TUC congress: Stalinist apologetics and "waiting for Labour"

Submitted by AWL on 14 September, 2014 - 9:16 Author: Howard Peters

TUC Congress was yet another somnambulant snore-fest, punctuated with only slender outbreaks of debate. Much as always was decided beforehand behind the scenes, leaving many delegates to wonder what had become of the workers’ parliament. However beneath the surface some democratic discussion was evident and on a few occasions, burst out into the light.

The direst moment came when the RMT moved an emergency resolution on “The Situation in Ukraine” – except that it hardly contained any words about Ukraine. The motion studiously avoided any reference to Ukraine’s right to self-determination, never mind its existence as a state. The resolution failed to even mention the Russian imperial state’s interference at all, preferring a conspiracy of the EU and NATO to the facts on the ground. The shooting down of civilian airline MH17 was omitted, while no effort was made to relate to Ukrainian trade unions or the wider workers’ movement.

A carefree TUC General Council blithely agreed to support the resolution, as did the big unions, riddled with Stalinist apologists. The flag of internationalism was held aloft by the FBU and few other smaller unions not corralled into silence. Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary was the only one to tell the truth to delegates about the shortcomings of the resolution, getting a warm applause from many who awoke to the nightmare of a pro-Putin resolution.

Earlier, a rare card vote was taken on a resolution to allow trades councils to have a delegate at Congress. This century-old blight on the TUC, where trades councils are restricted to submitting motions but are unable to send delegates to move them. Although the resolution would have widened democracy within the staid TUC and seemed to have been won on a show of hands, it fell on the card vote.

The only other major controversy of note was the floods and climate change motion, moved by the FBU and supported by PCS. Energy unions Prospect and Community opposed the motion because it contained half a line on “extreme energy” such as fracking. The right wing unions want to politically support fracking in the hope of picking up some members. No one denies that all workers should be union members, but since 2012 even the TUC has had a precautionary approach to fracking.

Tam McFarlane from the FBU pointed out that there are 160 anti-fracking campaigns across the UK and it is important for unions to take sides with the protesters against the corporate profiteers and the government. In the end the motion passed with strong backing. However it indicates that the debate within unions on climate change is still very much open and contested.

Beyond these ripples, there was only limited optimism. Doubt surrounds the 14 October pay strikes and whether Unison will go through with them. The 18 October demonstration will be important, but is not linked to any wider programme of action this autumn, never mind in the run up to the general election. “Wait for Labour” appears to be the default position, although this is mostly about avoiding another term of Tory attacks, rather than anything Labour will offer unions positively.

With politics like these, the labour movement will not be transformed for the better. Socialists and other trade union activists have a huge job turning the unions around, in the teeth of the bureaucracy and the hostility of the industrial relations climate.

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