Voting starts on 27 March
Dear UL members in London & Eastern Region
As Alex Ferguson used to say, we are now at the business end of the season. What’s true for football is also true for our Executive elections. The next three to four weeks will be one more defining factor in the future direction of our union.
Recent voting trends in the union have shown a drop off in participation in EC elections. This is unhealthy in a union which prides itself on being a lay led union.
The Left now needs to ensure that we do everything we can to encourage active participation, explaining to our work colleagues the vital role of our EC, both as a check and balance against any potential excesses of the administration, and as a body capable of showing the leadership needed at this very challenging time for our movement.
Our left vision of a lay member led, bottom up, decentralised union which puts our members first has been a central plank of our campaign platform. Our union democracy is far bigger and more important than simply sloganizing. This election is what it says on the tin – an election for our Executive.
See details of all those standing on a United Left platform for the Unite EC.
Our four excellent London and Eastern candidates have won nominations in many of our region’s largest workplaces and branches. We have gained the nomination in some of our biggest workplaces in both the East and in the London areas of the region.
Our literature has emphasised that our campaign has a purpose and is rooted in Unite’s best traditions of lay member democracy, transparency, and accountability. Our team will ensure a
strong rank & file voice, accountable to our region, over the next three years on the EC if elected.
Although we have a solid, comprehensive, block of nominations, the mistake of some recent elections has been to become complacent, sit back and think the job has been done.
United Left supporters need to ensure our message gets into our workplaces & branches, to have the confidence to organise members to discuss our Members First platform and energise them to vote for our Left candidates in region, equalities, and sector constituencies.
We have an election website where individual candidates’ messages can be read: www.members-first.org. We have organised a zoom meeting on Wednesday 22 March where members can hear the candidates for territorial and equalities seats.
REGISTER IN ADVANCE FOR THE UNITED LEFT GOTV MEETING
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAvcO2hrj8qE9xgNzmAaZ0QJN6cfMShzu4y
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing joining information. We can help our activists with both pdf and hard copy leaflets if needed – emails us at le.ul.ec@gmail.com.
In our best London & Eastern tradition we need to give this election process one last push to get all our United Left candidates over the line, and ensure a strong powerful regional voice on our
executive. Engagement with members is vital to ensure our Executive is an effective lay governing body of our great union. If your branch has nominated our slate, your Branch Secretary can request a branch mailout, informing members of the branch meeting nomination, from the Regional Administration at Jackie.finn@unitetheunion.org.
Please make every effort to attend the zoom meeting this Wednesday 22nd , encourage other members and activists to come along and hear our 4 regional candidates, as well as Frances Leech and Angela Duerden standing in the national Young Members & Women’s constituencies.
Hope to see you there and please do all that you can to help our candidates win!
Best wishes
United Left London & Eastern Officers