Fighting for Trade Union Democracy
May 16: Fighting
for Trade Union Democracy
Alec Thraves (Swansea
Trades Council delegate)
This year's Wales
TUC, meeting in Llandudno from 19-21st May looks likely to be the last annual
conference.
Frustrated and angered at the barrage of criticism aimed at New Labours' big
business agenda each year, Brown's trade union lackeys in Wales are proposing
making the Wales TUC a biennial conference with a toothless 'Campaigning and
Strategy Seminar' meeting in the year between conferences.
This blatant manoeuvre to remove a democratic, motion based, annual conference
will be vociferously opposed by the Trades Councils and a number of the smaller
unions but the block vote of just a handful of the big unions will probably
ensure it gets through.
Opposition to attacks
Looking at the agenda
of this year's conference adequately explains why the trade union bureacracy
in Wales want to stop debate and discussion.
Motions opposing the Government
jump out in every debate. Opposition to Royal Mail privatisation, taking over
full control of the banks under state control, socialist nationalisation of
companies that fold, re-nationalise public utilities - the list goes on and
on!
The RMT's motion to repeal the anti trade union laws takes on a more significant
importance this year with the sacking of Linamar convener Rob Williams, who
as a delegate from Swansea Trades Council will be moving an emergency motion
of support from the Wales TUC to reverse this brutal sacking.Euro
Elections
Coming just
before the European elections, conference will also be a platform for delegates
to expose the undemocratic, neo Liberal Eurpoean Union.
The RMT's electoral alliance, No"EU - Yes to Democracy will undoubtedly
get a sympathetic hearing from rank and file delegates at the conference and
at the lunchtime fringe meeting (Details below).
If this is to become the final annual conference of the Wales TUC then Socialist
Party members who are delegates, along with other trade union militans will
make sure it goes out with a bang!
Nevertheless, the real work of the trade union movement will continue in the
day to day struggles in the workplaces across Wales led by a new generation
of socialist fighters.
The Wales TUC
Annual Conference demonstrated as in previous years the failure of New Labour
in Government to win the support of ordinary trade unionists. Support for
New Labour was restricted to the top layer of full time officials, below whom
a growing number of lay trade unionists oppose New Labour, with the Socialist
Party clearly emerging as the leading force to the left of New Labour in the
Welsh Trade Union Movement.
Before Conference had started the leadership suffered a considerable defeat
in their anti democratic move to shift the Conference from an Annual event
to a Biennial one (see story below)
The pre-Conference General Council meeting heard the baleful news that for
the second year running the UNISON Delegation had overturned the recommendation
of their leadership by voting to oppose the Rule Change, forcing a sheepish
Wales TUC General Secretary to inform Conference the following day that the
Rule Change was withdrawn in favour of a ‘ root and branch examination
of WTUC structure.’
One Delegate’s name was to dominate the entire proceedings at Llandudno-
that of Socialist Party member Rob Williams who as convenor at the Linamar
car plant Swansea had been sacked arbitrarily. Rob attended Conference as
part of the Swansea Trades Council delegation and his sacking evoked great
anger and support for his position from delegates.
He joined Bob Crow and fellow list candidate Rob Griffith at a ‘No 2
the EU Yes to DEMOCRACY ‘ lunch time fringe meeting attended by 50 delegates
where he condemned his treatment by management and contrasted the hypocrisy
where he and his fellow workers were branded as ‘lawbreakers’
while the real criminal Linimar’s Chief Executive Brian Wade was allowed
to get away scot free. Rob’s comment that the ‘No to the EU list
was the only opportunity that trade unionists would have on the 4th June to
cast a vote against the Tory / New Labour anti union laws went down well at
this meeting.
In the Conference itself the Emergency Motion opposing his sacking was moved
by Rob on behalf of Swansea Trades Council and seconded by Len Mcluskey Deputy
Secretary of UNITE, and passed unanimously following which every delegate
stood up for Rob and a bucket collection for the Hardship Fund raised over
£380.
On the Conference floor some of the programme of the Socialist Party on the
Recession was accepted, as was our position on Welfare ‘reform’
and Royal Mail privatisation, despite the General Council asking Conference
to reject!
Where our position was voted down it was never by a large margin as it usually
carried with it the support of unions such as RMT, PCS, and UCU and a majority
of Trades Councils.
By the end of Conference 48 copies of ‘The Socialist’ had been
sold and £220 raised for the Fighting Fund. We left Llandudno confident
of victories in current and future battles compared with the sense of foreboding
felt by the Bureaucracy.