Labour’s cosy relationships with the unions are now on full display in this new government.
For years, their party has taken millions of pounds in donations from the unions. This union cash has flowed into the coffers of their leaders, their top team, their MPs and their party machinery.
And in return their MPs have stood side by side with strikers on their picket lines and union activists have been elected as Labour MPs and councillors.
But now this association is being well and truly taken to the next level.
Since taking office what we have seen from Labour is a total surrender to their paymasters.
Not long after walking into the Treasury, the new Chancellor stood in the House of Commons, and announced at the despatch box that they had suddenly discovered what she called ‘the worst economic inheritance since the Second World War’.
She then invented a fictitious multi-billion blackhole, scrapped Winter Fuel Payments, and told the country that difficult decisions would need to be made on tax.
But this is a fabrication, and there is no greater evidence than her willingness to fund the multibillion-pound union pay deals committed to by Labour.
The striking BMA Junior Doctors union walked away from their first round of negotiations with the new Health Secretary with a massive, backdated, inflation-busting pay rise – without any requirements to increase productivity or give the taxpayer any return on their whooping investment.
Then this week the ASLEF rail union was given a 15% pay rise, taking the average wage up from £60,000 by nearly £10,000 and leaving a bill that will run into the billions.
This pay rise was again handed over by this new Labour government with in their words ‘no strings’ attached.
Of course we wanted to end strike action in government. But we operated under a principle with everyone from the Junior Doctors to the train unions that these pay deals must be sustainable, and must come with reforms to improve services and value for money.
For example, with the rail unions, we were clear that whilst we could discuss pay, there must also be a discussion on working practices and on modernisation, or otherwise, once again, taxpayers and customers would be left to pick up the bill with no promise of delivery on their hard-earned cash.
Labour clearly does not agree with this approach.
With no questions asked, they handed over a wad of your cash.
And less than 48 hours later the train unions were back on strike, making a total mockery of Labour’s willingness to bow down to their every demand and individual whim.
Unions are now in an arms race to squeeze the government for ever larger pay outs by threatening renewed strike action, with no reforms and no improvements for consumers.
The Labour Chancellor has shown she is a soft touch for union militants.
A government must be willing to take the difficult decisions necessary to make sure our infrastructure is fit for purpose, and our public service industries are ready for the future.
Frankly, I wish we had been able to go further with reforms when we were in office.
But what is Labour’s answer?
This Labour government is willing to send the dangerous signal to unions across the country that there is no need for productivity, there is no need for reform, and there is no need for delivery.
Instead, you can strike at your pleasure, and you will be rewarded with a bumper pay offer to tide you over until your union strikes again and this whole process is repeated.
Be in no doubt, this is a firmly political choice.
Appeasing the unions is hard-wired right into Labour’s DNA.
Labour’s actions show they are more than willing to treat the taxpayers’ wallet as an ATM for their union allies.
When that ATM runs dry they will simply raise taxes to keep funding it, and then blame a supposed blackhole to try and try and justify it.
But we see right through, and so should the British public.
