Back to main newsCommunist Party congress: 'Unions must force new Labour to change'
Tue 27 May 2008
Author: ANN DOUGLASCommunist Party congress: COMMUNIST Party delegates overwhelmingly backed an emergency statement placed by the outgoing leadership calling on the trade unions to take decisive action to force changes in government policy.
"The labour movement has not challenged new Labour policies sufficiently, offering a kind of timid appeasement," declared Rick Newnham (Cardiff), moving the document.
"We have seen the Warwick fiasco, acceptance of the suspension of internal Labour Party democracy and a failure to get behind John McDonnell's leadership challenge."
The document urges the unions to demand immediate restoration of Labour conference democracy, to withhold financial donations over and above their affiliation fees until the leadership accepts the need for change in a number of specific areas, to use their voting power effectively in the party and to target funding on candidates that back labour movement policies.
Andrew Murray (North London) pointed out that 90 per cent of Labour funding currently comes from trade unions, since the rich have reverted to funding the Tories.
John Foster (Scottish committee) said that the statement does not mean that the game is up for Labour. "We now have the best chance for 20 years to defeat the right-wing grip. The neoliberal approach is in disarray," he stressed.
Brian Mien (Cumbria) believed that Labour had moved too far to the right to be saved.
"It is losing members at such a rate that it soon won't be the mass party of the labour movement."
Tom Burr (South London) warned that, "if we're unsuccessful in changing the Labour Party, we'll never succeed in building another mass party. Break-up of the Labour Party would be disastrous."
Martin Levy (Northern District) expressed his anger at new Labour speakers who address labour movement forums and then leave before taking criticism.
"They should be told that, unless you take action, we won't bankroll you," he said.
Bill Greenshields (Derbyshire) welcomed recent co-ordinated strike action by the National Union of Teachers, PCS civil servants and Birmingham UNISON local government workers.
"Mass action will have more effect on the Labour Party than any amount of millions handed over to the party," he said. "Crewe showed that workers won't tolerate the situation."
Andy Chaffer (Birmingham) opposed, insisting that the statement was "badly timed." The incoming executive should be asked to react to the new situation.
John Haylett (William Rust) told opponents of the statement that it was not about breaking labour movement unity. It was about demanding a serious response to a critical situation.
He pointed out that public-service unions have donated millions to the Labour Party, but the government persists with privatisation and imposing effective wage cuts on union members.
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