By Kirsty Walker

Last updated at 6:06 PM on 25th November 2011

Shadow cabinet members are growing increasingly frustrated over Ed Miliband's untenable position on next week's public sector strikes.

With Government figures showing that the walk-outs will cost the economy half a billion and lead to direct job losses, Mr Miliband has failed to say whether he supports or condemns them.

Instead, he is sticking to the weak line that 'no stone' should be left unturned in looking for a compromise.

Miliband's indecision may be related to the fact that 86per cent of Labour's funding has come from trade unions since he became Labour leader

Miliband's indecision may be related to the fact that 86per cent of Labour's funding has come from trade unions since he became Labour leader

While the Government and unions appear in doubt that the walk-outs will go ahead, the leader of the opposition remains stuck on the fence.

What is irking Mr Miliband's senior colleagues is the lack of clarity – almost rather than the actual position.

The Labour leader is also playing straight into the hands of the Tories, who are quite rightly accusing him of being in the pockets of his union paymasters.

From the Prime Minister down, Tory ministers have been gleefully pointing out that 86per cent of Labour's funding has come from trade unions since Mr Miliband became Labour leader.

There is no doubt that Mr Miliband is stuck between a rock and a hard place. But no-one said leadership was easy.

Both Gordon Brown and Tony Blair made the political difficult decision to denounce strikes in the strongest terms at various points in their leadership. Mr Brown described a strike by BA cabin crew in 2010 as 'unjustified and deplorable', while Mr Blair described fire strikes in 2003 as 'totally wrong, dangerous and unjustified'.

So why is Mr Miliband finding it so difficult? The most obvious answer is that 'Red Ed' was effectively only elected Labour leader because of the block union vote. His reliance on them is greater than his predecessors.

Former British Prime Ministers Gordon Brown, and Tony Blair both made the political difficult decision to denounce strikes in the strongest terms at various points in their leadership

Former British Prime Ministers Gordon Brown, and Tony Blair both made the political difficult decision to denounce strikes in the strongest terms at various points in their leadership

But the main reason is that Mr Miliband is deeply indecisive on the big issues. One senior Labour figure privately complained to me that every successful position that Mr Miliband has ever reached (not many) was not one he originally started at.

The former shadow chancellor Alan Johnson has today increased pressure on Mr Miliband by coming out in support of the unions and blaming the Government for badly handling the settlement negotiations.

With just six days to go before more than two million workers plan to take part in the 24-hour walk-out on November 30, the Labour leader is fast running out of time to show leadership on this issue. He needs to stop dithering and tell us what he really thinks.


Read more from Kirsty Walker on Chapman & co's Rightminds blog here

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The comments below have been moderated in advance.

At very best he is only a caretaker leader. It doesn't matter who is leader at the moment and they may not wish to burn out someone who is vaguely competent at this stage. He is probably just keeping Yvette Cooper's seat warm. Then we can watch the loony left at it's best.

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As he is funded by the unions and voted in as leader by the union vote, he is unlikely to stand against them.

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I'm fed up with hearing of this odious man and all he stands for, agree with: - JES, Brighton UK, 26/11/2011 00:19 - Kenneth, East Anglia, England, 26/11/2011 As to Jes yes they will consign them to history as you could never trust Mr Bals to be loyal, and to Kenneth, I totally agree with your comments. If this is the best of the best, then what advertisement is that of our education system giving to the world. It should be mandatory that you have worked in the private sector or run a successful business before you qualify to run as an MP. Lastly they should always be elected on ability, not to meet any PC agenda.

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"The former shadow chancellor Alan Johnson has today increased pressure on Mr Miliband by coming out in support of the unions and blaming the Government for badly handling the settlement negotiations." That would be the Alan Johnson who was supposed to sort out public service pensions years ago and who caved in to all the unions' demands. So he knows all about negotiating with the unions then.

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Ed Milliband is just a very irrelevant socialist, fortunately most people takes what little he says with a pinch of salt

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Mine is a Fire Service Pension and over the past 30 successive Governments years have changed the terms and conditions. I originally contributed 6% of my pensionable salary and this contribution has increased to over 11% soon to be 14%. I can't change my job and take my pension pot with me because there isn't one. Margaret Thatcher's Government reduced the Fire Fighter's working week from 56hrs to 42hrs and at the same time increased the work force by about 25%. The extra pension contributions were not invested but spent on the every day needs of the vulnerable in our society - Social Services, Schools etc. so there is no investments to draw on. The Fire Fighter's Pension Scheme was reviewed, closed and a New Fire Fighter's Pension Scheme imposed in 2006. How can anybody save for the future? It is a contract that can be and regularly is torn up and new conditions imposed. YES OUR PENSION IS WORTH FIGHTING FOR.

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He is in the pay of the Union bullies. The Unions say that the Government is not 'negotiating seriously'. That is Union-speak for not giving into every one of their demands. Their negotiating tactics are those of the Godfather. The fact that Ed Milliband cannot see how destructive this is to the Nation as a whole makes him, and the rest of the Labour Party, unfit for Government ever.

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I will never understand how Liebour puts up with such a useless so-called leader. But then, they let in Brown for 3 years, and calmly stood by while he trashed the economy, all the time professing loyalty to and admiration of someone who was allegedly doing a good job and who they said had been the finest chancellor since records began. It just shows how severely warped is the judgement of Liebour politicians. And people still think it would be a good idea if they were back in office? That's deeply worrying.

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'He needs to stop dithering and tell us what he really thinks.' Why? Let him dither...

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You do not bite the hand that feeds you or, in this case, supported you. If the strike goes ahead the Governmemnt should start a review of all posts involved with a view to reduce the numbers of strikers employed and to take some sections out of public ownership or management.

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