Ed Miliband warns unions of 'high stakes general election' at TUC conference

 
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Joe Murphy @JoeMurphyLondon10 September 2013
WEST END FINAL

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Ed Miliband was given a cool reception by the unions today despite flattering their members as “the backbone of Britain” and promising new workplace rights.

Labour’s leader was given only polite applause after insisting he is “absolutely determined” to steamroll through controversial reforms weakening his party’s historic union links.

By contrast, a union leader was cheered for challenging him on cuts. Janice Godrich, president of the Public and Commercial Services union demanded: “Can we get a clear answer: are you for or against austerity?”

Today’s speech, the first of the autumn conference season, followed moves by two unions to slash Labour donations in retaliation for his reforms.

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But he refused to back down. “Of course, it is a massive challenge,” he said, speaking without notes. “It will be a massive challenge for the Labour Party to reach out to your members in a way that we have not done for many years and persuade them to be part of what we do.

“And like anything, that is hard, it is a risk. But the bigger risk is just saying let’s do it as we have always done it.”

He added: “We must change. And I am absolutely determined this change will happen. It is the only way we can build a One Nation party.”

He tried to build unity by warning of a “high stakes election” ahead that would decide whether ordinary people or “a privileged few” benefit from economic recovery.

But the hall only applauded warmly when he pledged to ban “exploitative” zero-hours contracts. Delegates seemed to prefer Ms Godrich’s intervention on cuts. Mr Miliband told her he was “not in favour of austerity” but then added: “We are going to have to have strict spending limits.”

RMT leader Bob Crow was dismissive. “This was a wasted opportunity to engage with the trade unions from a Labour leader who looks like a terrified rabbit caught in the glare of the Tory headlights,” he said.

But Len McCluskey, of Unite, said Mr Miliband was “beginning to seal the deal” with workers and looked like a “real leader”.

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