Go now, British unions tell Blair

LONDON, Sep 8: Britain's ruling Labour Party risks losing the next election unless Prime Minister Tony Blair stands down immediately to give a new leader time to revive support and reshape policy, union chiefs say.

Several unions help bankroll Labour, which is their traditional political ally and primary lever on public policy. If the more business-friendly Conservatives win power, unions fear their influence would all but disappear.

But unions have voiced growing concern about job cuts and wage caps in the public sector, complaining that Labour in government has drifted far from its roots.

Blair has long faced union criticism for being the architect of that schism, having led Labour to power by moving away from the left-wing to the centre ground of British politics.

''Unless something changes, Labour will lose the next election,'' said Derek Simpson, head of Britain's second-biggest union, the Labour-affiliated Amicus.

''The delay (in Blair's departure) is causing such a concern that I have to say I think he should have gone by now. We were massacred at the local elections and in by-elections; we are way behind in the opinion polls.'' Blair said yesterday he would resign within a year, following a week of turmoil for the party, but rejected calls to name an early departure date.

Union sources say there is no danger they will cut their funding lifeline to Labour, but there is growing alarm at the chasm emerging between grass roots activists and the executive.

BLAIR OUT NOW

Seventy-five percent of Amicus's 30,000 workplace representatives, responsible for more than a million union members, want an immediate change of Labour leadership. ''The government needs to make a fresh start articulating its mission with a new coherence in a fast-changing landscape,'' Trades Union Congress general secretary Brendan Barber said.

''One of the issues ... the government needs to address is the lack of connection with some of their traditional base.'' Barber, head of the non-affiliated umbrella group which caters for nearly seven million workers, stopped short of calling for an immediate exit for Blair, but Transport&General Workers' Union leader Tony Woodley, did not.

''Only Labour lacks a standard bearer and does not know who will be leading the effort to close the widening deficit in the opinion polls,'' Woodley said, referring to polls showing Labour trailing the opposition Conservatives by nine points.

Trade unions come together next week for their annual meeting with pensions, public sector job cuts and wage caps top of the agenda, but the future of Labour is bound to dominate.

Blair will address the Trades Union Congress meeting on Tuesday and then face questions from union members eager to know exactly when and what to expect from a new Labour leader.

But, even if Blair goes soon, unions can expect few favours from the man tipped to replace him.

Finance Minister Gordon Brown has taken a hard line with the public sector as he strives for cost cuts and economic stability, promising to slash jobs and telling workers to expect no more than two percent annual pay rises, below inflation.

Brown is expected to address unions at a dinner on Tuesday and can expect a grilling about Labour's future.

Reuters