General election: how Prospect is campaigning for members, regardless of the outcome

This will be the most important general election in a generation. Opinion polls point to the first change in government in almost fifteen years.

And regardless of which party ultimately takes office, there will be many new MPs – with more than 100 incumbent MPs having already announced they will not be re-standing when the country goes to the polls.

Prospect is not a partisan union – we are proudly independent and not affiliated to any political party.

But our work is intrinsically political and, as well as organising in workplaces, we campaign for policies at a national level that will benefit our members: from those affecting all members such as rights at work, to sector-specific policies to benefit the industries you work in.

On our general election hub you can read about some of our policy priorities for the next government on the world of work generally, but also for each of our sectors.

We also have information on how to register to vote and will soon be publishing guides for how you can engage with candidates and parties in advance of election day.

Make sure you register to vote and have your voice heard. pic.twitter.com/B02R8F3nJx

— Prospect Union (@ProspectUnion) May 23, 2024

An organisation with teeth

As a campaigning organisation, we believe – at nearly 158,000 strong – we are an organisation with teeth.

We haven’t just dreamt up these policies on a whim at the announcement of a general election. This work has been developed with members and many of our expert staff over a number of years.

We have also been hard at work for many months, lobbying politicians of all stripes with, and on behalf of, members, in the anticipation of a general election at some point in 2024.

What we want to see

It is impossible to detail all of the policy changes we’d like to see – but I hope that by browsing the content we’ve published, you’ll learn something new about the incredible breadth of the industries our members work in and the fascinating work they do.

For me, some cross-cutting areas of interest are:

• What are parties proposing on union rights? We believe this is key to more productive and engaging workplaces. A thriving union movement is of benefit to the whole economy.
• What will be done about unscrupulous employers riding roughshod over employment law? We have seen calamities at the likes of P&O and Twitter in recent years – we need to stop this happening elsewhere and rule breakers need to face harsher penalties.
• How will a future government ensure a just transition to net zero and clean energy? Delivering net zero will cut across the whole economy and be of benefit for generations to come. We know this is one of the most important things for our members working in all industries and, particularly in energy and the environment, thousands of Prospect members will have a critical role to play.
• What does the future world of work look like? New technology, including artificial intelligence, is already playing a role in shaping how we work. The next government needs to get to grips with this.
• As a core union value, equality, diversity and inclusivity is central to everything we do, so you’ll notice we have a focus on it in each of our sectors.

Whatever the outcome of the election, we will continue to fight for you and with you, in your workplaces and in Westminster.

Our strength as a union comes from our numbers – so why not use this time of increased political interest to ask a colleague to join Prospect? Or, if you’re not a member, join our movement for a positive future world of work.

Mike Clancy is general secretary of Prospect