Wales Unison: Socialist Party member elected

Mark Evans, Socialist Party member and assistant branch secretary of Carmarthen County Unison branch, was recently elected onto Unison's Local Government Service Group Executive from Wales.

A Wales Unison member

This is a significant defeat for the right wing of the union in Wales. It also demonstrates that Unison members in Wales want a leadership that opposes all cuts not just in words but in deeds.

Mark Evans defeated the incumbent who had been on the executive since 1992!

Mark was elected on a clear programme of opposing all cuts, opposition to further privatisation and for taking back into public ownership services already privatised.

He also opposed the union giving any more money to New Labour.

Mark won with 2,552 votes, compared to 1,971 for the incumbent. This has come at a crucial time for Unison members in Wales and nationally. Members have clearly voted to mobilise to defend jobs and services.

The result also sends a clear message to the right wing that members do not support the witch-hunt in Unison against Socialist Party members.

It is a demonstration that the right wing's hold on Unison in Wales is weakening. In the coming battles to defend jobs and services, members will draw the inevitable conclusion that the old right wing leadership is not up to the job.

Other Socialist Party members elected onto Service Group executives are: Josie Nicholls (local government) and Steve Bell, Roger Davey and Adrian O'Malley (health).

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In The Socialist 16 June 2010:

Millionaire ministers savage public services