Unions & politics

Trade Unions and politics

Were Pisa workers right to block weapons for Ukraine?

The Italian union USB (Unione Sindacale di Base, Grassroots Workers’ Union) says that its members at Galileo Galilei airport in Pisa have refused to load weapons for Ukraine. The union has called for air traffic control workers to also participate in blocking the shipment of weapons, and for a demonstration at the airport. It says the workers were lied to about what was in the cargo, told it was humanitarian aid. What is positive is the workers’ militancy, their willingness to use industrial action as a political weapon and their exercising of distrustful oversight and controls over the...

Why has the Morning Star ignored Unite on Ukraine?

Last Thursday the executive council of the big union Unite met and passed a resolution on the war in Ukraine. The resolution “unreservedly condemns Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and stands in full solidarity with the millions of victims of the attack. Unite calls for an immediate cease-fire and a withdrawal of all Russian forces from Ukraine.” It congratulates union members “such as those at the Stanlow refinery – who refuse to unload Russian oil from any ship regardless of the nationality of the vessel that delivers it, and Unite repeats the call on the UK government to close the loophole that...

Union backs Ukraine (John Moloney's column)

Our union National Executive Committee has adopted a policy on Ukraine, which clearly opposes Russia’s invasion and prioritises practical solidarity with the Ukrainian labour movement and refugees. Our International Committee, which I’m part of, met subsequently, and discussed what enacting that policy looks like in practice. The committee will be writing to members with practical steps they can take to support Ukrainian trade unionists. As part of this work, I’ve reached out to a contact in the Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine, one of the two main trade union centres in the country. We...

Support Russia's teachers organising against Putin's war

"Peace to Ukraine, freedom to Russia" Republished from the socialist blog People and Nature . The original on People and Nature also includes an open letter from a Ukrainian teacher. An open letter against Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine had yesterday [7 March] been signed by more than 5000 Russian teachers – and some signatories are facing pressure and threats from their managers. “Violence goes against the very essence of our profession”, the letter states, implicitly supporting teachers who are resisting the propagation of the Kremlin’s military aims and ideology in classrooms. The open...

Worker boycotts back Ukraine

A flurry of worker-imposed boycotts on Russian trade in solidarity with Ukraine has followed Russia’s invasion. On 6 March workers refused to unload Russian oil from the tanker Seacod docked at a terminal on the River Mersey. Unite’s General Secretary, Sharon Graham said: “Unite workers at the facility will under no circumstances unload any Russian oil regardless of the nationality of the vessel which delivers it.” At the time of writing, the boat is sailing directionless in the Irish sea. On Monday 28 February, Unite issued a statement that they would support a workers’ boycott of the NS...

Energy workers act against the war

Workers at National Grid’s terminal on the Isle of Grain, Kent, stopped the landing of a consignment of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) at the start of March . The workers, members of Unison, were facing the prospect of unloading the LNG because of a loophole in the Government’s new ban on Russian shipping: the ban does not extend to Russian cargo. The union members could fall foul of the anti-union laws that ban political strikes if they refused to unload the cargo, and potentially lose their jobs. As the Boris Vilkitsky, the ship carrying the LNG, approached Grain, Unison officials...

Workers’ boycotts can hit Putin

On 27 February, Unite the Union declared it would support its members at the Flotta terminal in the Orkney islands and at Sullam Voe in the Shetland islands, north of Scotland, if they boycotted a Russian government-owned oil tanker due to arrive soon. The local councils, the Scottish government, and the UK government had batted the issue back and forth for a little while, seemingly unwilling to act. It may be that the threat of workers’ action pushed them. Now the UK government has said it will stop Russian-owned or connected ships from docking in the UK. In general we do not support long...

Opposing Borders Bill and Putin (John Moloney's column)

I was proud to speak on behalf of the union at two demos over the weekend. The first was on Saturday 26th outside Downing Street at the Ukrainian solidarity demonstration, and on Sunday 27th I spoke at the protest against the Nationality Bill in Parliament Square. At the Ukraine protest, I set out PCS’s position which condemns the Russian invasion of Ukraine and supports the call for immediate withdrawal. Further, that we stand by the trade unionists and people of Ukraine at this terrible time. This is in line with PCS’s long-standing commitment to campaign against war and for the peaceful...

Model motion for union branches, Labour Parties, etc on Ukraine

Please use in or adapt for your union branch, Labour Party, etc. If you want advice on putting the motion forward, or to send us the version your organisation has passed, email awl@workersliberty.org We oppose the Russian state’s invasion of Ukraine. We oppose Russia's war and demand Russian troops leave Ukraine. Ukraine has the right to self-determination and the right to defend itself. We oppose any attempts by Russia to force Ukraine to sign political agreements which would undermine Ukraine’s right to govern itself. We oppose NATO. But this war is not being waged by NATO. The war is being...

AWL bulletin for UCU and UNISON HE strikes, 28 February-2 March 2022

AWL Higher Education workers fraction have produced this bulletin for the UCU and UNISON HE strikes starting 28 February 2022. Please download and read - and distribute if you agree! Let us know what you think - email awl@workersliberty.org We have members in UCU and UNISON and hold regular meetings to discuss building a democratic, fighting rank and file across campus unions.

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