Ed Miliband
Ed's statement to union members
"I was brought up to believe that the defining purpose of the Labour movement is to fight against the injustices of our society. The trade unions are often at the heart of that fight and Labour’s link with working people through the trade unions is a fundamental part of our mission.
Some of the proudest achievements of Labour in government like the minimum wage, stronger parental leave rights and legislation on gangmasters have come about because we have worked together - with Labour in government. Whoever leads our party, the route back to power is essential to defend and promote the interests of working people.
However, to win back the faith of the British people we have to learn from what the government I was a part of got wrong, as well as what we got right. Over time, we sometimes lost touch with the values that should be at the heart of everything a Labour government does and we too often seemed like managers of the system, rather than people promoting clear values. We were too slow in recognising the need to act on some essential issues, like the exploitation of agency workers.
My aim is to put that right - our values of equality, social justice, dignity at work, should drive what we do. As a symbol of the kind of party and kind of country I want to see, I have launched a campaign for the living wage, learning from the efforts of trade unions, which I want party members and others to sign up to.
What excites me about this campaign is the opportunity to work with trade unions to help organise the unorganised and to ensure a better deal for working people. At the launch, I talked to shop stewards from different unions that are leading the effort for a living wage - the Labour Party needs to be at the heart of that.
The new Labour leader needs to recognise the challenges that both we and the trade unions face in our relationship. For the Labour leader, it is to put themselves squarely on the side of working people, throughout our society, and convince people that we can make a positive difference to their lives. For the trade unions, it is to find ways of defending their members, but at the same time, expanding beyond their existing workforce.
I recognise that as Labour leader, we would face points of disagreement in our relationship with the trade unions. But I hope there would be a sense that we were fighting for a common set of ideals, showing that together we can be a force for progress in our society."
What do you see as the role of trade unions in the 21st Century?
"Trade unions defend and promote the interests of working people and their role is as important now as it ever was. They are at the heart of the fight against injustices in our society, leading the campaign for some of Labour’s proudest achievements like the minimum wage, stronger parental leave rights and legislation on gangmasters.
It is clear to me not enough people who are employed in the private sector benefit from trade union membership. The future of modern trade unions must be in increasing membership from the current level of less than one in five. That will require union reps having the right to enter non-unionised workplaces to offer membership and organsiation. I would support such a move.
I have seen as energy secretary the way trade unions can organise with other campaigning groups to mobilize people for action on climate change. I have seen green reps make a change in their workplaces helping win the arguments for shifting to a low carbon economy and ensuring working people reap the benefits. This is the kind of effective campaigning - rooted in the working lives of their members, focussed on the challenges of the age, committed to values of social justice - that will make trade unions effective in this century.
As a symbol of the kind of party and kind of country I want to see, I have launched a campaign for the living wage, learning from the efforts of trade unions, which I want party members and others to sign up to.
We need to put our values of equality, social justice, dignity at work, at the heart of what we do. The Labour Party stands for this and so do trade unions. We need to fight for this common purpose and stand up for working people."
How would you practically implement a living wage? For example, would you support legislation to ensure that companies can only get government and local government contracts if they pay a living wage?
I've put the Living Wage campaign as the centre of my campaign for labour leadership because it sums up both the Labour party's values and its activism.
It speaks to our values because it touches our deep sense of justice, of fairness and of a belief in the dignity of work. And it speaks to our activism because this has never been a party to rest on its accomplishments or believe change only comes from those with the most power. To equip us for government once more the Labour party needs to become a vibrant movement for change - and taking on grassroots campaigns like this are crucial to that endeavour.
I've already thrown my support behind Labour councils and Labour groups who have led the way on the living wage - like Tower Hamlets, Lewisham, Glasgow, Preston, Oxford, Lambeth and Hackney - and I'll be working with others to do the same.
Businesses too have a chance to show they are responsible employers by adopting the living wage and Labour members can and should campaign to raise the wages of the lowest paid employees in shops and banks as well as councils.
When in government I pushed to make Whitehall a Living Wage employer – a commitment that appeared in our manifesto. When in government again we need to throw its entire weight behind the campaign, by supporting councils who adopt it, broadening the range of public sector workers who get it and by moving towards a procurement process that supports living wage employers bidding for external contracts.
The living wage campaign can become the hallmark of a Labour party engaged in local communities, campaigning for change. It can show that even in Opposition we can help some of the poorest people in society to do better.
Labour brought in the minimum wage, we now have an opportunity to lead the fight for a living wage. I hope we will seize it.
What should be the future of public sector pensions? Would a future Labour Government led by you stand by theagreement reached between the TUC and the Labour Government in April of this year and commit to provide 'good quality, index-linked, sustainable, defined benefit pensions' or public sector workers?
"We owe a debt of thanks to our public sector workforce who are there for us every day of the year, providing some of the most vital services on which families across the country rely. It’s not just pensions that the Tories and Liberals are planning to cut, its also public sector pay and the cuts they are demanding risk bringing vital public services to their knees. They will hit those who work in the public sector and those who rely on public services. It is vital that Labour commits itself to fight on the side of the public sector against the savage and unfair cuts being pushed through by the Tories and Liberals.
Of course I stand by the agreement we reached with the TUC earlier this year. It is a fair way forward, protecting the pensions which public sector workers have worked hard for and ensuring they are sustainable in the long-term and I will stand by it just as I stand by our public sector workers."
If elected as the Labour leader, would you support a three-line whip for the PLP against the Coalition government's Bill to privatise, and break up, Royal Mail?
"Yes I would have a clear position against the Coalition's plans for privatisation. They are the wrong answer for the workforce and citizens.
CWU have worked hard with the Royal Mail to agree comprehensive modernisation plans and these are supported by CWU members. I believe that we need to show as a party, including in the case of Royal Mail, that we can modernise and improve public services without resorting to privatisation. So we need to back up the modernisation plans by finding innovative ways to enable the Royal Mail to work in the public interest as a publicly owned service with the investment it needs and the improved management at the top of the organisation. And we also need to examine the competition regime to ensure that we don't have a situation which unfairly disadvantages the Royal Mail.
Britain needs a strong modern Post Office, which provides a world-class postal service and also diversifies into new areas, like the Post Office Bank. As we made clear in the Manifesto, we need to invest and develop the Post Office as a public service, vital to our economy and vital to millions of people across the country who want to stay connected with their friends and family."
Labour stands for equality and fairness at work and in the wider community. How do we tackle the gender pay gap, discrimination and low pay in the current economic climate?
"Fairness is part of Labour’s DNA, but at times we have lost sight of what it takes to achieve a more equal society, one where people can get on whatever background they come from, one where we are not divided as we currently are by gross differences of class, wealth and power.
Above all, if we are to really achieve a fairer society we need to do more to improve working conditions for those who work the hardest. Too many are still stuck in low wage, long hours jobs. And although we achieved a lot in Government, we didn't do enough to create the routes to better work and a better life. The party of the minimum wage somehow became the party of maximum flexibility to work. But we all know that flexibility for employers can lead to low wages and poor employment conditions. We didn't take enough steps to offer better protection.
The Labour Party I want to lead will fight to build a different kind of economy. An economy with greater fairness in work, a greater number of higher quality and better skilled jobs, and with greater time outside of work for people to lead more fulfilling lives.
That’s why I am campaigning for a living wage for everyone. No one who works should live in poverty. It’s a fundamental Labour belief that work should pay and those who work hard should be properly rewarded. That’s why it was so important for us to implement the agency workers directive, although it took far too long to do so. Now the Coalition are rowing back from this commitment, and I’ve written to David Cameron to make sure the regulations stay.
We must also fight to tackle discrimination in the workplace. There can be no justification for paying people differently according to gender and firms need to be open about what people are paid and about how they determine people’s pay scales.
Time outside of work matters as well, particularly to those working long hours in the hardest jobs. I want everyone to have the right to request flexible work and we need to focus more on the responsibilities of employers to invest in their workforce and develop their skills."
The unfair treatment of agency workers causes many problems, not just for the agency workers themselves, but also for their directly employed colleagues. How should the Agency Workers Directive be implemented and enforced in order to put a stop to the exploitation of agency workers and the undercutting of permanent staff, and what other measures should be put in place? Why do you think progress was not made to sign up to and implement the Agency Workers Directive sooner under Labour, given supporting it was part of the Warwick Agreement of 2004?
"Fairness and dignity in work is at the heart of my vision for a more equal and stronger Britain. I'm proud of what Labour achieved in Government. But we have to realise we did too little to improve working conditions for those who work the hardest. Too many are stuck in low wage, long hours jobs. We didn't do enough to create routes to better work and a better life. And we need to do more to tackle the gap between rich and poor. That's why I am campaigning for a living wage and a high pay commission for both the public and private sector.
There are more than a million agency workers in the UK and the Agency Workers Directive is vital to ensuring their employment rights are protected and also that agency workers can't be used to undercut permanent staff.
It's a fundamental Labour belief that work should pay and those who work hard should be properly rewarded. That's why it was so important for us to implement the directive quickly. It took far too long to us to do so. I have spoken before about how some of our mistakes in Government might have been avoided if we had listened more to party and union members, and the Agency Workers Directive is a good example of this.
Now I fear the Coalition are rowing back from this commitment and I've written David Cameron in the last couple of weeks to challenge him on his plans. I will fight to protect these regulations and take-on those who are trying to undermine them."
Britain has the most restrictive industrial laws in the western world, which stop unions from best representing their members. What one restriction do you think most urgently needs lifting and why?
I'm proud of what Labour achieved in government. But I think we have to realise we did too little to improve working conditions for those who work the hardest. Too many are stuck in low wage, long hours jobs. We didn't do enough to create routes to better work and a better life. The party of the minimum wage somehow became the party of maximum flexibility to work. But we all know that flexibility for employers can lead to low wages and poor employment conditions. We didn't take enough steps to offer better protection.
The Labour Party I want to lead will fight to build a different kind of economy. An economy with greater fairness in work, a greater number of higher quality and better skilled jobs, and with greater time outside of work for people to lead more fulfilling lives.
Britain’s Trade Unions are a force for good in society. Where Unions are recognised, pay is higher and conditions are fairer. Where Unions play an active role accidents are fewer, saving life, limb and the wasted money for companies and those who work in them. We need to deepen our links with the Trade Unions and recognise that some of the mistakes of the last decade could have been avoided if we had been prepared to listen more to our party.
I am determined to make sure that the Trade Unions are able to fairly represent the interests of their members and the wider workforce. Of course industrial action is a last resort, but the right to strike is a fundamental human right which must be protected and I will make sure it is. The British Airways dispute showed that the rules governing strike ballots are in urgent need of reform. Supporting strong, vibrant unions means we must re-visit the rules relating to access to workplaces and we must ensure that during a dispute either side can refer to the mediation service ACAS. It is a real shame that so few people in the private sector are trade union members. I want to see that change.
The Labour Party has always prided itself on being the Party of equality and diversity. How will you ensure that Labour’s shadow cabinet and the PLP are representative of women and men? What one thing would you do to make sure that Labour is better connected with and representative of ordinary trade union members?
"The Labour Party has taken huge strides towards achieving equal representation in Parliament – far more than any other party – but there is more still to be done. We have many talented female MPs and it’s time that their talents and skills were fully utilised in Cabinet. That’s why I’ve pledged to ensure that 50% of the cabinet should be women. Having a Cabinet-level Shadow Women’s Minister as a
visible and valued champion is essential, as is upporting and encouraging more women to stand for local government – because we need women to be fairly represented at all levels. Labour’s rules on gender representation in local councils are there for a reason and they must be implemented. And we must never again fight a general election with so few women at the front of our campaign.
Our party changed the face of Westminster when so many Labour women were elected in 1997 but we remain far from achieving equal representation, both in our own parliamentary party, and across parliament as a whole. While we strive for the day when All Women
Shortlists are no longer needed because women’s voices are heard just as clearly as men’s, I will remain a strong supporter of All Women Shortlists as a practical tool to help us embody our values and tackle inequality.
Trade unions are a cornerstone of a civilised society. Labour’s link with the trade unions allows us to be connected to the lives of millions of working people and provides a key channel of communication between the leadership and the grassroots. We will only be able to
organise effectively in opposition, and prepare ourselves for government, by listening to the concerns and aspirations of working people. And it is through the trade unions that we can encourage more people from various backgrounds into politics. One of the things that
excites me about this campaign is the opportunity to work with trade unions to help organise the people, to ensure a better deal for working people and to rebuild the party into a force for governing and for transformative good in people’s lives."
