07.02.2002

United we stand?

The left always seem to struggle when there is a debate around the issue of trade unions. Although the February 5 public meeting organised by Bristol Socialist Alliance was advertised as 'Should the unions fund New Labour?', and local trade unionists were mailed about the event, the actual debate focused more on union failings. Liz Davies informed everyone of how she sat and watched union leaders sell out to Labour, how Labour was pro-privatisation, and how the Enron scandal shows just how much big business sets the tune to which the government dances. The last two points were relevant to the question, but the masses largely focused on the first, she said. Phil Jones of Unison described the "fantastic shift" taking place in society by using an example of a Labour parliamentary secretary who was starting to think that people should not pay the political levy. Whilst many evangelical Socialist Workers Party members agreed, most people were of the opinion that one swallow does not a summer make and, as social shifts go, this example was up there with the Sinclair C5. One comrade stated that the union movement has never achieved anything, and that we should focus on the working class. Whilst a lone voice, the fact that he was able to view these as two separate sections of society, consisting of different people, goes to show just how intelligent most of the debate was: most contributions centred on how the union leaders were useless and anti-working class. Many stated that the lay membership should stand up to them and demand the funding go to those who stood up for union principles. In my opinion attacking union leaders and blaming them for all that is wrong simply serves to perpetuate the idea that we need leaders to do it for us, and the only reason we have not got what we want is because we have the wrong leaders. Attempting to create an atmosphere of 'them and us' is not a socialist method. Divide and rule is a capitalist tool that all socialists should be against. The fact is that in order to change where the political fund goes, the majority of the members must agree. This means taking the message to the members, engaging with them, getting them and convincing them of the arguments. People will only fight for what they believe in. Hopefully the March 16 SA union conference will seek to achieve this, and not be an extension of what was on offer here. Gavin Brooks