Red Scare Left Unity Conference Special

redscare

Unite PCS merger

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WO RESOLUTIONS were carried at Conference 2013 on the continuing discussions between Unite and PCS about a potential merger.

WHAT WILL THE NEW YEAR BRING THE NATIONAL CAMPAIGN? 2013 is nearly over and with it our post-conference period of reflection.

The conference-endorsed ‘Summer of Consultation’ exercise was criticised by some as a de-escalation of the National Campaign as Tory attacks on our members continued.

However, this view completely ignored the organisational difficulties which continued to plague parts of the union and the membership apathy which greeted some of the tactics that we had deployed. Recognising the realities of the campaign is vital if we are serious about winning – a point which communists in PCS have repeatedly made.

Although the need for struggle has (for the most part) never been disputed by members, confidence that we can deliver the type of action capable of getting the government’s attention is at a low ebb, partly due to the hangover of the pensions “settlement” in local government and the damage this caused to the prospects co-ordinated action members have called for.

That’s why communists supported the reevaluation of our tactics and strategy, which included the option of establishing a voluntary strike levy to fund high impact action in areas where we are strong.

On paper at least, the consultation exercise was a success. 77% of branches covering 88% of members responded to the consultation, making it statistically one of the most wide ranging consultations the union has ever run. The support for co-ordinated action with other unions remained strong and the idea of a strike levy received qualified support. However, the process also underlined the organisational problems already referred to .

Many branches reported back that little or

no appetite existed in their areas for future action without other public sector unions joining in. Whilst some of this feedback was undoubtedly genuine, it is legitimate to acknowledge that some branches appeared not to fulfil their responsibilities to meaningfully engage with members about the key questions. So while the decisions taken by the NEC at the close of the consultation were a welcome step forward and must be supported, much hard work remains to seriously grapple with organising realities on the ground if we are to ultimately make industrial progress The New Year promises to bring a new approach to fighting the government. An approach which gives the areas that want to fight a platform to do so and challenges the areas which aren’t currently up for it to organise themselves. An approach which targets the union’s resources at our strongest workplaces, branches, regions and groups to deliver the sort of hard-hitting action which will hurt the employer and government and force them in to proper negotiations. An approach which has the potential to gain some much needed victories to boost membership confidence that this weak government can be defeated. Finally, and crucially, an approach which will expose the defeatists in our activist base who revert to the ‘do nothing’ option.

Lets turn 2014 into a year of big defeats for the hated ConDems with some major industrial wins. A union win on public sector pay will damage their election campaign which will be in full swing. Its up to Left Unity activists to deliver on the strategy and hopefully give us all something to cheer at conference in 2014. H

Left Unity conference 2013

www.communist-party.org.uk

Much of the opposition dwelt narrowly on Unite’s relationship with the Labour Party from a sectarian perspective. We reject such self-indulgence not least because that relationship has altered since May and will alter further following the fallout from Falkirk and the Labour Party’s Spring Conference.

Communists in PCS welcome closer working and after careful consideration have concluded that, on balance, a Unite/PCS merger would be a positive development for members, activists and the wider movement.

We therefore believe that the time is now right to go further than the current “in principle” agreement.

The creation of Unite has altered the dynamics of the trade union movement.

With 1.25 million members it has 18% of union members with an organised presence across all sectors – private, public and voluntary. Unison have more than one million members working in local government, health and other public sector institutions including those where the distinction with the civil service is becoming blurred In this environment, medium sized unions such as PCS are finding it increasingly difficult to operate through traditional structures.

In a reaction to this, and as part of its campaign against government austerity measures. PCS has signed two agreements the first, seeking an alliance with Unison and more recently with Unite. It is no secret that the relationship with Unite has been seen as more beneficial, owing in no small part to the development of a closer political understanding and campaigning ethos.

The Unite PCS agreement commits the two unions to work together locally regionally and nationally to campaign against cuts. National joint work is intended to promote an alternative economic policy and the establishment of a liaison group of senior lay and full time officers.

Good collaborative work means that a joint fringe meeting was held at Labour’s conference. Unite and PCS along with NUT, UCU and the NPC-sponsored pension’s pamphlet. Unite and PCS sponsor CLASS and the ‘68 is too late’ campaign.

Unite and PCS are the two main unions continuing to argue for joined up united action and both unions support the People’s Assembly and People’s Charter continued overleaf

Both unions have adopted a broadly comparable interventionist political strategy In other words, despite Unite’s Labour affiliation, we are more or less on the same page from a political perspective and in respect of industrial strategy.

Organising to Win Both PCS and Unite have put organising at the core of their activities. In fact, in recent months Unite has seen a significant membership increase – 3,000 in October alone. Both are lay led unions and recognise the need to work collaboratively with community groups and form broad alliances.

A vibrant PCS within Unite would form the largest section and would have significant influence in the largest TUC affiliated union.

Our lay democratic structure would remain intact and complemented by the more localised union support and activity could grow notwithstanding the obvious efficiencies of scale that would be generated at a time when finances are likely to come under increasing pressure.

Our quarter of a million members would be complemented by 150,000 current members of Unite based in the public sector.

This, together with the emergence of active community Branches would provide an exciting opportunity for a real joined up and united public sector fightback.

Government, both before and after the 2010 election, increasingly sees the public sector and their private sector off shoots – such as G4S and SERCO - as one industry.

No longer do they see the central state as being separate from local government and we must do the same and maintain structures dynamic enough to allow us to respond quickly to multiple attacks from different directions. .

The Communist Party has traditionally supported union mergers where they make industrial and political sense. It is not clear that Unite and PCS membership overlap enough to produce an overwhelming logic.

However, a combined membership of over 1.5 million across all sectors would be a significant force IF we can be sure that the politics of the merged union were of the left and active.

A pre requisite of any merger is membership democracy and accountability.

Assuming these principles are maintained throughout the discussions – and that we avoid merely creating a union within a union, we have concluded that the exceptional threat to the movement requires a clear and demonstrable unity of purpose among those sections of our movement prepared to fight.

An orderly merger between two unions with proud records will benefit us all.

Redscare is a sister publication of Unity! and is produced for Communists in PCS

by Communist Party Media

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