How We Work

Labour Link

UNISON members have a very direct way of getting their message across to politicians - through political lobbying. When you join UNISON you are given the opportunity to opt in to what we call the Affiliated Political Fund (APF). Your contributions to this fund help to facilitate our lobbying within the Labour Party.

This enables us to push members' views and argue the UNISON case on policies and practices, which will improve working terms and conditions, help protect public services and create a better society. It's the opposite of a blank cheque for Labour. We keep up the pressure and use our valuable links to get UNISON's agenda heard.

What has Labour Link won for members?

As a result of the APF and UNISON's lobbying, Labour has implemented many positive areas of policy:

• The government has agreed to establish the Low Pay Commission as a permanent body, giving it a key role in tackling poverty pay and opening the way for significant improvements to the national minimum wage.
• Staff working in privately funded projects in the public sector now have specific protections on pay and conditions. In most cases, staff will no longer be transferred as part of new public finance initiative deals in the NHS.
• Workplace union learning reps have been placed on a legal footing and measures have been taken to ensure employers take responsibility for providing skills and learning for all employees. Plus, more than £5million has been earmarked for union learning projects.
• Ministers now accept that good employment standards must be at the heart of the Best Value regime and the emergence of a two-tier workforce must be halted. Too often, contracts have been awarded solely on companies offering the lowest price rather than a better service, which has resulted in worse conditions and pensions provision for staff. Whilst existing staff have been entitled to some protection, new staff are often employed on worse conditions, so a two-tier workforce emerges.
• Stronger equality legislation has been brought in, the Race Relations Act has been strengthened, part-time workers have been given equal rights, and new employment legislation will be introduced over the next year to offer protection on the grounds of sexual orientation, age, disability and religion.
• The government is now reconsidering funding for higher education, so that students do not fall into massive debt through the student loan system.
• There have been important reforms of the immigration and asylum system and the replacement of the current voucher system.
• Major improvements have been made to maternity leave and pay, and paid paternity leave has been introduced.

What happens when UNISON disagrees with Labour?

From time to time, there will be major issues where we think the government has got it wrong. The Public Finance Initiative (PFI) is a key example. When we don't support government policy we argue UNISON's case in the Labour party at every level. Local UNISON members raise the issues in the local constituency and lobby MPs. We argue our case at regional and national forums and at conferences, winning the support of party members. MPs are given the facts with which to take forward our policies in Committees, in debates and in lobbying Ministers. This also helps UNISON push for advances that protect our members in the short term, for example, by negotiating PFI contracts while continuing to argue against private funding for public services.