CWU needs a political fund but also political representation
The Communication Workers Union (CWU) is this month balloting all members on whether to retain its political fund.
All trade unions with such a fund legally have to hold a full postal ballot every ten years.
Recent CWU campaigns, including opposing Royal Mail privatisation, the remote sourcing of BT call centres and post office closures, have relied heavily on the political fund.
The union leadership, recognising the anger towards the Labour Party from rank and file members, has stated that: “Political fund review ballots are not about affiliation to the Labour Party.”
Labour allowed the Con-Dem government to privatise the Royal Mail without so much as a whimper.
The Labour leadership went further by overturning the decision of its conference to renationalise the service if it wins the 2015 general election!
The CWU should run a separate poll over its affiliation to the Labour Party.
It is important that trade union members have a political voice. For that reason the Socialist Party supports the retention of the political fund.
But this support is alongside campaigning for disaffiliation from the pro-austerity Labour Party and laying the foundations for a new mass workers’ party.
