Daniel Finkelstein has highlighted one of the big dilemmas for the next Labour leader: whether to support strike action against spending cuts.
Trade unions including Unison, the PCS, the NUT, the RMT and the FBU are planning a day of national action on 20 October, the day when George Osborne publishes that all-important spending review.
In addition to this, Unison is calling on all unions to take part in a Europe-wide day of action on 29 September. Meanwhile, Unite and the GMB have tabled motions that could involve as many 750,000 public-sector workers.
In the past, Labour leaders have attempted to remain neutral during industrial action, merely expressing the hope that all disputes will be resolved as “swiftly as possible”. But with the leadership candidates determined to position themselves against the coalition’s cuts, neutrality may no longer be an option.
Not all the unions mentioned are affiliated to Labour, and some such as the RMT and the FBU broke old links precisely because the party’s relationship with the unions was growing less fraternal. Yet others, most notably Unite, Unison and the GMB, remain at its heart. With all the candidates frequently expressing their “honour” at receiving union backing in the contest, it is unthinkable that they won’t be challenged to take a position on strike action.
Those, such as Ed Balls, who insist that Labour should do all it can to resist the coalition’s cuts might regret such rhetoric if they’re not prepared to back the unions this autumn.
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