I have recently returned from Unite the union sector conference and bring back a clear message.
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to elect a government that gives working people hope. My union will do everything it can to win a Labour government with a programme that will give workers and their trade union stronger rights that will transform the lives of our members, their families and their communities.
A government that will give our industries a fighting future, protect jobs, secure investment and start to heal our divided country. Indeed Labour is the only party trying to bring the country together on Brexit. Our party’s policy is honourable and principled and doesn’t just speak to half of the electorate while dismissing the other half.
But this election is not the Brexit election. It’s about what kind of Britain we want and what kind of society we want to live in. To have that debate we must go beyond Brexit and for me and my union that is all about removing the labels people seek to put on us, of being Leavers or Remainers. For we unite under one banner, and with this comes the responsibility to advance our values at this election, our values of solidarity, community, equality and justice.
We should not judge the parties on Brexit alone, but on the issues that affect the lives of ordinary people every day. Let’s take public ownership of our energy companies. How the energy of our nation is controlled should be central to any political debate. The protection of jobs and the protection of communities is central to Labour Party Policy.
It’s time for workers’ rights from day one, it’s time for £10 an hour minimum wage, It’s time to end zero hours contracts, It’s time to invest in our NHS, It’s time to re-instate free TV licences for over 75s, it’s time to scrap Universal Credit, It’s time to renationalise the railways, it’s time for free childcare for two to four-year-olds.
It’s our time to vote Labour, because when Labour wins we all win.
Rodney Sadd
TU Delegate for South Holland & The Deepings CLP
