Table Our Model Motion At Your Local Labour Party Meeting

Want to do something practical to strengthen the link between the Labour Party and the trade union movement? Then why not ask your local Labour Party meeting to support our model motion?

It’s only by working together, through the collective power of trade unions and the Labour Party, that we can win a Labour government that will transform the lives of working people for the better.

By passing this motion (download links at the bottom of the page), your local Party would commit to:

• support and defend the formal link between the Party and its affiliated trade unions;
• take practical action to strengthen the link locally – by making sure affiliated unions are part of local Party decision-making, inviting union speakers to address Party meetings, and seeking to build joint campaigns.
• strengthen both the Party and the union movement, by running a campaign to encourage every member of the Party to be a member of an appropriate affiliated trade union.

How do I propose a motion to my local Party?

Proposing a motion is simple, but how you go about it will depend on your local Party structures. The basic process will be:

• send the motion to the Branch / CLP Secretary and ask for it to be tabled at the next meeting – there will probably be a cut-off date for sending in motions (usually about a week before the meeting), and if you miss this it will have to wait until the following meeting;
• attend the meeting, speak in favour of the motion (you could ask the Secretary to let you know how long you will be able to speak for);
• other people may also speak on the motion, in favour of it or against it;
• a vote will be held, and the result announced.

If you have an All Member Meeting structure:

If your CLP meets as an All Member Meeting, any individual member of the Party can put forward a motion. A week or two ahead of the meeting, send the motion to your CLP Secretary and ask them to table it to be debated and voted on. On the day, anyone who is a member of the local Party will be entitled to attend and vote.

If you have a GC (General Committee) structure, and you are a union delegate:

If your CLP has a GC (General Committee) structure, and you are a union delegate to it, then you will be able to submit the motion directly to the GC on behalf of your union branch – you’ll probably want to discuss it with your branch colleagues in advance. A week or two ahead of the meeting, send the motion to your CLP Secretary and ask them to table it to be debated and voted on. On the day, only delegates to the GC will be able to vote on the motion (although in some local Parties, any Party member is entitled to attend the meeting).

If you have GC (General Committee) structure and you are not a delegate, or if you are a delegate from your Labour Party branch

If your CLP has a GC (General Committee) structure, and you not a delegate, or if you are a delegate from your Labour Party branch, then you’ll probably need to propose the meeting to your branch meeting first – if it’s passed, then the branch can propose it to the General Meeting. A week or two ahead of the branch meeting, send the motion to your branch Secretary and ask them to table it to be debated and voted on, and proposed to the General Meeting if passed. On the day, anyone who is a member of the local Party branch will be entitled to attend and vote. Once it has been passed by your branch, your Branch Secretary should send it to the CLP Secretary and ask for it to be tabled at the CLP’s General Meeting. If you’re a delegate from the branch, you will probably be able to propose it at the General Meeting. If not, one of your branch delegates will speak in favour of it.

Top tips for proposing the motion

• Read the motion carefully and familiarise yourself with it.
• You might want to tweak the text before you submit it to reflect your views and the local situation. You’ll also need to delete either Branch or CLP throughout the motion, as appropriate.
• Ask the Secretary how long you’ll have to speak on the motion, and what the structure is for speeches for and against.
• Plan what you want to say in advance, and run it past a supportive colleague. Add personal anecdotes and examples of our shared victories to make your speech more powerful.
• Speak to union and Party colleagues who you think will be supportive of the motion in advance – remind them to attend the meeting to vote for the motion, and ask them to speak in favour of it in the debate.
• After the meeting, email us at campaigns@labourunions.org.uk to let us know how it went.