Union democracy

Rank-and-file control on N30

By Patrick Murphy, Leeds National Union of Teachers (pc), and Ira Berkovic It now looks as if events in Leeds on 30 November will be lively and big, but only after local trade unions decided they had to take control of organising for themselves in the face of an attempt by the regional TUC to shape the day without consulting us. The Yorkshire Region TUC set up a small sub-committee which planned four rallies across the region (in Bradford, Sheffield, Leeds and Hull). The plan is for each of the ’bigwig’ speakers to be followed by a couple of ‘ordinary workers’, and to have the whole thing...

Organising for 30 November

Trade unionists in Cambridgeshire have taken the first steps in coordinating the strike action taking place on 30 November by establishing a county-wide cross-union strike committee. The committee involves activists from unions taking action and both the Cambridge and District and Huntingdon Trades Councils. The initiative came from a joint motion from Unison Cambridgeshire County Branch, the county’s largest trade union, and the PCS Customs and Revenue Branch, which was debated at a recent Trades Council meeting. Steve Sweeney of Huntingdon and St. Neots Trades Union Council spoke to...

Sheffield Trades Council: this isn't what democracy looks like

Numbers at the recent Sheffield Trades Council AGM were high — 50 delegates and plenty more observers. For me it was a little lesson in democracy — a negative lesson I think. John Campbell was the sitting President. Knowing he’s unpopular, and his position was up for election again, he turned out masses of Unison local government members. That branch has 70 potential delegate places but it’s rare if even one turns up. A good speech was heard from Bill Greenshields from the NUT and People’s Charter. Unfortunately, John Campbell in the chair didn’t give him a chance to talk about how the TUC...

A Workers' Wage for Union Officers!

As ammunition against our union movement, the recent Channel 4 ‘Dispatches’ program quoted the salaries of various General Secretaries, including RMT Bob Crow’s. His salary is £80,000, but the media is presenting it as £120,000 by including expenses and employer's pension contribution.

We in...

How to fight for trade union democracy

The TUC responded to the arrival of a government determined to squeeze the working class even more than the Thatcher regime did, by deciding that the times are not now eventful enough to warrant the TUC holding annual congresses as it has done since 1869. Once every two years will now do. The post and telecoms union CWU rejected moves from its leadership to hold its conferences only once every two years, but agreed to elect its Executive members only every two years instead of yearly. It did that despite CWU Assistant General Secretary Dave Ward having blurted out the thinking behind the...

New York subway workers: lessons in winning "reform from below"

London Underground RMT activist Becky Crocker reviews Hell on Wheels: the Success and Failure of Reform in Transport Workers Union Local 100 , by Steve Downs. This pamphlet tells the story of New Directions (ND), a rank and file group within Union Local 100 of the Transport Workers Union, which represents transport workers in New York, including on the subway system. Written by Steve Downs of the socialist group Solidarity, it focuses on the problem of how to achieve reform within unions. After nearly 15 years in opposition, ND fell apart very shortly after its people got elected to run the...

Union democracy needed to fight cuts

Public sector workers in Germany will demonstrate against cuts on 12 June. Government employees in Spain struck on 8 June. Italy's biggest union federation has called a public sector workers' rally for 12 June. Portugal had a big anti-cuts protest march on 29 May. Greece has already had several general strikes. On 22 June the British government will announce its cuts. Welfare benefits, tax credits, and public service jobs and wages, are sure to be among the first targets. That is where the government can save cash quickly. As in other countries, trade-union action has to be central to fighting...

"UNISON four": stop this witch-hunt!

Public sector union Unison stepped up its campaigning activity last month. Defending public services from privatisation and job cuts? No. Mobilising against hospital closures? No. Once again, the union’s resources were being ploughed into its seemingly inexhaustible campaign against four members of the Socialist Party. In 2007, the SP put out a bland leaflet criticising the Standing Orders Committee at National Conference. Frustrated at the removal of a third of all motions from the agenda, the leaflet compared the SOC to the three wise monkeys – “see no evil, hear no evil, say no evil”...

Short industrial reports

Tube; National Express; Unison Four Tube: RMT wins limited gains – but what now? The 10-11 June strike by members of the RMT union on the London Underground has won gains on all three of the fronts it addressed. London Underground previously wanted a five-year pay deal. It shifted to offering a two-year option, and has now agreed to up it to RPI plus 1.5% in the first year (from 1%) and RPI plus 0.5% in the second. The RMT has secured jobs or job offers for all RMT members facing compulsory redundancy. The union has also secured improvements to the attendance procedures. For example, the...

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