Combining Unite membership and being a councillor
Former Bristol docks convenor John Bees, 61,
has served as a Labour councillor for the Kingsweston ward of
Bristol City Council for sixteen years. “It’s a privilege to be
part of a Labour administration in Bristol which has stood up for
ordinary people,” he told Workplace Reporter. “And being an active
union member over forty years with the T&G and now Unite has
proved to be an invaluable background and support for me in my
political role.”
John is the Cabinet member for Resources and
Business Transformation at Bristol. “That role brings me into
regular contact with all of the council’s trade unions and because
we speak the same language it makes for a good dialogue even when
the unions disagree with positions taken by the Council and the
Labour Party,” he said.
But it is being at the heart of his community
that is important to him. “My background as a trade unionist and as
a union shop steward with all the education, training and support
that goes with that has helped me enormously in my role as a Labour
councillor,” said John. “Being a trade unionist clearly helps me to
form a bridge in human terms between the council and the local
community I’m a part of.”
There are many union members in his ward both
working and retired. He meets many of them on a regular basis which
helps to keep in touch with what local people want and need and
also delivers a key Council policy of forming community groupings
so that issues and concerns are identified and dealt with wherever
possible.
“City Council and Labour Party views may not
coincide with the union,” he said. “Sometimes it is tricky being a
Labour politician and a trade unionist. It’s important to keep a
balance but equally important to make sure the union voice is
heard.” Highlighting the current local government pay dispute,
where Unite members have voted to take industrial action, he made
it very plain he will not cross the picket lines should the strike
go ahead.
Outside of what is a national dispute John
said coming from a trade union background and still being a union
activist, he chairs the Unite T&G section regional committee,
is a big advantage. “Being a trade union activist means I can help
to make sure we try to come to a reasonable understanding,” he
added. “For example, I continually press for council staff to have
regular training to keep their skills relevant and up to date. I
also insist we look at redeployment and retraining rather than
redundancy.”
His union training and instincts have served
John well over the years. He played a key role on the Council in
support of the union’s campaign to stop the privatisation of the
Home Care service by the previous Liberal Democrat administration
and he was a key player in ensuring the Council backed the workers’
fight to keep the Cadbury factory in Keynsham open. “The financial
support the union can offer at election times is important and
welcome but it’s the ongoing support in terms of information,
briefings and training that has proved to be a priceless asset in
making sure I can speak up for our campaigns,” he said.
Thirty six years a Labour Party member John is
loyal to the party but also had a clear message which echoed that
of the union. “I’m an old style trade unionist who joined the union
before I joined the Labour Party but the two do go together for me.
The Labour Party does need to be more responsive to working people
and their views. If the party has any purpose, it must be to
improve the lot of working people.”
His campaigning continues in his ward and on
the council. The latest victory for the minority Labour
administration was as recent as June when councillors won the
campaign to stop the privatisation of the resident caretaker
service. “My loyalties are to the people I represent, my party and
my union, “he said. “Without the backing of the union I would not
be able to put those loyalties into effective action.”
