The rise of the "awkward squad" of new trade union leaders was meant to presage a rewriting of the relationship between unions and Labour.
If Blair was not going to give the unions any favours, at least the "awkward squad" was going to be making some more forthright demands. No such luck!
Despite their trumpeting of success at Labour's National Policy Forum, union leaders have once again agreed to let Labour off the hook, rather than rock the boat in the run up to a General Election.
With almost no exception the current crop of trade union leaders were elected on the basis of their supposed opposition to the neo-liberal agenda of the Labour government - at home, privatisation, attacks on union rights, a failure to defend manufacturing jobs and cuts in the public sector; abroad, war and more war!
The trade union opposition to the war in Iraq was meant to be seen as a symbol that nothing was to be taken for granted. Unless Labour started to deliver at home, things were going to heat up.
Talk has been plentiful of trade withholding donations to Labour and of more open opposition at the TUC and Labour conferFICES.
Such talk has been necessary because of genuine anger in the workplaces and branches, but with the partial exception of the GMB has not resulted in any real action.
After a well publicised spat in Downing Street between Blair and Brendan Barber of the TUC (over the EU Constitution - ironic given the TUC's traditional slavish Tony Woodley: "the
unions worked in
unity to secure the
maximum possible
gains... real gains
which will make a difference to the lives
of working people
wnen they are put
into effect." support for all things EU) the showdown was advertised to be the Warwick meeting of Labour's National Policy Horum
This time the trade unions would be ready. TULO - the Trade Union Labour Party Liaison Organisation - was going to act as a caucus to coordinate trade union demands. What was hailed as an unprecedented display of unity among the unions was going to lead to a series of retreats by Labour leaders on key policies.
So was this the parting of the ways. Or did Labour back down? Far from it! Frightened by their own arguments the trade union leaders, "looked into the abyss and decided not to jump", as one union official put it.
Instead, having talked tough in public, behind the scenes they have been the ones to compromise to avoid a confrontation.
Tony Woodley told the T&G, "the unions worked in unity to secure the maximum possible gains... real gains which will make a difference to the lives of working people when they are put into effect."
Derek Simpson told AMICUS members, "the trade unions' united stand has paid dividends... these policies are sure to win the hearts and minds of working
Derek Simpson and Tony Woodley may be very proud of their "victory" at the Labour Party National Policy Forum, but what did they The "awkward squad" can claim that concessions will benefit millions of working people. But in practice government policies on privatisation and attacks on workers' rights remain unabated. achieve?
Billy Hayes of the CWU talks of "important commitments from the party leadership on jobs, pensions, holidays, corporate manslaughter and public ownership".
The key thing to note, of course, is that these are only commitments for a Labour Manifesto for future General Election, how much will be taken up now by the Labour government is another matter.
Secondly, it is important to recognise that, important as each "commitment" might
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