Lew Adams: Labour isn't listening to the unions

Unions Fear End of Link With Labour

He told the BBC's Breakfast with Frost programme: "This Government appears to be listening to the Liberals and the CBI and all other factions. Why don't they listen to the trade unions? Why diminish our role? We worked with the Labour Party to get them into power. We are pleased and we are dying to see them succeed."

Unions Disenfranchised?

"Now, if we lose that voice within the constitution of the Labour Party, then obviously the trade union movement, the Trades Union Congress will perhaps look at the way in which it can get that representation within Parliament."

Asked whether he would be seeking a voice through another political organisation, Mr Adams said: "I don't know. Whether we start again or whether we then say, as the American trade unions do for instance and other trade unions throughout Europe, look at political parties, look at individual constituencies, look who's standing for Parliament and say, `Well, look they've got the right policies, we support them, or we support that particular constituency or the candidate.'"

Mr Adams even suggested the unions might disenfranchise themselves from the Labour Party, but added: "I would hope that wouldn't happen. We want to be with the Labour Party. It is our party."

The Sovereignty of Conference

Trade union representation on the National Policy Forum was actually increasing. And he rejected the suggestion that this was a leadership-versus-trade union issue.

John Edmonds: "Unions must have a decision-making role"

"So there is no problem on that issue," commented Mr Edmonds. "I think the real issue here is the importance of the party conference, the sovereignty of the party conference and what sort of party conference we are going to have. Is it going to be more like a rally or is it going to have an important decision-making role?"

Mr Edmonds rejected as "bizarre and old-fashioned" the idea of making party policy on the basis of three-minute speeches at the party conference.

"But, if you take a more measured and research-based approach to policy, that doesn't mean you reduce the conference to something close to a rally," he explained. "You have to give the constituency parties...the trade unions the opportunity of bringing the important issues of the day to the party conference for discussing that year. That I think is a weakness, perhaps it's a misunderstanding."

Reassurances From Party Spokesman

"The assertion by Ken Livingstone and others that the proposals in 'Party into Power' will not allow conference to debate issues of immediate interest is simply wrong," the party spokesman said.

He said that the document mapping out the changes, which would go to the party's National Executive Committee on Wednesday, made clear that each constituency Labour Party, trade union and affiliated organisation will be able to submit one resolution to conference on a topic not addressed on the conference agenda.

That agenda will be made up of the rolling programme of work being considered by the party's National Policy Forum and reports from the NEC. But the committee organising the conference will consider the motions from local parties and unions and ask conference delegates to decide which issues it wishes to debate.