The case for an Executive Council based on the working members that can take the union forward.

We are almost there - the vision of the new union’s lay democratic structure is almost fully implemented.

Below the leadership level the members are embracing the new structures and moulding them to meet their needs. Reports from all Industrial Sectors and Regions, the Area Activist Committees and the Equalities Committees report huge satisfaction with the progress made.

The implementation of Rule 6 has given these committees real meaning and purpose, composed as they are of working reps. The new expenses regime is generally perceived as fair as reps neither lose nor gain as a result of their activity.

The vision of the Rules Committee and Joint Executive is becoming a reality as Unite harnesses the energy, commitment and knowledge of our thousands of activists. The key principles of Proportionality and Proportional Representation of the membership through the Industrial Sectors, welds the diverse membership together in the common strength and purpose of the union.

Only by being strong at the bottom and the top can a trade union function effectively to meet the three pillars that most of us have recognised as the key to transforming the industrial and political agenda necessary for trade unionism to be effective in the 21st century.

We are now at the final stages of implementing the lay democracy with the Policy Conference in June 2010 to determine Unite policy and actions and a proposal to be put to a special Rules Conference to determine the process and make-up of the first Unite Executive Council.

This has not been an easy process, as two great unions with all their traditions have had to make changes to the way they have traditionally done business. For the Amicus section change has been the norm for many years as its membership came from almost 50 different unions. Whatever preferences activists have for the way things should be done all agree that the sector structure is the best.

We must remember also that by the time of the EC elections probably 100,000 members will have joined Unite and not its former sections. We know that 48% of them join on-line. They join a national union and are immediately allocated to their appropriate sector.

If we stick to this principle, that the Industrial sectors are at the heart of the union and the new EC should be largely composed of delegates from the sectors then the same successes we are experiencing can be expected from the highest lay body of the union.

All agree that the current EC of 80 delegates is too big and unwieldy. Most agree that the EC should meet on a quarterly basis to both save costs and to make the union administration more effective. There has to be representation on the new EC from the Industrial Sectors, the Regions , Women and BAEM members. So getting the balance correct is the task in hand.

The principles of proportionality must be applied to ensure the EC is genuinely representative of its Women and BAEM members and that the sectors, which vary in size enormously, feel that there is proportional representation based on the numerical strength of the sectors. It has to be remembered that many of the sectors are the size of many of the TUC affiliated trade unions.

This has to be balanced with the size of the EC, which would ideally be between 48 and 60, preferably nearer 48.
As the new EC will be composed entirely of working reps consideration must be given to the amount of time EC members are expected to give to EC business along with their heavy representational workloads at the workplace.

Building lay democracy is an art. It cannot be based on fudges and compromises that satisfy no-one. If the make up of the new EC doesn’t reflect the reality of the democratic processes that constitute the great majority of decision making in the union it will very quickly lack the legality and credibility amongst the majority of activists who will see it as unrepresentative of themselves.

The future will be one of convulsive battle to change the structure which will open up a path for those in the union that haven’t embraced the changes that are necessary to deliver the Unite vision.

Whilst there is genuine concern that different methods of electing the new EC could favour either the former TGWU or Amicus side, if this becomes the situation then a huge error of judgement will be made.

The new, and first General Secretary of Unite, will need a strong EC to effectively govern the union. The first Unite GS will have to be above the ‘tribes’ and lead and take the whole union forward. This applies equally to the first Unite EC.

The best guarantee of this is that the Industrial Sectors put forward their tried and trusted leaders to the ballot knowing as they do that the ‘collective responsibility’ of the EC is what gives it the political and moral right to lead the union.

Please pass this onto other Unite Activists, Unite Reps and members of Unite Statutory Committees.