Starmer’s government has been riddled with crises through February. At this point, you would hope to see Britain’s trade union leaders on the offensive. Alas, blinkered by their reformist approach, their response has been very limited.
Desperate to wrap up the heroic eleven-month bin strikes, believing it will save councillors’ skins at May’s local elections, Birmingham City Council are now going for an injunction against megapickets. Defend the right to protest with militant union action!
Labour hail Andy Burnham’s Bee Network as a “bus revolution” – but workers see otherwise. TfGM tram and bus workers have gone on strike and will be taking further action later in December. Manchester RCP members report from on the ground.
The Birmingham bin strike has escalated: agency workers formerly used by the Labour council to break the strike have balloted to join it! Unite should seize this opportunity to broaden the movement further: against all austerity, job cuts and anti-worker attacks!
Workers at Britain’s biggest arms manufacturer are set to strike in the coming weeks, over below-inflation pay offers. However, Unite’s leadership is dragging its heels. Their class collaboration is tied up with their support for British militarism.
In the latest issue of The Communist, we hear from our readers about the UCU’s ballot over job cuts and below-inflation wage increases; nearly 3,000 arms workers going on strike; and more!
The Palestine movement is yearning for solutions. The mood in Britain is charged with anger – against the genocide, austerity, and general insecurity about the future. The unions could provide a lightning rod for this energy, but for this a bold programme is required.
After years of rumours and hearsay, an interim report commissioned by Unite general secretary Sharon Graham has revealed a “pervasive fraud environment”. Corruption, bureaucracy, and shady backroom deals disarm the workers. Clear out the bureaucrats!
Sheffield revolutionary communists recently joined a mass picket in support of Sheffield’s bin workers, on indefinite strike for nearly a year. The mood is militant – but union-busting Veolia will stop at nothing to keep its superprofits. To win, the strike must be broadened out against the anti-union laws!
After suspending Angela Rayner with huge support from the rank-and-file, Unite is moving further onto the war footing against Starmer’s Labour. To complete the break, Unite must ramp up the fightback: join up the struggles against austerity, and fight for a socialist programme!
The Birmingham bin strikers remain resolute in their desire to fight Labour’s pay onslaught – but the council has thrown down the gauntlet with their picket line policing. To win, Unite’s leaders must broaden out the struggle: down with the anti-union laws!
Over 400 workers mobilised last Friday in a ‘mega picket’, in support of the Birmingham refuse workers. This is an important step forward in the battle against Labour austerity. Escalate the strike to boot out the unelected commissioners and expropriate the billionaires!
As Birmingham gets buried in bins, refuse workers continue their all-out battle against Labour council leaders, Starmer’s government, and both’s austerity programme. Their fight forebodes the titanic struggles to come for Britain’s workers. Victory to the strike!
After declaring bankruptcy, the Labour-led Birmingham City Council is slashing spending and attacking working conditions to ‘balance the books’. The bin workers, however, are standing strong and fighting back, with militant pickets and all-out strike action.
With thousands of job losses at the Port Talbot steelworks, and potentially thousands more in Scunthorpe, it’s clear that Britain’s steel industry is in dire straits – with or without Trump’s tariffs. The labour movement needs a militant, socialist programme to save jobs!
While Labour ramps up austerity, trade union leaders have endorsed the government’s militarism, naively believing that this will create jobs and economic growth for British workers. We say: No trust in Starmer! Fight the bosses and warmongers head on!
Striking refuse workers in Sheffield are still going strong after seven months of bosses’ resistance and bureaucratic intrigues from trade union leaders. We say: Down with the outsourcing of council services! Victory to the Lumley Street strike!
While storm clouds gather for British capitalism, and living standards plummet for ordinary workers, the trade union tops continue to enjoy lives of luxury. These perks and privileges must all be abolished if workers are to resist the oncoming storm!
From Tata and McDonalds to academies: our readers expose the abuse, victimisation, and scolding that goes on in the UK’s workplaces. British capitalism is rotten to the core. The labour movement needs fighting leadership!
Starmer’s government is preparing to administer bitter medicine on behalf of the capitalists, with public sector workers first in line. Instead of preparing members for battle, however, the tops of the trade unions are fighting amongst themselves.
Engineering workers at the construction site for the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station recently downed tools and walked out. Further action has been delayed, but it’s only a matter of time until relations with the bosses reach a meltdown.
After months of holding back the struggle to save the Port Talbot steelworks, the Unite leaders have cancelled planned strike action. Workers can have no trust in the Tata bosses or the union leaders. Only militant rank-and-file action can save jobs and the community.
Unite has announced indefinite strike action at Port Talbot. Other steel unions must follow this lead – downing tools in unison, and organising to spread the struggle. Above all, the labour movement must demand nationalisation, without compensation.
Trade union leaders have mostly put industrial action on pause in recent months, hoping that an incoming Labour government will save the day. But workers must trust only in themselves. For militant action, nationalisation, and fighting leadership!
In the new issue of The Communist, our comrades report on the latest developments taking place on the industrial front: from events in Port Talbot, to upcoming strikes by BMA members, to the debates at the UCU’s recent annual conference.
Fear and frustration stalks Port Talbot, as the town’s future hangs in the balance. After much delay, steel unions are balloting for potential strike action. Unite members have signalled their intention to fight. It is time to prepare for battle.
Debate is taking place within the labour movement about what role workers’ organisations should play in relation to the campaign to stop the war in Gaza. The trade unions cannot afford to be ‘apolitical’, but must fight to overthrow imperialism.
Bus workers in the North East have overwhelmingly voted for strike action, to fight back against Arriva bosses’ attacks on pay. As one driver told The Communist, “we’re not gonna take it anymore!”
Britain’s strike wave may have ebbed. But battles are still breaking out across the country, with junior doctors on the picket lines, and other workers taking action. Examples of solidarity in South Wales show the way forward for these struggles.
Workers organised by Unite at Cambridge University have recently stuck for better pay. It’s been revealed that whilst the uni pleads poverty, it is sitting on billions in cash. Staff and students should be in control, not uni fat cats.
The unions’ responses to Tata Steel’s threatened furnace closures don’t go nearly far enough. Unite’s ‘Workers’ Plan’ is a step in the right direction. What is needed is militant action, based on the rank and file, fighting for bold demands.
Architecture is often considered a well-to-do profession. But the industry is plagued by burnout and unpaid overtime. Architects are getting organised. The unions must fight for public ownership and workers’ control across the construction sector.
Long-running action on Go-Ahead’s bus routes in the North East has won significant gains for striking drivers. Fresh layers of militant workers have shown their will and determination, providing confidence for future battles against the bosses.
Drivers working on bus routes operated by London Transit are out on strike tomorrow, in a dispute over pay and conditions, following previous days of action this month. Victory to the bus drivers! Fight for nationalisation and workers’ control!
Thousands of engineering construction workers employed on the NAECI agreement have voted to strike, in a dispute over pay. These workers hold enormous power in their hands. They must use this to deliver a militant blow against the bosses.
A determined struggle by bin workers employed by Tower Hamlets council has ended with an improved deal for the strikers. This solid action shows the potential strength that workers everywhere have, when organised, mobilised, and united.
Thousands of union members at important industrial hubs are currently balloting for action. If successful, strikes could disrupt refineries, chemical plants, and power stations across the country next month. The lesson is clear: militancy pays!
Workers at the Hinkley Point C site have taken successful wildcat strike action, inspiring others to follow their lead. Rank-and-file committees organising workers across different trades and employers will further strengthen these struggles.
This year’s Unite conference took place this week against a backdrop of sharpening class struggle, with the Tories and bosses waging war on workers. Union activists are getting organised and preparing for battle. Militant leadership is vital.
Unite’s rules and policy conferences are taking place this week. Debate so far has focussed on the union’s political affiliation. The key task for rank-and-file activists is to build a fighting leadership, armed with bold socialist policies.
Industrial action on North Sea oil and gas rigs is continuing this month, with hundreds of workers across different contractors set to down tools. To win, the unions must coordinate action and unite workers around bold socialist demands.
Workers at homelessness charity St Mungo’s have escalated their struggle over pay and conditions, starting all-out strike action this week. This militant example should serve as an inspiration for the whole of the labour movement. Solidarity!
Factory workers at multinational industrial firm Sulzer, based in Leeds, are taking action in demand of a proper pay increase. In the process, they are having to face down strike-breaking bosses. The unions must fight for a sliding scale of wages.
Lorry drivers at concrete supplier Maen Karne are striking this week in a fight for union recognition. With struggles breaking out across the construction industry, the labour movement must fight for nationalisation and workers’ control.
North Sea rig workers are mobilising and taking action over pay, jobs, and conditions. Their strikes show where the real power in the energy industry lies. The labour movement must fight to expropriate the monopolies, and put workers in control.
Unite’s EC elections have drawn to a close. Results show members want a fighting union. To deliver, the new leadership will have to transform the union into a militant, democratic one – prepared to fightback against the Tories and capitalism.
Voting is underway in the elections for the Unite executive council. A left-wing slate is standing, attempting to continue the transformation of the union that has taken place under Sharon Graham. Members should select a fighting leadership.
Workers at National Express West Midlands have won an inflation-busting pay rise, despite the bosses’ union-busting efforts, following indefinite action across the local bus network. This shows the way forward for striking workers everywhere.
With elections underway for Unite’s new executive council, a clear divide is emerging within the union. On one side is an old left calling for compromise with the bosses and Tories. On the other are grassroots activists demanding militant action.
Elections for a new executive are underway in Unite, Britain’s biggest trade union. Under Sharon Graham’s leadership, Unite has helped secure many important victories for workers. This militant approach must now be spread throughout the union.
Workers at the Fawley oil refinery are continuing their struggle over pay and conditions. With the bosses digging their heels in, it is vital that the strike spreads. The labour movement must offer solidarity and fight for workers’ control.
Dock workers in Felixstowe and Liverpool have recently taken coordinated action in struggles for real pay rises. Such tactics should be employed across the whole movement, to topple the Tories and the bosses’ system.
The last year has seen a wave of strikes across industry, with a number of important victories recorded by Unite members under Sharon Graham’s leadership. The lesson is clear: to win, workers need unity, militant action, and socialist policies.
Strikes are breaking out across Britain’s bus network, as drivers fight for decent wages and conditions. And recent victories in the North West provide a vital lesson for the whole labour movement: militancy pays.
Hundreds of dock workers have brought Britain’s busiest port to a standstill, in a dispute over pay. This shows the potential power that workers hold – a power that must be harnessed through militant struggle for a bold socialist alternative.
Unite members at Fawley refinery are fighting for a real pay rise and proper sick pay. Their determination, unity, and militancy in the face of the bosses’ attacks are an inspiration for workers in struggle everywhere.
London Arriva bus drivers staged a 48 hr strike at three garages in south London, to fight for better pay. They are an inspiration to workers everywhere in how to combat the cost of living crisis. The time has come for united action across the unions.
The strike of bin lorry drivers at Coventry city council continues to intensify, with the employers digging their heels in and the union upping the ante. Support is growing for the workers. To win, the strike must now escalate and spread.
Refuse workers at Coventry city council remain determined in their fight for fair pay. Strike-breaking antics and victimisation by the employers has only hardened the resolve. The labour movement must launch a mass fightback against austerity.
Council workers organised in Unite have voted against a pathetic below-inflation pay offer, setting the scene for strike action. Trade unions leaders must organise members to take coordinated action, and launch a militant fightback.
Refuse collection drivers in Coventry, organised in Unite, are nearing the end of their seventh week of strike action. And with the council going to great efforts to break the strike, the mood amongst the workers is growing increasingly militant.
Refuse workers at Labour-controlled Coventry city council are continuing their strike for decent pay. The employers, meanwhile, are stepping up their scandalous strike-breaking attempts. We say: Support the strikers! Victory to the workers!
The strengthening of the inquiry into Unite union officials colluding with bosses to blacklist construction workers is to be welcomed. Now Unite members must continue the struggle to fully democratise the union
Sharon Graham’s first 100 days as Unite general secretary has seen a record number of disputes for the union. As the industrial struggle heats up, isolated actions must be generalised into a political struggle to transform society.
Unite members at Weetabix are striking for four days a week over fire-and-rehire attacks. The whole labour movement must resist the bosses’ offensive. Only militant action and bold socialist policies can offer a way forward.
The recent Unite policy conference saw a unanimous vote in support of a new Clause 4, calling on Labour to fight for common ownership and democratic workers’ control. This is the bold socialist programme that the labour movement needs.
The recent Unite policy conference gave a glimpse of the changes that lie in store for the union and its members. With the bosses going on the offensive, and major industrial battles looming, the stage is set for militant action.
Scaffolders at the British Steel plant in Scunthorpe, organised in Unite, are on strike over pay. The union should escalate this action by bringing out all members on the site, and demanding nationalisation of the industry.
Union activists from across industry are meeting in Liverpool this week for the Unite policy conference. One of the key items on the agenda is the fight against the brutal fire-and-rehire tactics of the bosses. Workers need a militant response.
Asset-stripping capitalists Melrose are preparing to close down the GKN Automotive factory in Birmingham, putting over 500 jobs on the scrapheap. The only way forward is to strike and occupy, and to demand nationalisation and workers’ control.
New Unite general secretary Sharon Graham was elected on a pledge to democratise the union – including a promise to investigate potential collusion between officials and blacklisting bosses. Grassroots members must fight for democratic control.
Left-winger Sharon Graham has won the Unite general secretary race, appealing to rank-and-file members with a promise to defend jobs and conditions. Along with the recent shift to the left in Unison, this early tremor is a sign of the coming earthquakes that will shake the trade unions from top to bottom.
Having run an inspiring campaign, Howard Beckett has dropped out of the Unite general secretary race, in order to see off the right-wing threat. But union activists must continue to fight for the militant demands that Beckett has raised.
Nominations open tomorrow in the race to succeed Len McCluskey as Unite general secretary. Howard Beckett is standing on a fighting programme, both industrially and politically. It is vital that the trade union movement has a militant leadership.
Elections for the next general secretary of Unite are likely to take place next year, with Len McCluskey set to retire. Candidates are already lining up to replace him. The union needs to arm itself with a militant socialist perspective.
Delegates from Unite are meeting this week to discuss changes to the union’s rules. Amongst the proposals are several important amendments that seek to increase the democracy, transparency and accountability within Britain’s largest trade union.
At the last Unite policy conference in 2012, Britain’s biggest union marked a shift to the left, with policies calling for the nationalisation of the banks and the fight for trade union policies in the Labour Party. This leftward shift continued at the 2014 policy conference, reflecting the general growing radicalisation in society. The task now is to turn the radical and militant policies passed into action.
Unite’s leverage campaign, which Len McCluskey has organised in recent years in order to put pressure on the bosses, has been under the spotlight this week in the right wing rag the Daily Mail, which has had it on its front page every day. The press have accused Unite of bullying bosses; but these same bosses were not too worried about blacklisting or sacking workers. Alan Keays of the Blacklist Support Group points out the hypocrisy of the bosses.
We publish here a short motion that was proposed and passed at a Unite branch by Socialist Appeal supporters. The motion correctly calls for complete support in the attempts made by Unite to move the Labour Party away from the influence and control of Blairism, and bring it back to its working class roots. We encourage all of our readers to argue for these ideas within their union and Labour Party branches.
Unite – the largest trade union in Britain, with over 1.5 million members – has positioned itself as the leadership of the labour movement against the capitalist class and its political representatives in the Coalition. The radicalised mood developing from below has begun to find an expression in the words and actions of the leadership of Unite, and in particular in the figure of Len McCluskey, the current General Secretary of Unite, who is seeking to be relected.
A Socialist Appeal fringe
meeting on lessons of the Sparks’ dispute at the Unite Trade Union Policy
Conference in Brighton attracted 30 people.
Monday night in Brighton sees Socialist Appeal hosting a fringe meeting at the Unite conference.