FIGHTING BACK AGAINST THE CRISIS

The 2009 Morning Star Northern Regional Conference, held on 28 November in Gateshead heard, fighting talk from leading national and regional trade unionists and political figures on the Left.

Martin Mayer, an NEC member of Unite and the chair of United Left, the broad left organisation within the union, told the conference that “Strong unions are winning in this recession.  Most workers hold capitalism and the bosses to blame – but they are not being given much of a political alternative.

“Only unionised workers have access to the vision which helps them to fight back – and fight back we must,” he continued.  “We are facing an employers’ offensive on jobs, pay and conditions.  Managers in 21st Century Britain Incorporated think that they have the right to their way – and that they don’t need to negotiate.”

Saluting the workers at Lindsey power station, Linamar, Leeds City Council, First Bus Sheffield, Royal Mail and the South Yorkshire fire service, Mr Mayer stressed that workers will fight back when they are given the confidence to do it and where there is union organisation behind them.

Criticising the tendency of bureaucratic structures in unions to make concessions to bosses, Mr Mayer stressed the importance of United Left as “a fighting-back, broad left shop stewards’ movement within Unite, giving leadership in struggle and politicising members to see an alternative vision.”

John Woodhouse, Newcastle Amalgamated Branch Secretary of the CWU, recalled that his union had spent the first half of 2009 fighting privatisation of Royal Mail, and the second half fighting the employer over its bullying approach and imposition of cuts without consultation.

Thanking delegates for their support over the recent strike action, he pointed out that only an interim agreement had been secured, and that Royal Mail management were flouting it in many parts of Britain.

“Royal Mail want to shut down half the mail centres,” he said.  “They want to move to part-time employment, with later mail deliveries.  If the current talks are fruitless then the industrial action will be reinstated.”

PCS Northern Regional chair Mary Ferguson slammed “the myth put about by politicians throughout Europe that there is a connection between the current economic crisis and levels of public spending.

“If the Government wants an answer to the crisis,” she continued, “it could immediately put an end to the Private Finance Initiative, because money that could have been spent on economic regeneration is diverted into the pockets of big business.

“Tackling the crisis means tackling its roots – unfair distribution of wealth, lax national and international regulation on banks and financial institutions, and low tax on top incomes and corporate income,” she concluded.

Peter Pinkney, RMT North East Regional president, condemned the government for failing to renationalise the railways.  “They have made small improvements on health,” he said, “but the Labour Party is not a socialist party.  We need to be more proactive – working together on the left.  Trade unions can help this process.”

Green Party North East Regional Co-ordinator Shirley Ford also supported public ownership of the railways, pointing out that the east coast main line is being run by an arms length company whose chief executive was formerly managing director of privateer First Capital Connect.

Referring to the forthcoming general election, she announced that the Green Party would be standing on a manifesto of “a Green New Deal – green new jobs, local banking, more social housing and ending fuel poverty,” and would be looking for “at least a non-aggression pact” with other parties on the Left.

Bill Greenshields, representing the Executive Committee of the Communist Party of Britain, told the conference that “the notion of the Left has to be based on class politics, which is fundamentally brought about by workers in action.  The central question is how to regenerate working class activity in Britain.

“Progressives and the left will only be unified when workers are unified and active,” he continued.  “A key way to achieve that is through the People’s Charter.  This has to be turned into a campaigning organisation, based in the localities, and used as a means to step up the level of class struggle.

“The general election will throw up all sorts of coalitions,” he said.  “The Communist Party will be urging a vote for Labour in order to defeat the Tories but standing its own candidates and participating in coalitions and non-aggression pacts on the Left to ensure that the leading figures of New Labour are opposed.  Ultimately the outcome of the election will be determined by the level of class struggle.”