Gerry Reynolds, who is personal assistant to George Brown, has joined Ray Gunter in having some very harsh thines to say about the unions. He says this in the latest issue of the journnl of the Purchasing Officers' Association, His remarks are very similiar to those of Gunter: "..for the last ten years the Labour Party has been negotiating with T.U.C. representatives in an endeavour to reach agreement on basic changes in the field of social security. The party has been putting forward ideas, the T.U.C. doggedly stonewalling them. Even the Labour Party's carefully worked out plan for a national superannuation scheme does not have the full backing of the T.U.C.
"Thus the next Labour Government will fairly quickly have to force the T.U.C. to take decisions in the social and economic field which the unions have been dodging for many years. What has really happened is that since 1951 the Labour Party has advanced further into the twentieth century than the trade union movement. Because of this, and due to the changing personnel and the physical separation of their office accomodation, the gap between the two organisations is probably widening and will continue to do so." Very signific&ntly, Reynolds goes on to tell the wnions to revise their thinking about the M.P.s they sponsor. Instead of looking upon them as servants, the unions must regard them as advisors who will keep the union up to date on what is happening in the political field.
No doubt this piece of arrogance will incur the same 2nger as Gunter's effort did. It seems inevitable that the first major battle between left and right after the election will be on this front. The comrades who conceived the idea of Union Voice must have had crystal balls!