CWU CANDIDATES PROGRAMME
Following the passage of Motion 4 at the Special Annual General Conference held in November 2021, the union is launching the CWU Candidates programme as part of our new building collectivism strategy designed to connect the industrial and political spheres. The objective of the programme is to identify talented members to prepare them to run as Labour Party Parliamentary candidates at the next election and to put working people back in Westminster.
On Thursday we will launch the call for applications across our social media platforms and we encourage applications from all of our members, no matter how politically experienced. We are looking for candidates with a strong industrial background, strong links to their local community and a desire to better our society. Branches should encourage applicants with these qualities to visit https://www.cwu.org/candidates for more information and support them with their application.
If selected, candidates will access first-class broadcast and social media training, detailed guidance on Parliamentary procedure and hear from speakers across the labour movement, including Ian Lavery MP, Preston Council Leader Matthew Brown, Zarah Sultana MP and Laura Smith. As part of the CWU’s new political strategy, the programme will also run sessions on Community Wealth Building, alternative economies, antiracism and building collectivism in local communities. At the end of this programme, candidates will be ready to fight for working class people in Parliament, whilst keeping CWU values at the heart of their politics.
Other candidate schemes have prioritised Westminster-focused training and resources for electoral candidates. The CWU will deliver a programme that ensures candidates will be focused on improving the links between trade unions and their local communities, rather than solely on Parliament and internal Labour Party politics.
CWU Candidates will run from early March 2022 to mid-June 2022 and will require applicants to attend three in-person residential events (COVID-19 permitting), as well as some virtual learning events. Branches should encourage members to apply, and we welcome applications that reflect the diverse nature of our membership. The CWU will support candidates with accessibility requirements and will cover the cost of travel and board.
Details on the programme, how to apply and eligibility requirements will be available at https://www.cwu.org/candidates from 11am on 6/1/2022. All applications and queries must be sent to candidates@cwu.org.
Yours sincerely
Dave Ward
General Secretary
CWU Eastern No5 Branch 
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