Unity!Communists at 2012 Unite Conference

by Anita Halpin

As the capitalist crisis deepens the

myth of the ‘social’ chapter, the reason

so many trades unionists loyally

backed the EU, lies shattered. Britain’s

withdrawal from the EU is the only

way to recover democratic control

over the economy, save manufacturing,

restore employment rights and rescue

our welfare state. 

The EU serves the interests of big businessand the banks. No wonder Cameron, Cleggand Cable support the Single Market as itenables the City of London to continue todominate EU finance and banking. The anti-democratic and pro-big businesscharacter of the EU is now fully exposed as itreplaces elected governments and theEuropean Central Bank – with its partners incrime the International Monetary Fund and

the World Central Bank – impose drasticdeflationary policies. In the USA, even Obama’s economicstimulus package created some new jobs butsuch investment programmes are outlawed inthe EU. So it is highly unlikely that the ECBwould be able or willing to replicate this forFrance or any other member state.The peoples of France and Greece haveexpressed their clear opposition to EUausterity and privatisation policies in theirvotes for socialist, Communist and other leftcandidates. Yet both François Hollande andthe Greek Euro-leftist Syrzia coalition remaincommitted to the EU and the single currency.It is impossible to separate rejection of theausterity programme from the institutions thatcrafted it or to discard policies created solelyto sustain those same institutions.

continued overleaf

Communists of PCS andUnite on closer linksPCS and Unite are both unions on the

Left of the movement. Prime movers

behind the TUC demonstration in

2011, they have been clear that an

alternative to both the Government’s

and Labour’s acceptance of the need

for austerity is possible. It is natural

that both unions should seek to work

together.

But both are relatively new unions, stillsettling down. They still have right wingfactions, stronger than some think. So makingsimplistic calculations about growing closer asmany have done is maybe more awkward amatter than might at first sight have seemed.Both have many activists who are not attractedto any merger at any price, in the case of Uniteafter a too-long process of merger. Thus, manyactivists are highly suspicious ofannouncements about closer working. Wewelcome the decision of PCS's annualDelegate Conference last month to continueour closer working and this has already led topositive actions at local and TUC levels. Wesee this alliance as being important inbullding the opposition to the Government'scontinuing austerity programme.Yet Communists in Unite and PCS stronglywelcome the links developed between our twounions - there is a lot to be gained from this,especially in the coming struggles in thepublic sector. But there are complex issuesthat will need to be addressed if becomingcloser means more than being good friends.Any merger of any kind must have industrialand political logic and be primarily conceivedfor the benefit of members. Any merger mustembed lay democracy within any new entity.Indeed, for us, the prime outcome of anymerger must be to enhance lay democracyeven further than is already the case, in bothunions. Any dislocation between therespective grassroots and their leaderships andany new super-union needs meaningfulstructures and constitutional commitment tofull participation and democracy.There is not even a simple ‘fit’ between thetwo that obviously arises withoutcomplications and these will need carefuldiscussions if, down the line, the relationshipdoes become more fulsome. indeed, thetechnical and political reality is that, probably,if all agree in three years time to review thepossibilities for an organisational link up, thata transfer of engagements (not an equal mergerrequiring a ballot of both unions) would beneeded for PCS to join Unite.Communists in the PCS and Unite see manyof these matters, which we raise in the spirit ofunity and open debate, as fundamentalprinciples. We urge fellow progressives toconsider them carefully. H

Stop the European Union, we want to get off

Morning Stardaily paper of the left £1 from your newsagent

See the conference reportsKeep in touch with the latest labour movement developments

www.morningstaronline.co.ukH

by Carolyn Jones

Earlier in the year there was a

Mudoch-led media furore when Len

McCluskey dared to raise the spectre

of “civil disobedience” during the

Olympics. Why?

A cursory glance at the state of employmentrights and trade union freedoms highlights theextent to which these freedoms and access tojustice is systematically being shut down. Cuts to the legal aid system of £350 million;increasing the qualifying period for unfairdismissal from one year to two; proposals toend facility time for trade union reps;exempting small firms from “dismissalregulation”; compulsory conciliation before anET can be lodged; the introduction of“protected conversations” and now proposalsto charge workers for taking a case to tribunal. Workers are being systematically regulatedout of the justice system and denied acollective voice at work. All at a time whenthey most need protection. So how exactly dothose in power (including Murdoch) expectworkers and their unions to respond whenfailed austerity measures are eating away atjobs, pensions, standards of living andworkplace rights? Cameron and his chums in the Cabinet maybe sitting happy on their combined wealth ofnearly £70 million, with the Minister in chargeof the Olympics – Jeremy Hunt – sitting

particularly comfy on his reported £4.8 millionfortune. But for the rest of us, waving the flagat the Olympics won’t pay the rent. Nor will itreverse the rush into economic policies thatmake the vulnerable pay for the arrogance ofthe rich and the misdeeds of the bankers.Workers need a legal framework that offersfairness at work, social justice and economicopportunities. If not, civil disobedience willgrow. We saw it during the Lindsey oil refinerydispute. We saw it again during theelectricians dispute. We are seeing it dailythroughout Europe as workers resist failedausterity measures. Insecurity at work and fear of poverty maydemoralise workers. But as Jack London wrotein Iron Heel “there is a greater strength thanwealth....our strength, the strength of theproletariat....it is in our muscles, in our handsto cast ballots, in our fingers to pull triggers.....a strength stronger than wealth and that wealthcannot take away”. We should heed the words of Joe Hill: .Workers of the world awaken; break your

chains, demand your rights. All the wealth youmake is taken, by exploiting parasites.Shall you kneel in deep submission from your

cradle to your grave?Is the height of your ambition to be a good

and willing slave?Another world is possible and belongs to themany, not the few. HCarolyn Jones is director of the Institute forEmployment Rights

A future that works

It goes without saying that we must

all work for a massive turnout for

the TUC’s 20 October

demonstration.

However, it is going to take more

than demonstrations to defeat the

ConDem’s agenda of pubic service

cuts.

We need a strategy that will create

the conditions to bring about a

change of government.

Central to this is unity with public

and private sector unions developing

joint action and building alliances

with working class communities.

We offer this special issue of Unity

which highlights the key elements of

the left wing programme for a future

that will work in favour of the

millions not the millionaires.

The People’s Charter for Change is

supported by the TUC, Unite and 15

other trade unions and many trades

unions councils up and down the

country and it is included in the TUC’s

plan of work for the trades councils.

It promotes a progressive alternative set ofpolicies not only as an antidote to ConDemcuts, but also for the expansion of theeconomy through a programme of directedinvestment, control over the export of capital,public ownership, the development ofsustainable industries, a reduction in workinghours, and a programme of skills training andretraining.The Charter’s 6-point programme demands

H A fairer economy for a fairer Britain.H More and better jobs.H Decent homes for all.H Protect and improve our public services –no cuts.H Fairness and justice.

H Equal pay for women.H A secure and sustainable future for all.Impossible? Far from it! The Charter showshow these could be brought about through theimplementation of an alternative economicstrategy to bring about a fundamental shift inwealth and power in favour of the workingclass. The People’s Charter deals with thewhole of society and aims to promote apositive alternative instead of just saying Stopthe Cuts.The Charter six points are aspirations whichany political party purporting to representworking people should be proud to put forwardand demands that the Labour Party must adoptit as a winning alternative political strategy. H

www.thepeoplescharter.org for moreinformation and affiliation details or write toThe Peoples Charter, PO Box 53091, LondonE12 9DA or call 07931 562702(answerphone).

It’s time for the People’s ChartercontinuedThe Communist Party believes that acommitment by left and progressive forces inthis country to withdraw from the EU willstrengthen the position of all those in Europefighting to preserve and defend theirdemocracies and halt a race to the bottom. That is why trades unionists have a duty tosay enough is enough: we want to get out.The message is getting across. In Marchthe ETUC unequivocally condemned theTreaty on Stability, Coordination andGovernance, which imposes even moredeflationary budget controls and directlyabrogates the democracy of debtor states. In April the STUC annual conferenceaccepted a motion condemning the anti-democratic and deflationary character of theEU and calling for national powers to again beable to invest in the productive economy andprovide public services.Most significant was the call to negotiate anew relationship with the EU based on a mostfavoured nation trade agreement on the samebasis as Norway but outside the provisions ofthe Single Market. While the STUC executivedid not endorse the call for withdrawal itstressed the critical threat the EU now posedto democracy and trade union rights. A threat that is all too evident. At the end oflast month the EU Commission report on theUK economy called for reinforced austerity. Aweek later, and following the ECB’s line, theBank of England monetary policy committeeplayed it safe (in banker’s terms) and keptinterest rates at 0.5 per cent. H

Anita Halpin is the Communist Party’s tradeunion coordinator

Demand our rights at work

n www.manifesto press.org.uk Britain’s progressive publishersH www.solidnet.org the world’s communist and workers partiesn www.21centurymanifesto. wordpress.org left wing blog

by John Foster

The public sector cuts being imposed by George Osborne

are doing irreparable damage economically as well as

socially, and it’s just the beginning.

The ConDem chancellor intends them to continue at a real rate of 3.7per cent annually for five more years which would mean the longestsustained cut in public spending since the Second World War. The City is the only winner because it puts the money in the wrongpockets - those of the fat bankers who want the state to have the sparecash to bail them out. Quantitative Easing simply gives the bankers even more moneyspeculation – and there is no way that Osborne’s latest gimmick of‘cheap loans’ to the banks is going to stimulate the real economy ifthere is no demand. The only way to reflate the economy is to stop cutting public sectorjobs; invest in job creation and skills training to increase high streetspending power ,and renewing the call for a shorter working life as animportant element of tackling long-term, crippling unemployment. Britain’s economy is now over 4 per cent smaller than it was in 2007– the only major economy to have contracted to such an extent apartfrom Spain. It is still contracting. This is why alternative economic policies, based on active stateintervention, are so desperately needed, as Unite argued strongly in itsmotion to last year’s TUC. We need specific demands that can unite trade unions andcommunities to campaign politically – demands which also add up to acoherent strategy that can rescue our economy. The first demand is obvious: stop the cuts. This is the quickest way of restoring consumer demand: end theinsecurity of imminent job loss, halt the new pensions levy, reverse thebenefit cuts and end a wage freeze that is currently cutting realincomes by up to 3 per cent a year. The second is for the government to create real, well-paid jobs andhence boost tax income as well as demand for goods. Council housing is one obvious area. There is desperate need and the private sector has failed – housebuilding has collapsed from 180,000 in 2006 to 120,000 last year, thelowest since the 1920s. Building houses under local democratic control also makes it possibleto introduce comprehensive energy saving with green technology –another key area for investment.

Equally essential on this front is the demand to take water, energy andtransport back into public ownership, end extortionate pricing and stopthe state subsidies to monopolist owners. There must also be government action to stop closures in theproductive economy, to take over failing manufacturing enterprises andto penalise companies that shift production overseas – even if thismeans defying the neo-liberal directives laid down by the EU. Key to rebuilding manufacturing would be the introduction of controlson the export of capital and limits and/or taxes on the import ofmanufactured goods, both ready-made products and components. Can this be paid for? Yes, easily - by imposing a tax on the City’sfinancial transactions; reclaiming the £100 billion lost through taxevasion; closing down Britain’s many tax havens, and reversingOsborne’s tax cuts for the rich and on company profits. Achieving this requires a mass movement that can remove thisgovernment of financial speculators and ensure the Labour Party adoptsthe alternative policies needed to save our productive economy – in theinterests of the vast majority of the population. .H

John Foster is a member of the CPB’s economic commission and theParty’s International Secretary

The EU and alternatives to austerity by John Foster £2Pensions: Broadening the battle lines by Bill Greenshield£1.50from www.communist-party.org.uk

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by Robert Griffiths

When Ed Miliband addresses

conference he will no doubt want to

flag up that affiliated unions (at least)

won't be excluded from his forward

thinking processes.

What we want to hear is that he has changedhis views on the economic crisis; the wholemovement needs real signs that Labour isgoing to adopt an alternative policy courseThe real question for Unite is to assess thesuccess to date and the scope for futuredelivery of the EC strategy for reclaiming theLabour Party as a tool of support for workingpeople. The jury is still out but it is right tocontinue prosecuting the case, even if difficultquestions are askedIn the face of the current ruling classoffensive, the labour movement needs todevelop the maximum clarity and unity. For itspart, the Communist Party will continue todevelop its Marxist analysis, project analternative economic and political strategy forthe working class and its allies and strengthennon-sectarian left unity.We print here a short version of the CP’s

Open Letter on political representation. Fullstatement at http://tinyurl.com/d93mynvLast month, millions of people voted againstthe austerity and privatisation policies ofBritain’s unelected, illegitimate government.They rejected the idea that high publicexpenditure was the main cause of theeconomic and financial crisis. They refused toaccept that massive public spending cuts anda savage assault on wages and pensions ofpublic sector workers are necessary to reducethe financial deficitEvery time it aligns itself with these policies,Labour leaders betray the millions who shouldbe able to look to them for support andsolidarity. Speaking in favour of savage cuts in

public sector wages and pension entitlements,welfare benefits and local social servicesrepresent a shameful capitulation to thebanks, the Con-Dem regime and the right-wing mass mediaThe support of the Labour movement,contrasts sharply with the refusal of theLabour Party leadership to advocate policiesthat would generate economic growth such asdefending public services, jobs, wages andpensions and further highlights the extent towhich the interests of the labour movementand ordinary working people across Britaincontinue to be largely unrepresented in theHouse of CommonsThe trouncing of the Tories and Lib Dems inthe local elections is very welcome, andillustrates a growing spirit of resistance. Thedanger is though that the current Labourleadership will interpret this support as anendorsement of their current policies – to beused against those in and outside the LabourParty demanding changeWorking people, in both affiliated and non-affiliated unions, need a Labour Party thatdefends their interests. The duty of affiliatedunions to fight for progressive, left andsocialist values in the Labour Party could not

be clearer. They must campaign in a moredetermined, planned and coordinated way tochange the policies and, if necessary, theLabour leadership This is an important part ofan even bigger question: how can the labourmovement best ensure that its collective viewsand interests are represented in theWestminster parliament? This challenge mustbe faced by the whole movement. The tradeunion movement, and its members locally,have a duty to intervene to reclaim the partyas political representatives of the interests ofworking peopleAffiliated unions should respondimmediately to demands from their membersand cease paying financial donations to theLabour Party centrally until such time as itsleaders and MPs oppose cuts in public sectorwages and pledge solidarity with all thosefighting to defend their pensionsAffiliation fees should be maintained inorder to step up the challenge to the Labourleadership's current policies from inside theparty as well as from outsideAffiliated unions should convene an all-Britain conference at the earliest opportunityto discuss the current crisis of politicalrepresentation for workers and their familiesCommunists believe these actions are themost realistic and effective way of ensuringthat the interests of working people arerepresented in the Westminster parliamentShould the Labour Party continue on a right-wing course, its future will be at risk and thetrade union movement will have a duty to re-establish a mass party of labour capable ofwinning elections, forming a government andenacting policies in the interests of the peoplenot the bankersAffiliated unions should consider demandingthat a special emergency conference of theLabour Party be held to decide a fundamentalchange in its economic and financial policyand its response to the capitalist crisisAt some point, either at the initiative of theTUC or some other body, a special conferenceof all labour movement organisations shouldbe convened to discuss the politicalrepresentation of the labour movement in theHouse of Commons and in our localities Robert Griffiths is general secretary of the Communist Party.H

Wanted! a politicalvoice for workers

HLast month’s election results

confirmed that the majority

of voters have had enough of

job losses and cuts to public services.

However, the low turnout indicated

that many people have already given

up voting in the belief that all

politicians are the same.

That is why it is crucial that Labour

councillors act as champions of their

communities, working alongside local

trade unionists and community

groups.

If Ed Miliband is serious about

fighting for the rights of ordinary

working class families and winning

back trust he must act quickly and

imaginatively to ensure that all of the

Labour controlled councils get the

support they need and act in the

interests of those that elected them

It is important that Labour

councillors and Labour authorities

maintain a dialogue with their local

trade union movement, no matter

how tough the conversation.