Good prospects for trade union work

Submitted by martin on 16 May, 2003 - 9:47

By Riki Lane and Janet Burstall
The Socialist Alliance Australia conference, in Melbourne on 9-11 May, was very different to the English one.
Some highlights were greetings from construction union leader Martin Kingham, a reception organised by the Workers' First group in the big manufacturing union AMWU, and participation as a conference delegate by the central leader of Workers' First, Craig Johnston, who is currently facing jail for alleged "violent" industrial tactics.
Political discussion, however, was thin, with debate focused on the model of the Scottish Socialist Party (advocated by the "Castroite" Democratic Socialist Party) versus "electoral united front" (advocated by the ISO, Australian sister-group of the British SWP). The DSP got most of what they wanted, but for now, anyway, it seems that the ISO will stay in the Alliance.
There were 124 delegates elected by local Alliances - about one third DSP, one-third "non-affiliated", maybe 20 ISO, five Workers' Liberty, and about eight from smaller groups.
There seems to be enthusiasm for serious trade union work - especially as there actually is participation by militant workers leaders. We will have to work to make sure that the focus on trade unionism is followed up in practice, and not swept away at the prospect of a few recruits in the latest movement.
The new Executive has 21 members - 11 from the Non Aligned Caucus (which is very broad - from some who attend Workers' Liberty discussion groups through to many pro-DSPers), two DSP, two ISO, and one each from Workers' Liberty, Workers' Power, Freedom Socialist Party, Socialist Democracy, Workers' League and Worker-communist Party of Iraq.
We got more support than we expected on some political issues, such as taking an anti-Stalinist stance and supporting democratic rights in Cuba (though the ISO opposed our amendment to support Cuban workers' rights to dissent, because they wanted a simple "anti-imperialist" motion!).
On the whole, simplistic "anti-imperialism" was very dominant. Our amendments to add "including political Islam" to "solidarity with struggles against repressive regimes and reactionary forces", and "including in the Middle East the Palestinians, the Israeli Jews and the Kurds" to "for the rights of nations to self-determination", were defeated with only about 20 votes in favour. Most of the unaffiliated Socialist Alliance members are on the DSP's political wavelength.

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