This week, the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW) joined the growing list of trade unions that back proportional representation.
USDAW voted in favour of a motion committing it to support a change in the electoral system at its 76th Annual Delegate Meeting (ADM) on the 25th April.
The motion was moved by Phil Crooks from the Home Counties Tesco Retail No. 1. branch and seconded by Southampton and Wessex branches.
USDAW Motion for PR
This ADM calls upon the National Executive Council to support the Introduction of a form of proportional representation for general elections, to protect and improve representative democracy in the UK.
Most votes went to parties to the left of the Conservatives in 19 of the last 20 general elections. Instead of building a society for the many, the Tories have created one of the most unequal societies in the developed world. with some of the most restrictive Trade Union laws.
Conference needs a Labour Government to reshape society in the interests of workers and our communities by committing to reforming the electoral system used for Westminster elections to a system of proportional representation, and it is imperative to acknowledge that the current voting system offers no protection against further Conservative Governments tearing up any hard fought gains as they have in the past. The world’s most progressive societies use forms of proportional representation which prevent rule by a right wing minority and lock in the hard won victories of their Labour movements.
In recent years UNISON and Unite have both passed motions in favour of reform. Along with the trade unions that already support change, now over two-thirds Labour’s affiliate membership are in trade unions with policy in favour of electoral reform.
This growth in support helped lead to the historic vote at the 2022 Labour Party conference, which saw the party vote in favour of a manifesto commitment to introducing PR in the first term of the next Labour government.
We’d like to congratulate our supporters within USDAW and Labour for a New Democracy who have been working hard to get this important win. You can find out your trade union’s position on our website.