Zardic Labour Party

The Zardic Labour Party (ZLP), commonly known simply as Labour, is a minor political party in the Federation of Zardugal. It was established in October 3341 by a coalition of trade union leaders and officials to provide a centre-left platform to contest the 3341 general election. It describes itself as "an ethical socialist party concerned with promoting the welfare of working people and the basic equality of all Human beings" and arose chiefly as a reaction against the dominance of the right-wing New Democratic and Conservative Republican parties.

Like most parties of its kind around the world, Labour is officially the political arm of the Zardic labour movement but operates as an independent political organisation, in which the trade unions are shareholders. The party is not as ideologically extreme as some socialist parties, emphasising State regulation rather than ownership of the markets, though it supports the return of certain services - like healthcare and energy - to complete public ownership. It is chiefly concerned with the welfare of lower income households and the improvement of working conditions.

The ZLP is currently the third largest party in the Federation in terms of membership and financing, but it enjoys no congressional representation, having failed to make an electoral breakthrough in any of the nation's five states at the 3341 elections.

Early years
By the year 3341, it had been over three decades since the Federation had elected a left-wing majority government, or given a left-wing political party a plurality of seats in Congress. The only two remaining left parties in Zardic, the Socialist Workers' Party and the National Populist Front, had not existed in any meaningful form since the 3329 elections. The last four elections had been straight two-party contests between the right-leaning New Democratic Party and the farther right Conservative Republican Party.

It was in this climate of right-wing politics that, in mid 3341, Zardugal's trade unions and labour organisations began to work towards the foundation of a new political party to contest the upcoming general election. The organised labour movement felt that the choice between the New Democrats and the Conservatives represented a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" voting situation for lower income families, and so a new party was needed to fill the void left by the SWP and the NPF years earlier.

In October 3341, trade union leaders met in the city of Red Creek under the front of a regular trades union congress. It was at this conference that the Zardic Labour Party was officially created and launched with the support of 999 trade union delegates. At that conference, the party chose former employment lawyer and prominent trade unionist Denise Simpson to be their first parliamentary leader, by a vote of 675 against 324 over rival Michael Stewart, who went on to become the party's first presidential candidate.

The party contested the 3341 elections with a small slate of candidates running in all five states, but fared poorly. Having had little time to promote its agenda in the media, raise funds and connect with the electorate, Labour took a measly 0.05% of the popular vote and only won more than 10,000 votes in Saqueya, where Simpson led the party list. Not a single Labour Party deputy was elected to Congress. The party hopes to transform its fortunes by the 3344 elections, with a goal of electing 100 or more deputies and forcing a hung chamber in which it has the balance of power.

Policy and ideology
The first resolution adopted by the 3341 conference, titled simply "On the Labour Movement", outlines the core principles of the Labour Party, which can be summarised thusly:
 * Reversing the NDP's mass privatisation of public services;
 * Re-balancing of the relationship between workers and private enterprise in favour of the former;
 * Devolution of power to local government wherever possible and reasonable;
 * Developing a social market economy with the State as a strong regulatory force to curb the excesses of private enterprise;
 * Increasing the minimum wage year on year, every year;
 * Promoting and empowering communities over individuals;
 * Defending the fundamental rights of all Human beings;
 * Embracing an enlarged State as a force for good in society and the economy.

List of election manifestoes

 * 1) Dec 3341, Forward Together

Organisation
Labour organises itself into semi-autonomous regional branches in each state of the Federation, with individual municipal and local Labour parties in turn operating within these branches. Each region is given a share of voting delegates on its bodies and at its annual conference according to the size of their membership, weighted on the basis of the strength of their performance at the most recent round of federal elections.

The Zardic trade unions play an important part in the organisation and decision-making processes of the Labour Party. In exchange for an affiliation fee, they are entitled to elect half the delegates to its annual conference on a regional basis, as well as a slate of candidates to its national and regional leadership bodies. Its annual conference is the highest decision-making body of the party.

The ZLP's leadership consists of three national bodies:
 * the General Membership Council, an 85-member committee that meets every quarter to represent the interests of ordinary party members; 30 seats are reserved for union delegates
 * the National Executive Committee, which is the 40-member administrative body of the party responsible for the day-to-day management of its affairs under the direction of the General Secretary; 17 seats are reserved for union delegates, 17 for regular party members and 6 for congressional deputies;
 * the Congressional Labour Party, which consists of all the party's elected members of Congress, the leader of which is also the leader of the Labour Party.

List of leaders

 * 1) Denise Simpson, Oct 3341 - Present

List of General Secretaries of the NEC

 * 1) Charles Beckett-Smith, Oct 3341 - Present

List of annual conferences

 * 1) Oct 3341, Red Creek, Saqueya
 * 2) Sep 3342, Darmoth, Kalvere
 * 3) Sep 3343, Kostandian Bay, Unkassa
 * 4) Oct 3344, Gatineau, Endirahad

Congress
Labour Party Congressional election results, 3341 - present !Election !Votes (No) !Votes (%) !Swing (pp) !Seats (No) !Seats (%) !Change (No)
 * December 3341||34,928||0.05||N/A||0||0.00||N/A
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Presidential
Labour Party Presidential election results, 3341 - present !Election !Candidate !Votes (No) !Votes (%) !Swing (pp) !Result
 * December 3341||Michael Stewart||27,662||0.04||N/A||Defeated
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