A theme making the rounds in favour of the transfer to Unite is that linking Unite’s members in the NHS, councils with PCS members to form a public sector group will enable this group to win better pay.

We don’t see how this can be.

Firstly Unite is a minority union in the NHS and the councils; joining a minority union in those two areas to a majority one in the civil service and related areas doesn’t strike us, at first glance at least, as transforming the situation. Indeed a better argument would be to join UNISON as then we would be joining together unionised majorities in the NHS, councils and the civil service and related areas. Indeed Unite members in the public sector should join Unison as well to create one big union (see we can talk in slogans as well).

But of course no one is arguing this as it would be politically unpalatable. So the leadership wants a politically palatable transfer that has no industrial logic to one that does have industrial logic but is politically unacceptable. This of course goes to show you that politics dominates this transfer rather than any industrial gain for members.