[ad_1]
Labour’s largest backer, Unity, has refused to back the party, saying its general election manifesto does not go far enough to protect workers’ rights and jobs in the oil and gas industry.
Union leaders met on Friday to finalise the party’s platform for the 2024 elections ahead of its announcement next week.
The BBC understands that Unity announced at the meeting that it would not support Labour’s plans.
It is unclear whether Unite will fund the party in the general election: in 2019, Unite donated £3 million to the Labour campaign.
Ahead of the meeting, Unity told the BBC it wanted an end to zero-hours contracts and a complete ban on “hire and fire” practices, in which workers are fired and then rehired with worse pay and conditions.
“We go into the meeting with an open mind, but with a serious attitude,” one union leader told the BBC ahead of the meeting.
Public servants’ union Unison had wanted to ensure that the document included a commitment to wage negotiations and improved pay.
The key themes for Labour’s governance have been decided for several months, but the final details will be announced next week when it launches its full manifesto.
However, the party’s rules, specifically Article 5, state that the final manifesto must be approved by a special meeting of the shadow cabinet, a parliamentary committee of Labour MPs, the Labour leaders of Scotland and Wales, the chair and vice-chair of the National Policy Forum, the national executive committee and representatives of affiliated trade unions.
Section 5 does not require that all interested parties agree to the manifesto for it to be valid.
Ahead of the meeting, Sir Keir confirmed to the BBC that Labour’s manifesto would include a commitment to recognise a Palestinian state as “part of the process” towards a two-state solution.
The Labour leader said it was vital that “there is a viable Palestinian state alongside a safe and secure Israel”.
Labour sources said the document would be “radical” on town planning reform and housebuilding.
Following snap elections in 2017 and 2019, this year’s manifesto marks the first time in a decade that Labour has completed a complex policy approval process before going to an election.
While many party insiders were involved in drafting parts of the manifesto, the entire document is kept under tight wraps to reduce the chances of it being leaked.
[ad_2]
Source link
