How awkward will Tony Woodley be?
TONY BLAIR was dealt another severe blow by trade unionists last Saturday when members of the powerful TGWU union elected Tony Woodley as their new general secretary. Woodley, who had wide support from the left in the union, got 66,958 votes, 43 percent. He decisively beat Jack Dromey, seen as the most pro-Blair candidate, who came second with 45,136 votes, 29 percent.
Another left wing candidate, Barry Camfield, got 28,346 votes, while Labour Party treasurer Jimmy Elsby only got 13,336 votes. The election saw 21 percent of the union's 850,000 members vote for the successor to Bill Morris, who is retiring. Woodley spoke out against the war on Iraq and has called for the reinstatement of suspended Labour MP George Galloway. Woodley also says he is proud to be 'a fully paid-up member of the awkward squad' of left wing trade union leaders.
On Sunday he declared, 'Working people think this government is too wedded to big business. The awkward squad are a reminder of what Labour should be doing, of the values which some union leaders and politicians have forgotten.' The TGWU election result is clearly a further boost to the left wing in the trade union movement.
But many TGWU members are also well aware of Woodley's limitations. The TGWU has traditionally been closely linked to the Labour Party, and Woodley has already let it be known that he will be working more closely with Labour than others in the awkward squad.