Unity! Communists at 2012 Unite Conference
Stop the European Union, we want to get off by Anita Halpin As the capitalist crisis deepens the myth of the ‘social’ chapter, the reason so many trades unionists loyally backed the EU, lies shattered. Britain’s withdrawal from the EU is the only way to recover democratic control over the economy, save manufacturing, restore employment rights and rescue our welfare state. The EU serves the interests of big business and the banks. No wonder Cameron, Clegg and Cable support the Single Market as it enables the City of London to continue to dominate EU finance and banking. The anti-democratic and pro-big business character of the EU is now fully exposed as it replaces elected governments and the European Central Bank – with its partners in crime the International Monetary Fund and
the World Central Bank – impose drastic deflationary policies. In the USA, even Obama’s economic stimulus package created some new jobs but such investment programmes are outlawed in the EU. So it is highly unlikely that the ECB would be able or willing to replicate this for France or any other member state. The peoples of France and Greece have expressed their clear opposition to EU austerity and privatisation policies in their votes for socialist, Communist and other left candidates. Yet both François Hollande and the Greek Euro-leftist Syrzia coalition remain committed to the EU and the single currency. It is impossible to separate rejection of the austerity programme from the institutions that crafted it or to discard policies created solely to sustain those same institutions. continued overleaf
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Communists of PCS and Unite on closer links PCS and Unite are both unions on the Left of the movement. Prime movers behind the TUC demonstration in 2011, they have been clear that an alternative to both the Government’s and Labour’s acceptance of the need for austerity is possible. It is natural that both unions should seek to work together. But both are relatively new unions, still settling down. They still have right wing factions, stronger than some think. So making simplistic calculations about growing closer as many have done is maybe more awkward a matter than might at first sight have seemed. Both have many activists who are not attracted to any merger at any price, in the case of Unite after a too-long process of merger. Thus, many activists are highly suspicious of announcements about closer working. We welcome the decision of PCS's annual Delegate Conference last month to continue our closer working and this has already led to positive actions at local and TUC levels. We see this alliance as being important in bullding the opposition to the Government's continuing austerity programme. Yet Communists in Unite and PCS strongly welcome the links developed between our two unions - there is a lot to be gained from this, especially in the coming struggles in the public sector. But there are complex issues that will need to be addressed if becoming closer means more than being good friends. Any merger of any kind must have industrial and political logic and be primarily conceived for the benefit of members. Any merger must embed lay democracy within any new entity. Indeed, for us, the prime outcome of any merger must be to enhance lay democracy even further than is already the case, in both unions. Any dislocation between the respective grassroots and their leaderships and any new super-union needs meaningful structures and constitutional commitment to full participation and democracy. There is not even a simple ‘fit’ between the two that obviously arises without complications and these will need careful discussions if, down the line, the relationship does become more fulsome. indeed, the technical and political reality is that, probably, if all agree in three years time to review the possibilities for an organisational link up, that a transfer of engagements (not an equal merger requiring a ballot of both unions) would be needed for PCS to join Unite. Communists in the PCS and Unite see many of these matters, which we raise in the spirit of unity and open debate, as fundamental principles. We urge fellow progressives to consider them carefully. H