Labour attacks RMT

Fight For New Workers Party

THE LABOUR Party’s threat to expel the railworkers’
union, RMT, is a serious attack on all unions considering loosening or
breaking their links with the Labour Party.

Ken Smith

The Labour Party has instructed the RMT that unless it
immediately revokes its decision to ratify Scottish branches affiliating to
the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP), it will have "placed itself outside
the constitution of this party" and at the "earliest
opportunity" it will recommend that "the RMT be treated as
disaffiliated from this party forthwith."

The RMT has called a special annual general meeting in
Glasgow on 6 February in response and RMT general secretary Bob Crow has
called on branches to hold special meetings to discuss the issue.

Socialist Party members in RMT are arguing, in a special
edition of their industry bulletin, The Redline, that the RMT should
reaffirm its decision to allow Scottish branches and its Scottish regional
council to continue to affiliate to the SSP.

RMT and other unions like ASLEF and FBU, supported Ken
Livingstone after his expulsion from the Labour Party. They have also
supported other non-Labour candidates, including John Marek in Wrexham, for
over a year now. Clearly, Labour’s leadership are trying to isolate Bob Crow
and RMT and make an example of them to other unions. The issue of the union
link with Labour will be hotly debated at the FBU conference in May, after
the experience of last year’s firefighters’ dispute.

Government ministers will also be hoping that they can
use the RMT’s right wing to try and remove Bob Crow as general secretary,
as they did with Mick Rix in ASLEF, with the help of the employers.

Rix’s replacement, Shaun Brady, is already showing his
pro-boss stance by attacking ASLEF headquarters staff’s pay and conditions.
He has threatened a lock out and the employment of non-union, agency scab
labour if they take strike action.

Labour wants pro-capitalist compliance as they try to
deal with the serious crisis in the rail industry. Bob Crow and the RMT
leadership are undoubtedly a thorn in the government’s side.

It’s likely that the special RMT conference will
reaffirm the branches’ decision to affiliate to the SSP. But the big
question is what happens after that?

There are clear dangers that the RMT’s right wing will
claim the union will lose all influence in the rail industry by not being
affiliated to the Labour Party. And they will probably attempt to stir
things up amongst rank-and-file rail workers, complaining about the
irrelevance of the ‘politicos’ at the top of the union, who should be
fighting for decent pay, conditions, the renationalisation and reintegration
of the rail industry etc. This was certainly a theme in Shaun Brady’s
campaign to oust Mick Rix, although the right wing will not effectively
campaign on these issues.

It was also the case in the broadcasting union BECTU.
There, activists forced the executive to hold a referendum on affiliation to
Labour. Union leaders warned of dire consequences for the British film
industry if the union disaffiliated. Eventually the union upheld its
affiliation by a margin of over three to one in a membership ballot.

Some on the RMT executive are raising the idea of a
membership ballot to reaffirm the decision to support the SSP. However, the
most immediate step is for the union to reaffirm its conference decision and
then prepare a wider consultation of the membership.

Given the experience of the BECTU ballot, there would be
an almighty avalanche of propaganda in the capitalist media aimed at
influencing the result of any RMT referendum or ballot. Whilst activists can
withstand that, there has to be a campaign to reach all layers of the union.

There will not be sufficient time between now and the 6
February conference to discuss fully what comes next if Labour carries out
its threat. Instead, Socialist Party members will argue that a full
discussion should continue in the branches after the special delegate
conference to ensure that the union comes up with a clear policy. We believe
this should include continuing to support candidates outside the Labour
Party and organising a conference, with other interested union bodies, to
discuss the setting up of a new mass working-class political party.

This will help prepare the RMT for making a clear break,
avoiding any ambiguity about the union being stranded in a political
wilderness, isolated from other unions.

There is a developing mood amongst rank-and-file trade
unionists for a clear break from Labour. If the threatened expulsion is
carried out, then RMT members and leadership must seize the opportunity to
pose a clear alternative, through calling a conference of trade unions aimed
at taking steps towards establishing a new mass party of the working class.
The RMT’s forerunner played that role over 100 years ago in forcing the
unions to break from Liberalism and establish the Labour Party. It must not
shy away from the same task of breaking from Labour in the 21st century.

Model Resolution for RMT branches:

This branch reaffirms the position taken at last year’s
annual general meeting, allowing branches to affiliate and support political
organisations other than the Labour Party.

We believe this decision represents the best interests
of RMT members; and the Labour Party’s arrogant threat to now expel our
union shows how out of touch with working people this Blairite, bosses’
party has now become.

If the Labour Party goes ahead with this decision, after
our special conference on 6 February, then our union should prepare a full
discussion amongst all members to show how the RMT could play an important
role in building a political alternative to represent the interests of
working people.

We reaffirm our support for individuals and parties who
are standing in elections and who take a clear working-class position in
their election material against Labour.

Finally, we call on the council of executives/annual
general meeting to call a conference by the end of this year, inviting other
trade unions and trade union bodies, to discuss the establishment of a new
mass party of the working class.