GMB delegates met earlier this month in Nottingham for their annual conference. The mood of anger that is bubbling away in society was reflected by the motions and debates at conference, where arguments were made against the Bedroom Tax and zero-hour contracts, for a living wage, and for a fight from the Labour Party against the anti-trade union laws and austerity.
GMB delegates met earlier this month in Nottingham for their annual conference. The mood of anger that is bubbling away in society was reflected by the motions and debates at conference, where arguments were made against the Bedroom Tax and zero-hour contracts, for a living wage, and for a fight from the Labour Party against the anti-trade union laws and austerity.
As a whole, however, Congress was more subdued than in the previous few years. This year saw the return of section conferences, with the break halfway through dampening down the initial adrenaline. In addition, it seemed that certain sectors went to section conference rather than Congress, reducing the impact of some very good motions that have a relevance to the whole union. Meanwhile, Congress arrangements seemed to go awry this year: whilst one or two late finishes can be expected from a week of conferences, the consistently overrun schedule was a display of poor organising and led to a more tepid affair.
Need for a fighting, socialist alternative from Labour
Union strategy was visible with regard to next year’s elections and Mary Turner GMB President’s call for a “manifesto that represents the spirit of ‘45” was well received.
Paul Kenny General Secretary reaffirmed the need for change announcing “New Labour’s Dead”, “it’s possible for us to recapture the Labour Party for working class people”. In appearance these words were very powerful; but in reality it is nothing more than a paper tiger. GMB members are used to radical noises from the leadership; what is needed, however, is militant action and fighting leadership.
The truth and validity of Labour’s policies were disputed, with many motions calling on socialist policies and working class people to take back the party.
Paul Kenny again declared that the British people have:
“been rocked by the scandals and lies and abuses of power from bankers to media moguls, from politicians to senior police officers”
“we have seen unfold before us in recent years their greedy boot filling antics finally laid bare for all to see”.
A motion followed calling for the GMB to cut all its funding to the Labour Party, except the affiliation fee, if the Party did not put forward a radical programme. The motion was rejected with a small number of delegates supporting. Instead we see that the GMB, like Unite the Union, have campaigned to get more GMB members, who have real experience of the actual conditions for working people, into government at all levels. The task of the leadership is to equip trade unionists with a socialist programme that they can argue for inside the Labour Party and the wider labour movement.
Congress highlighted some of those successes in raising the Labour vote in Peterborough, and also in Harrow, which gave the sitting Tory councillor the fright of their lives. In Yorkshire, seven out of eight seats seeking candidates chose a GMB member, and in Islington Council, GMB candidates put forward a programme of bringing services back into public control, free services for the young and over 60s, and a policy of giving no contracts to companies involved in blacklisting.
Against austerity and anti-trade union laws; for socialist policies
Over the week there were some very good motions from delegates. One motion on zero-hour contracts drew Rachel Reeves MP – the Shadow Minister for Work and Pensions – against a spirited chair, affording her no escape. Reeves said she could only commit to stopping abuses and not to getting rid of zero-hour contracts altogether. This again demonstrates how far behind the real mood in society the Labour leaders are, as the majority of people are against the use of zero-hour contracts completely.
Motions followed unanimously in favour of raising the minimum wage above the value of a living wage. A fringe meeting was held by GMB and CLASS (the Centre for Labour and Social Studies) entitled “Back to the future: an eight hour day and £10 per hour”.This was enthusiastically received by many delegates who attended; however, some considered these demands to be utopian, which indeed they are under a capitalist system in crisis. Only by taking the wealth and productive forces in society under democratic and public ownership can basics demands such as these be met.
Socialist Appeal supporter Ben Kirkham moved composite motions on “anti-trade union laws and trade union rights”, calling for an immediate return to the level of duty time for shop stewards, along with a campaign for mass co-ordinated and sustained action to resist and oppose any attempt by the government to further regulate the already anti-trade union laws. Instead of capitulating to Tory taunts, trade unionists should call for the Labour leaders to galvanise the entire labour movement against the Coalition’s austerity programme, arguing for a genuine alternative of socialist policies.
This was followed by supporters moving and seconding a motion on “The Bilderberg Group and Labour MP’s”, calling for the Labour Party NEC to investigate the links between any Labour MP’s and the Bilderberg Group, the bourgeois group of politicians, financiers, and industrialists. The motion called to expel those MP’s and members associated with this right-wing group. Seconding the motion, Ben Kirkham related it to Labour’s NEC investigations of ‘Progress’ and the stark contrast to the show trial of the Militant Editorial Board in 1983, who were expelled from the Party.
The subject of the Bedroom Tax didn’t require much debate amongst delegates, and a composite motion applauded the decision by the Labour Party to scrap it if it returns in 2015.
The question of energy was well covered; but whilst the GMB enjoy a long and fruitful relationship with British Gas, with Susan Hooper, Managing Director for services at British Gas, being invited to Congress, the CEC Special Report for Energy & Utilities that was to be given by Ben Kirkham was withdrawn.
For militant action and a fighting leadership
UKIP seemed to be the joke of the week, with Paul Kenny again saying:
“Exploitation – don’t blame the exploited; damn those who exploit. This has been repeated up and down the country over recent years. And that is part of the discontent that UKIP turn into xenophobic rhetoric to win votes. So please look past the simplistic tag and face the challenge of exploitation. Lets reach out to those migrant workers, not to attack them, but to organise and protect.”
On Scottish Independence, Congress voted to support the No Campaign in the referendum. A number of Scottish delegates, however, had an understable objection to the No Campaign, which has seen the Labour leaders ally themselves to the Tories and fail to provide a genuine alternative. These delegates sympathised with the Yes Campaign, claiming that they “never elected the Tories” and “Independence would give people the government they elected”. This shows the open goal that the Labour leaders are missing: if Miliband and co. were to offer a socialist alternative, they could unite workers north and south of the border in a common fight against the Tory-led Coalition and their programme of austerity.
The last day of congress saw a visit and address from Ed Miliband. The questions asked following his address posed no real challenge to Miliband, with questions on zero-hours, anti-trade union laws and trade union rights, and energy not putting any real pressure on Miliband.
Many changes await the GMB and its members over the next year: a new general secretary; a new President; the 2015 general election. What is certain is that there is a need for a fighting leadership, not simply against the immediate attacks on workers, or just for crumbs off the table, but for a socialist programme that puts an end to crisis, cuts, and austerity altogether.
