Science & Environment

By UNISON health delegate, supporter of Time for Real Change

Although the union leadership are trying to put a brave face on things, in reporting the speech of Wes Streeting at the UNISON health sector conference last week, most of the delegates were certainly not very enamored of the Health Secretary.

When delegates saw the Standing Orders Report and realised that Streeting had been invited to speak on the last day, there was an immediate reference back moved of that section of the report. It was passed on a show of hands, effectively de-inviting the Health Secretary.

Then full time national and regional officers immediately went into panic mode and began to circulate around delegates, in some cases organising regional delegate meetings. After this organised pressure, some delegates then went to the Standing Orders Committee, suggesting that they “hadn’t understood” the original vote, and calling for another vote. Of course, another vote was held, and, phew!, the Streeting invitation was upheld.

When the day came for Streeting to speak, there was only polite applause from the hall as he went to the rostrum, but the overall reception ranged between this sullen politeness and outright hostility, to someone known to favour the private health sector.

Streeting, like all politicians, had his speech-writers include strategically-placed pregnant pauses, so he could garner ‘spontaneous’ applause during his speech. But when Streeting paused from time to time, where there was meant to be a standing ovation there was only tumbleweed. Then at the end, some limited, polite applause.

Protest banner held up right through Streeting’s speech

Meanwhile, all the way through his speech, some delegates stood on chairs to hold up a poster, using the election slogan, “Vote Labour, Save the NHS” but having changed it to “Vote Labour Sell the NHS”. (Picture top) Despite the attentions of the stewards – who objected on ‘health and safety’ grounds, while trying to pull the delegates off their chairs – the banner was present throughout Streeting’s speech and the question and answer session that followed.

Delegates also held up placards condemning Streeting for rolling back the rights of trans people. He has accepted the biased and unscientific Cass Review and stopped access to puberty blockers for trans adolescents.

Earlier in the day, the conference discussed policy towards privatisation of services and it is quite clear where the sympathies of UNISON health members lie. Indeed, the union has been conducting a campaign on “Bringing Services Home”. Motions and amendments passed explicitly opposed privatisation and called on services previously outsourced to be brought back in house. Resolutions were passed calling on UNISON’s Labour Link department “to lobby the government and call for the abolition of wholly owned subsidiary companies in the NHS”.

Lobbying the government is not enough 

These resolutions were good in so far as they expressed the aspirations and view of the overwhelming majority of UNISON health members. But “lobbying the government” is not good enough. Keir Starmer is not going to roll back NHS privatisation and Streeting’s lukewarm reception was precisely because delegates know about his flirtation with private health.

What Labour Link needs to do is replace the two UNISON representatives on Labour’s NEC, who have gone along entirely with Starmer’s right-wing agenda and helped to parachute hand-picked right-wing candidates into seats, against the wishes of local parties.

This health conference showed there is a growing contradiction between the aspirations of trade union members who are demanding positive changes from Labour – and a union leadership who have been, and still are, tolerant of the Labour leadership’s drift to the right. That contradiction will become more exaggerated in the coming months, as members begin to demand a change of direction and a change of leadership in Labour.

The UNISON disabled members’ conference usually takes place in August. If this conference gave us a glimpse of the opposition there is to the union and Labour leadership, the disabled members’ conference will be even angrier. UNISON disabled members will be outraged at the drastic austerity heaped on them by Rachel Reeves. Their anger, too, has to channelled into change through Labour Link.