Labour party conference could be cancelled over trade union dispute

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The Labour Party Conference could be cancelled over a industrial dispute between a union and the security firm Labour has hired for the event in Liverpool next month.

With less than a month to go GMB, the third largest union affiliated to the Labour Party, has demanded the party find an alternative to security firm Showsec, which continues to refuse to recognise GMB.

GMB said it was “intolerable” for the Labour Party to work with a service provider which continually refused to recognise trade unions.

Showsec had been hired after the Labour Party cancelled its contract with G4S over its links to Israeli prisons.

Roger Jenkins, GMB National Officer for the Security Industry said: “This is by no means sorted. We have repeatedly asked Showsec to agree to sign up to a standard recognition agreement that recognises GMB to negotiate pay and conditions, seeing its workers treated with the dignity and respect they deserve. The clock is ticking fast ahead of next month’s conference and the company’s continued refusal to recognise GMB is intolerable."

"Those employed in the private security industry must be allowed the choice to be represented by GMB - an independent, professional and forward-looking trade union working to better terms and conditions. If Showsec continues to show such disregard for unions then it has proven itself totally unsuited to the task of providing security for this event - and the Labour Party leadership must immediately put an alternative in place to avoid the conference being scuppered.”

The Labour Party is confident that security arrangements will be in place in time for the conference to go ahead. A spokesperson for the party said: "We do not comment on commercial arrangements."