“How Can the Unions Win in Cameron’s Britain?”

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.cwu.org/billy-hayes/?p=888" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A very tempting answer to the question “How can the unions’ win in Cameron’s Britain?” is that they can’t.

Whatever short term success is achieved inevitably will be challenged again by the Coalition government.

Or, let’s put it as a concrete example. I am convinced that the CWU can defeat the Coalition’s proposal to privatise Royal Mail. Yet, that will not restore the cuts in Disability Living Allowance, or the first week’s benefit for newly unemployed people.

Only if we look at things in a purely sectional way can we consider “winning” in Cameron’s Britain. The real victory to secure is the ousting of this government. Nothing less is an adequate basis for achieving progressive change for the whole of our movement.

Now, hopefully my provocative point is clear. I assume everyone here wants to remove this government. So the real question is whether our defensive struggles can speed up the fall of this government. Again, I assume you all agree they can, but how?

Despite George Osborne’s insistence that “we are all in this together”, austerity is a policy aimed only at the poor and working class. There are no cuts for the wealthy and capitalist class.

Real wages have declined every year since 2008. Yet dividend payments to shareholders are at a record level, with £79 billion paid out in 2012.

In these circumstances, we cannot simply wait for a new government – essential and fundamental though that is.

We have to organise now around the issues that are pressing upon the communities and workplaces where we organise. And we have to be open to a wide variety of appropriate tactics in these defensive struggles.

Let me illustrate this by looking at the union’s anti-privatisation campaign. The union has previously defeated privatisation in 1994, 2007 and 2009. On each occasion we faced different governments, different proposals and different methods to carry through the sale.

In 1994, under John Major’s Conservative government, facing a parliamentary Bill, the union utilised a Conservative lobbying firm, Lowe-Bell, to reach inside a divided Tory party. We engaged in campaigning outside of parliament too. But our tactics were not concentrated there. Our victory came when Tory MP’s, worried about their seats, turned against Michael Heseltine’s Bill.

In 2007, under Tony Blair’s Labour government, we were successful following a 3 year campaign against a management lobby to sell Royal Mail and distribute shares to staff.

Again, we used the normal extra-parliamentary initiatives that form part of most serious campaigns. But we organised our own lobbying inside the Labour government and Party – including securing an appropriate commitment in Labour’s General Election manifesto in 2005. The result was a defeat for management’s proposal and those in, and around, government who favoured it.

In 2009, under Gordon Brown’s Labour government, we defeated a parliamentary Bill promoted by Lord Mandelson. Once again, we didn’t stint on campaigning outside parliament.

But we focused on organising a split on this policy inside the Labour Party, from top to bottom. Utilising all the formal and informal channels open to us in the Party, we were able to win sufficient support for our position in the CLPs, Conference, PLP and Cabinet.

It became obvious to the Prime Minister that the only way the Bill could be carried would be with Tory votes, against the majority of Labour back-benchers. Mandelson’s Bill was allowed to fall.

Now we must use different tactics again today facing new proposals. We need “a concrete analysis of a concrete situation” to quote Lenin.

The Coalition government has been able to secure the ability to sell Royal Mail in the Postal Services Act 2011. Nothing the union could do was able to overturn the parliamentary arithmetic early in the Coalition’s term. But we did secure a number of defensive amendments in the Act by pressing on tension points for Coalition MPs. We worked closely with Labour’s front bench, and minority parties too.

However, winning the right to sell, and actually making the sale are two different things.

The government has announced that it intends to sell Royal Mail in the present financial year. Any later will coincide in the run-up to the General Election – a bad time for an unpopular measure like postal privatisation.

So, the union has a few months before April next year to win this latest campaign. We are calling upon all our branches to take part in public campaigning – both pressing MPs and addressing the general public. Actions include getting masses of postcards to MPs, organising lobbies, on-line petitions, street stalls etc.

Equally, we are looking to create tensions inside the Coalition. We are supporting an independent campaign, Save Our Royal Mail. It is aimed at the Coalition parties and includes forces who would tend to be on the right.

For example, the Bow Group, a Tory think-tank, has issued press-reports against the Coalition proposal. Campaigns with a strong rural constituency, such as the Countryside Alliance, are also supporting this initiative.

Overall we think Save Our Royal Mail is sapping the confidence of the Coalition by creating dissent amongst their MPs.

We are also working closely with the Labour leadership to ensure a clear and strong anti-privatisation message from their benches. We are in touch with the nationalist and minority parties who also oppose privatisation.

Of course, investors are very wary of buying into an industry with a well-organised, militant workforce. Hence our initiatives inside the industry have great resonance at present.

Just over two weeks ago, we announced the result of our consultative, work-place ballot. On a 74% turnout, 96% of our members voted against privatisation.

This is a huge blow to the government’s campaign to divide the workforce via the offer of shares.

Now, as you know, we cannot legally call a strike ballot against privatisation. Our intention is to organise a strike ballot, in the near future, against management’s proposals on pay, pensions and future conditions.

This will be a legal trade dispute – but doubtless it will be followed closely by potential investors. We are confident of securing a “yes” vote if continued negotiations yield no progress.

Now before finishing, I want to return to my first point that we must not ignore the wider needs, outside of our sectional needs. The unions can help to defeat this government if they take in hand the whole project of this government.

We have to defend the most vulnerable. This means joining with those means supporting those fights the cuts to unemployment and other benefits.

We need a jobs and wages-led expansion of the economy out of recession. Government led investment can employ the unemployed, house those on waiting lists, and fund the benefits of those needing them.

The CWU is taking a motion to TUC Congress to promote “investment, not cuts”. We will also pursue this policy inside Labour’s policy process. We do not accept that an incoming Labour government should accept Tory spending limits.

We also have to defend the multi-cultural character of our society. The 2011 Census shows that 14% of the population of England and Wales are from ethnic minorities. In London the figure rises to over 30%.

Multi-culturalism isn’t only a route to social cohesion. It is also a force of production which allows us to utilise all the talents of our people. It allows us to address all the developing markets in their own language.

We must then stand against the spiteful new restrictions on migration, access to the NHS, etc.

Our diversity is the best guarantee of social progress.

And alongside this, we must continue the fight against the fascists of the BNP, EDL and other vermin. Using Islamophobia to attack the Muslim community, these organisations are a mortal threat to our whole future.

I commend the work of the SWP comrades in Unite Against Fascism. The CWU will continue work proudly alongside you on this vital issue.

Further, we must continue to oppose the belligerent foreign policy of the Coalition. Cameron’s intervention in Libya has been a disaster for the Libyan people. We must ensure that he is not allowed to repeat the policy at the expense of the people of Syria.

In conclusion, we can secure victories against the Coalition. But we must not be narrow in our alliances, or our policies.

It is always a privilege to address you at Marxism.

[hans solo]

so who says we got to vote labour rem they started privatisation
SNP all the way up here you can keep britain we want feck all to do with your mob labour or tory

[Pat Ostman]

so who says we got to vote labour rem they started privatisation
SNP all the way up here you can keep britain we want feck all to do with your mob labour or tory

Bit harsh, for a start it's not "my mob"

[Wild Rover]

SNP all the way...soon to be the Former United Kingdom, and the posh Eton boys who run GB at the moment can't see what's coming.

SNP are now CWU backers up here and also vehemently against RM privatisation, something Labour and Tory are not.

[Pat Ostman]

SNP are now CWU backers up here and also vehemently against RM privatisation, something Labour and Tory are not.

SNP are only not supporting it because they will not see the proposed £3 Billion from the sale. However if it was SNP set to get the money..... Well....

At the end of the day SNP are politicians and they are all the same lying scum.

[hans solo]

yes but at least our own lying scum, labour movement is dead

[Pat Ostman]

yes but at least our own lying scum, labour movement is dead

I couldn't agree more.

[postypie]

They are all as bad as each other....saying that...I think Cameron,Osbourne and Clegg.(COC)....are a pathetic bunch of so called politicians.

[mailman71]

There is no chance of the snp winning up here despite all the bluster from wee eek,as for the Tories they are only doing what the Tories do that's put the boot into the working class.

[savo]

And alongside this, we must continue the fight against the fascists of the BNP, EDL and other vermin. Using Islamophobia to attack the Muslim community, these organisations are a mortal threat to our whole future.


Funny that, I don't remember EDL, BNP et al blowing up trains full of people or beheading soldiers in the street.....

[Wild Rover]

There is no chance of the snp winning up here despite all the bluster from wee eek,as for the Tories they are only doing what the Tories do that's put the boot into the working class.

Care to explain why the SNP have "no chance"?

[mailman71]

There is no chance of the snp winning up here despite all the bluster from wee eek,as for the Tories they are only doing what the Tories do that's put the boot into the working class.

Care to explain why the SNP have "no chance"?

The betting is for a no vote is 1/6 on so unless the bookie's have got it wrong .
The snp have no policies on finance,defence, pensions in fact anything.
They want youngsters to get the vote at 16 so no doubt we will be getting re runs of brave heart to get them in the mood for voting they told us years ago that Iceland and Ireland were the examples to follow both went belly up when the credit crunch came.

[Danelectro]

chemical weapons.