Union Leader shows his loyalty lies with the Labour Party not its members

Leanne Wood's attempt to form a new Progressive Alliance which met with some interest from from the
Public and Commercial Services Union  has been completely rebutted by Unite or rather the Union's "Leader"  in Wales.   Labour Loyalist Andy Richards, who made it clear where his if not his members interest lay.

In a statement accusing the Plaid Leader of opportunism. he said...

“Unite Wales is already committed to working with our fellow trade unionists and other community organisations in Wales to fight the UK government’s austerity agenda and further action against the cuts is high on the agenda at next week’s conference.
“But we want to go one step further for the people of Wales and next week will open our discussion on ‘Making Devolution Work’ – a positive progressive policy debate on how we work within a devolved Wales to win for workers and the Welsh economy as whole.”
Past experience meant that unions would “not be fooled by Plaid Cymru’s attempts to portray themselves as trade union friendly nor are they the party of Welsh working people”, he went on.
“There is only one party for the working people of Wales, the party that the trade unions founded to give a voice to working people – the Labour Party. This is why it is called the Labour Party,” .

So

• Unite "is committed to working with our fellow Trade Unionists . Apparently only  as long as they support the Labour Party it seems.
•  Past experience meant that unions would “not be fooled by Plaid Cymru’s attempts to portray themselves as trade union friendly nor are they the party of Welsh working people” but they can continue to fooled by a party that has been in power for 13 years and did little to improve workers rights. Does Andy Richards really claim that the Blair/Brown Governments.Who made it clear even before coming to power  that they were focusing on "Middle England" were fighting for the working class? When in recent years has Labour at Westminster,Cardiff Bay or Local Authority stood up for the working class.
• “There is only one party for the working people of Wales, the party that the trade unions founded to give a voice to working people – the Labour Party. This is why it is called the Labour Party,” . There are thousands of working people in Wales who have never supported the Labour Party who are as loyal Trade Union Members as Andy Richards but are denied a voice because of the Unions blind loyalty .to Labour or even some of their leaders attempt to represent that party at Westminster or Cardiff Bay as a MP or AM.where these career politicians will ignore their former members struggles.

A few weeks ago in the three councils that treated his workers appallingly by cutting their wages Neath Port Talbot, Bridgend ,and Rhondda Cynon Taf. Labout swept the board as they did in the rest of Wales. 

In this they were aided by Unions like Unite who represent many of the workers affected by these cuts who still showed loyalty to a Party that where behaving worse than Tory ones when they failed to denounce the Council Leaders for their betrayal of the Working Class members employed by these councils. This with the tacit and sometimes enthusiastic backing of the Welsh Media saw thousands of Welsh people giving their support to a Party whose response to coalition cuts was to ask "How Deep do you want them"

Richards may have a point when he accuses Leanne Wood of opportunism (She is a politician after all). But to reject outright overtures from anyone,  because it could threaten his members loyalty to the Labour party rather than to his Union Is not one of them.

Unite is there to fight for its members.Not to see a a right wing  Tory Lib/Dem Government that treats workers with contempt, replaced with a right wing Labour Government , that does the same out of historical loyalty.

The Western Mule report gleefully claims that

Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood’s dream of building an “alliance of progressives” against UK Government cuts looks over before it even got started..

Andy Richards s  reaction  to her overture shows she has a long way to go: But then the Union Leaders who see their role in supporting Labour rather than its members are probably not her target.