• MY trade union general secretary, Unite’s Len McCluskey, said recently that the Labour shadow cabinet is looking like an uninspiring team of “middle managers” while Britain faces a “tsunami of redundancies” and its worst recession since the 1930s. How right he is.

This is a time for radical economic policy, for big government, massive state intervention and nationalisation, increasing trade union rights, and giving far greater powers and resources to workplace health and safety enforcement agencies.

But instead of building on Jeremy Corbyn’s economic policies, which offered a greater extent of state intervention and promotion of trade union rights, Labour are rapidly distancing themselves from any such approach.

The Labour Party must make clear their plans for the economy and the workplace.

At a time such as this we cannot wait until the next general election, which could be four years away, to learn what the party intend to do to build the economy from the devastation caused by Covid-19.

I am proud of the role that trade unions have played during this period, in protecting workers health and safety and in pressuring the government to provide economic support for workers during the crisis. As a result of this work many have now realised the importance of unions and have joined up.

Unions are now beginning to develop a strategy, outlined by the Communication Workers Union leader, Dave Ward, for transformation of the workplace and the economy.

The public is crying out for such change. Labour must be with them on this.

SARAH FRIDAY
Unite delegate to Holborn
& St Pancras Labour Party