<<back to articles

Sample Branch Newsletter

When the Labour Government came to power in 1997, it inherited an economy that had been devastated from years of boom and bust, public services which had suffered from systematic under-investment, a statute book crammed full of Tory anti-employee and anti-trade union legislation and a deeply unequal society.

Since then, Labour has embarked on a massive programme of change: working towards economic stability, full employment, investment in public services, improved rights for working people and their trade unions and a more open, fair and equal society.

A great deal has been achieved: economic stability and sustained growth with the number of people in work at record levels – up by 2 million since 1997. Working people are now benefiting from new workplace rights which are delivering a better work-life balance, greater fairness and more opportunities. Policies such as the national minimum wage, tax credits and the new 10p tax rate are increasing the incomes of the lowest earners. Families, especially women, are benefiting from rights to flexible working, increased and extended paid maternity leave and childcare provision. Trade unions and their members have new rights including the right to trade union recognition, the right to be accompanied in disciplinary and grievance cases and the Union Learning Fund, which by providing £35 million has helped over 100,000 workers into new training and learning opportunities.

People have a very clear choice at the next election: Labour or Tories. In a third term, just some of the things which Labour is pledged to deliver are: full employment in every region; an extra 8 days paid holiday every year for thousands of workers; increasing the National Minimum Wage to £5.05 in October 2005 and to £5.35 in October 2006; extending paid maternity leave to 9 months in 2007; extending free nursery places for 3 and 4 year olds to 15 hours per week; and expanding apprenticeships, increasing vocational training and retaining the New Deal for Skills.

The alternative is the Tories who have pledged to cut £35 billion from public spending – a cut so large that it could only be found by cutting deep into front-line services. If the Tories were to win power, so much would be put at stake: economic stability, the National Minimum Wage, the NHS, education and training, and any prospect of a fairer, more just and equal society.

Since Labour came to power, the Tories have opposed every piece of legislation designed to improve the lives of working people – don’t let anyone tell you there is no difference between Labour and the Tories.

The Liberal Democrats are no better. They failed to support the introduction of the National Minimum Wage and described the previous increase as ‘dangerous’, They opposed the 10p tax rate, which helps the lowest earners, they threaten to return Britain to Thatcherite levels of unemployment by pledging to scrap the New Deal, which so far, has helped over 1 million people back into work, and now they are proposing to effectively ban strikes in ‘essential’ services and end national bargaining in the public sector.

Whilst people face a clear choice, there is no room for complacency. Trade unions and their members have a huge role to play in helping the Labour Party win a third term. Unions will continue, quite rightly, to put the interests of their members first and to push for further improvements. However, building upon the rights and improvements which have been made, is crucially dependent upon Labour winning a third term in power.

Trade unions and the Labour Party must work together if Labour is to win a historic third term and we are to achieve our shared goals!

<<back to articles