The rail union RMT has called a workers' representation conference for 10 January 2009 at Friends House, Euston Road, London NW1.
It is not clear as yet whether this conference will allow motions. AWL members will however be promoting the motion in union branches at the same time as we argue for those branches to send delegates to the 10 January conference. Below are a "short text" and a "long text".
Short text
This branch believes that the working class needs our own independent political representation.
We resolve to send delegates to the conference on working-class political representation which the RMT has called for 10 January.
Our delegates should support moves at that conference to set up a Workers' Representation Movement, based on affiliations from working-class organisations.
That could be done by the RMT calling a delegate meeting for this Workers' Representation Movement, to establish a committee, basic rules and procedures. All unions and socialist groups should be invited to send delegates.
The Workers' Representation Movement should campaign to revive trades councils to form the basis of local workers' representation committees - campaigning bodies of trade unionists, socialists and working class campaigns.
The Workers' Representation Movement will help to identify and build support for socialist candidates in elections who deserve working-class support, recognising that some may be socialist Labour candidates, others non-Labour socialist candidates.
Long text
his conference welcomes the 2008 AGM decision of RMT:
"This union notes the disastrous results for the Labour Party in the May 1st elections. We believe that working class voters have deserted the Labour Party because it has abandoned working-class people through its policies of cuts, privatisation, war and lining the pockets of the rich at the expense of the poor and low paid.
"We are also appalled at the advances made by the fascist BNP in these elections.
"The union must respond to this by reasserting our socialist politics and by fighting for working-class political representation.
"To that end we resolve to:
* Convene a national conference on the crisis in working class political representation similar to those organised previously
* Encourage our regional councils to organise similar conferences on a regional basis
* Initiate and support the setting-up of local Workers’ Representation Committees which can identify and promote candidates in elections who deserve workers’ support".
We resolve to join with the RMT in this drive to set up local Workers' Representation Committees, especially through Trades Councils.
We further note, in recent months:
1. The huge public discrediting, through the current capitalist crisis and the consequent government measures of "bankers' socialism", of the dogma that "the markets" must and should rule economic life.
2. The need to pose a workers' plan of socialist measures, leading towards a workers' government, as an alternative both to the discredited market orthodoxy and to "bankers' socialism". Such a comprehensive vision is necessary to give direction and coherence to the fight back against the coming job cuts, evictions, and cuts in real wages.
3. The risk, if that is not done sufficiently, that the crisis will redound to the political benefit of the BNP and the far right.
4. That no union leadership has challenged the 2007 Bournemouth decision to ban political motions to Labour conference, and that therefore for now the fact that the organised working class cannot express itself politically through the official Labour structures must be considered an accomplished fact.
This conference further notes that the independent political representation of the working class must be the work of the organised working class itself. There is no substitute or short-cut. The priority must be the revitalisation, reorganisation, and reorientation of the broad organised working-class movement in order to achieve accountable, responsive, principled independent political representation of the working class.
This conference resolves to inaugurate a Workers' Representation Movement, a body based on affiliations from working-class organisations.
The conference asks the RMT to call a delegate meeting at which a committee can be established for this Workers' Representation Movement, and basic rules and procedure for it decided. All unions and socialist groups should be invited to send delegates to this meeting.
The Workers' Representation Movement should resolves to campaign with the RMT and others to rebuild and reinvigorate Trades Councils, and win them to help build, or to become, local workers' representation committees - active campaigning bodies which draw together socialists, trade unionists, social movements and working class communities.
Through such local workers' representation committees, the Workers' Representation Movement will help to identify and build support for working-class socialist candidates in elections, both official Labour candidates loyal to the labour movement and non-Labour socialist candidates.
