He who pays the piper...

The Guardian had an interesting article yesterday about how the Unions who are now back as the Labour party's major donors are flexing their muscles.

"The full scale of the trade unions' call for a change of political course by the Brown government can be disclosed today, as general secretaries meet senior ministers and Downing Street officials to discuss 130 demands they have tabled.

The complete list, obtained by the Guardian, includes a right to take supportive strike action, scrapping NHS prescription charges, bringing all hospital cleaning back in-house, and a new agreement on public sector pay with the Treasury.

The 130 union amendments, graded core, primary and secondary, are to be put to the Labour national policy forum next week. In a sign of the degree of union coordination, the amendments are coded, with names of proposed movers and seconders listed. Many have already been discussed with ministers."

Read the rest and ready the beer and sandwiches.