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Address By the Fraternal Delegate From the Labour Party

The President : I am now going to introduce you to the Fraternal Delegate from the Labour Party, Vernon Hince. Of course, he needs no introduction. He is a delegate to this Congress and he is a Senior Assistant General Secretary of the RMT. But today he is speaking to us in his capacity as Chair of the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party.

Vernon, you are very welcome. The floor is yours.

(Applause)

Vernon Hince (Chair, National Executive Committee, Labour Party): President Rita, colleagues, sisters and brothers, I bring you fraternal greetings from the Labour Party. We’re three and a half years, almost, into a Labour Government ‑ the first one for some 18 years ‑ I am not going to again repeat the achievements that there have been. There are very many. I think one of our problems has been recently that we do not get out enough information as to what we have been achieving. Of course, Donald Dewar, yourself, President, in your own address and, of course, Gordon Brown yesterday, made a point of issue in relation to them.

We all remember, Congress, that day, May 1st 1997, and following that the Government got down, very, very swiftly, to bringing about some of the issues that the trade union movement had been asking for. No, at the present time, we have not got everything that we were asking for but the partnership between Congress and the Party should bring about further advances in a constructive way. I have to say I do not think we would have seen the minimum wage recognition and those sorts of issues if we had not had that glorious victory in 1997.

What we must remember, of course, is the mess that the Tories left with us. A lot of that was done deliberately to destroy the very organisation that we all belong to, the TUC and the individual trade unions. It set out to do that: to break up industry completely as far as membership and, of course, rights of workers and everything that goes with them are concerned.

The Labour Party is celebrating its centenary this year. We must not forget that it was this movement that founded it 100 years ago. I am proud that one of the leading people in that was a member of one of the forerunners of the present RMT. Over that time unions have made sure that the Party has remained with its roots, stuck to our commitments and its communities and kept everybody in touch.

I have to say, at least now after 18 years, whether we like it or whether we do not, we are able to talk to a Labour Government and we are allowed to be listened to by Ministers; something that we had not heard of for a long, long time. For the last 18 years, of course, the union and the Party have worked together in a link. That vital link must remain. It is only through that link that the unions and the Party are able to improve the working environment and the working rights of all our members.

The debates this week ‑ and as a delegate I have obviously listened to them and voted on them ‑ have pointed to the direction that we should go towards in the future, if we are to have a second term of a Labour Government. Do not bring back the dark 18 years that we inherited. We do need to make sure that the Labour Government is returned whenever that election may be. Now, more than ever, we must continue to organise and work together.

As trade unionists we must take the message back to the workplace that we need another term because, without that term, there will be no building on the foundations that we have; there will be no workplace rights and all our efforts over the last five years will be lost. Not only must trade unionists vote Labour but they must also be encouraged to join Labour, to build on those very foundations. As all good trade unionists know, there is strength in numbers. We know this and we recruit members into the union to prove this particular point.

We need to come together in policy forum. The trade unions need their voices heard long and strong at those particular points to share their skills and experiences and, most importantly, we need to campaign together locally and nationally. Only by being part of the Labour Party can this be achieved.

President, I hope that the rest of this Congress goes as well as it has done up the present time and I wish Congress and the TUC and the individual trades unions the best wishes for the rest of this year and, of course, for next year. I hope to see many of you down at Brighton.

On behalf of the Labour Party, can I thank you for your support and can I thank you for your hard work. I bring you the best wishes from the Labour Party to this Congress. Thank you. (Applause)

The President : Thank you very much indeed, Vernon. It is my very great pleasure to present you with the Gold Badge of Congress. (Applause)(The presentation was made)

(Congress adjourned until 2.15 p.m.)

WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON SESSION

Congress reassembled at 2.15 p.m.

The President: May I thank the East Renfrewshire Schools Fiddle Ensemble for their musical contribution this lunchtime. (Applause)

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