\/p>\n

 
\nWhat\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s more, the committee highlighted that the proposals could only be seen as a partisan attack if they weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t negotiated as part of wider political funding reform.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIf any government were to use its majority unilaterally to inflict significant damage on the finances of opposition parties, it would risk starting a tit-for-tat conflict which could harm parliamentary democracy,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 the report noted.<\/p>\n

 
\nIndeed, Tory party funding \u00e2\u20ac\u201c which relies on large donations by corporations and wealthy individuals \u00e2\u20ac\u201c are currently not subject to any restrictions.<\/p>\n

 
\nUnite general secretary Len McCluskey hailed the Lords report.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe report confirms that reversing the current \u00e2\u20ac\u0098opt-out\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 process to ‘opt-in\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 would have a huge and significant impact on Labour\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s finances,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bAll members of the cross-party committee agree that it would take at least 12 months to implement such proposals, and the majority consider it should only apply to new members.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWith nothing being done to address big donations to the Conservative Party, I hope the report paves the way for a fair, reasonable and lasting agreement on party funding \u00e2\u20ac\u201c in stark contrast to David Cameron\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s partisan attack on Labour and the trade unions, and by extension democracy itself.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0098Appalling message\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/strong><\/em>
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe Conservatives\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 approach to trade union members is that they are the \u00e2\u20ac\u0098enemy within\u00e2\u20ac\u2122,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 McCluskey added. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThat is an appalling message to send to six million workers but it is what drives this government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s attack on trade unions\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 ability to stick up for working people.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThankfully the peers, who have taken extensive evidence, take a different approach,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he noted. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThey have concluded that trade union political funds are an important contributor to a healthy democracy. Take them away and we are left with a gaping hole where there ought to be opposition, not for the sake of it but because all governments need to be held to account.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThese funds are not just about being able to shine a light on what government does,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 McCluskey argued. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThey also help unions campaign more broadly. How else can trade unions, for example, motivate working people to vote in the upcoming EU referendum if we have been gagged?\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\nThis was a point that Unite political director Jennie Formby has also made. She noted that instituting opt-in measures would harm not only the Labour party but would also silence all trade union members\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 political voice.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWhat many people don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t understand about the political fund is that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not only about supporting the Labour party,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bAny political activity that trade unions undertake \u00e2\u20ac\u201c from lobbying against the trade union Bill to opposing cuts to public services \u00e2\u20ac\u201c must be legally financed by money from the political fund.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIf the opt-in measure slashes trade union political funding, then so much of the vital work trade unions do to represent working people on the political stage would become effectively impossible,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Formby warned. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThis is total and complete censorship by the backdoor.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\nMcCluskey went on to say that attacking trade union funds \u00e2\u20ac\u015bputs British democracy in grave danger.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt takes us back to the dark ages when only wealth and privilege could determine the laws of these lands,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bUnder the Conservatives we are steadily marching towards intolerant and authoritarian government – and nobody voted for that. The peers are saying to the government do not go there. Think again. I sincerely hope that ministers listen, set down their dogma and act for the national and not party self-interest.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\nStay tuned on UNITElive for the latest updates as the trade union Bill goes through its report stage in the House of Lords on Wednesday, March 16.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Buried within the trade union Bill are plans to choke Labour party funding by changing the way members sign up to contribute to unions\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 political funds.   It was an unabashedly partisan move that today (March 2) the House of Lords ripped apart.   In a new report, a cross-party Lords committee slammed the way […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4292,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17],"tags":[344],"wps_subtitle":"Report rips into opt-in attempts","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7936"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7936"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7936\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7937,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7936\/revisions\/7937"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}