THE Labour Party could look to Unison for an example of how to conduct a mature debate on devolution and why an assertive, confident Wales benefits everyone.

It’s conference season. Many Unison delegates who recently represented public service workers in Wales recently at the union’s annual conference in Liverpool will be making their way to Llandudno this weekend for Welsh Labour’s annual gathering.

Spirits are high because we demonstrated the importance of our Welsh identity and heritage to the rest of Unison, winning their unanimous support for changing our name from Unison Cymru/Wales to Unison Cymru.

Now our delegates are determined Welsh Labour must be similarly emboldened. They want Eluned Morgan’s government to transform livelihoods by investing in the public services that can help make our communities happier, healthier, and more equal places to live.

Of course, everything is about money and a Welsh government that is able to invest where it would like needs to be provided with a fairer share of funding from Westminster. I bet there’s not a single person in Wales who thinks the Barnett formula (UK government mechanism for adjusting the funding of the devolved administrations) is working. Or that it takes proper account of the levels of deprivation in Wales.

That’s why Unison Cymru’s motion before Welsh Labour conference calls on our government here to negotiate with Westminster politicians to secure a funding settlement based on fairness and a true assessment of need.

Successive Tory governments trashed devolution and undermined the first minister. A constructive relationship between ministers in London and Cardiff is the minimum we should expect.  

Now, with Labour governments either side of the border, the distressing times we live in demand much more collaborative working. Both administrations should be galvanised in a joint mission to lift people out of poverty and empower them to take control of their lives.

When local public services are dismantled following years of austerity, a sense of community disappears as well. People no longer think governments and councils are on their side. That’s fertile land for Reform UK.

With Senedd elections next year, fair funding for Wales couldn’t be more pressing. That’s why I’d like Labour to follow Unison’s example. The debate we led at our annual conference showed it’s essential for Wales to have a confident separate identity while retaining common values and bonds.

Our convenor Jan Tomlinson said our new name might seem like a small change, but it’s of great significance. She explained how the Welsh language had been oppressed for centuries, effectively becoming a second-class language in its own country.

But now there’s a growing appreciation of the importance of Welsh to our culture and identity. There was a duty on Unison to celebrate this, to show that we are modern and relevant to our many Welsh first-language members.

Cymru delegate Dai Morgan provided a blistering summary of the historical political injustices Welsh people and their language have faced. And the audience at Unison’s conference was emotionally swept away by Gwawr Eilian’s speech delivered in Welsh.

Several English Unison regions spoke in our support. They cheered our delegation when the name change was voted through, and we were inundated with messages of solidarity.

This is the unity, pride and common purpose we would like Labour to display. To have retained our Cymru/Wales name would have placed us out of step with the times and would have been perceived as centralist and prejudiced.

Labour too, must move with the times. It has to show how much it values devolution and grasp that communities desperately need investment by agreeing a fair funding formula for Wales. This is the moment to demonstrate their solidarity.

Jess Turner is Unison Cymru secretary