WE in the Labour Party – Ed Miliband included – should be standing up for our union colleagues.
We should be proud of our heritage as a party for workers, and a big part of that is our good relationship with the unions.
Labour is not the puppet of the unions. But the unions are vital sources of information on some of the abuses happening in the workplaces and they help ensure necessary workplace legislation is enforced.
They campaign on issues of importance to all Labour party supporters – stopping loan sharks, saving our ambulances and protecting our postal services are some of Unite's campaigns.
Sadly, a minority of my Labour colleagues are not proud of this relationship and would rather turn the Labour Party into a branch of Sainsbury's. They have a clear agenda and are desperate to break the link. They do not stand for many of the ideals that I, and many other Labour members, joined the party to stand up for.
Equally, there are union members who would gladly see the link severed between them and the Labour Party. They have their own ideological reasons, or are dissatisfied with some of Labour's policies. They do not see the value in supporting the party, financially or otherwise.
This is disappointing and misguided. Those on the left should stick together, fight for the rights of those both in employment and out, and work together to keep the Tories (as well as the Tartan Tories) out of government.
The unions and Labour may not always agree. This is healthy – debate on the left can only improve our policies. But we must all agree that we should work together. Let us put this week behind us and look forward to fairer policies after the next elections.
Jim Sheridan is MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire North and chairman of Unite's Parliamentary Group at Westminster
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