Alternative search
Youth and workers demonstrate - Youth fight for Jobs demo, Visteon occupation, Birmingham council workers strike, photos P Mattsson, S O Neill
Youth Fight for Jobs demo in Barking, 13 March 2010, photo Aleksandrs Ivanov

Home|Join|Contact|Donate|Subscribe|Campaigns|News|Policy|Marxism|Videos|The Socialist|Socialism Today|Books|Links

Join the Socialist Party Join us today!

Printable version Printable version

email to friend email to friend

Share tools Share

Link to this page: http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/issue/567/6939

The Socialist 18 February 2009

Usdaw presidential election: The campaign they tried to hide

With the votes now counted, we can confirm that Socialist Party member Robbie Segal got a very respectable 10,000 members' votes for the position of president of Usdaw. That was half of the votes cast for the winning candidate in the fourth biggest union in the country!

Alex Gounelas

Robbie was also reelected onto the executive council (EC) with nearly 500 more votes than the next person and despite a dramatic increase in the number of members standing for election in the south.

With a turnout of 9% and a muted campaign overall to say the least, it is hardly surprising that the incumbent president, the New Labourite Jeff Broome, got re-elected. He had the entire union machinery backing him. It is disgraceful that the election was hardly mentioned to the majority of members. No debates were allowed and the only available official election material for Robbie was the ballot paper itself.

10,000 leaflets were distributed by Socialist Party members and others on the left in Usdaw, getting an overwhelmingly supportive response.

Robbie stood for president following her 40% vote in the general secretary election in 2008. She has been standing on a platform of opposing any job losses in the retail sector and was the only person on the EC to raise the demand for nationalisation of Woolworths.

While she was issuing press releases and contacting workers about the need to demand the companies open their books and show us where the money has gone, the Usdaw leaders were falling over themselves to take part in debates and interviews, arguing that nothing could be done.

Robbie's demands have been focusing on the urgent need for Usdaw to give retail workers a strategy to fight the barrage of job losses and attacks on terms and conditions. Retail is one of the main industries in the firing line, bearing a large part of the brunt of the economic crisis.

Robbie pledged to launch a campaign to raise the minimum wage to £8 an hour from age 16 to retirement, which got an enthusiastic response from members struggling to make ends meet.

Robbie says: "What shopworkers need isn't collaboration with New Labour and the bosses but a strong democratic fighting leadership. I will continue the struggle and now with a stronger left network of activists behind me, we are heading for our most successful ADM [conference] for a long time. The voice of the members won't fall on deaf ears for much longer."

  • Votes: Jeff Broome: 19,962
  • Robbie Segal: 10,559

In this issue

Fight back now to stop job cuts

Anger as jobs slashed with an hour's notice

Car workers' jobs slaughter - begin the fightback!

Defend every job on the tube

Construction workers protest: Staythorpe power station

Isle of Grain picket

Meeting on Lindsey oil refinery dispute: Workers strike back

Why the bosses don't want an organised workforce


Socialist Students

Stop fees

Students protest against attacks on Gaza

'Books not Bombs' at Nottingham

Concessions won at Queen Mary university


Socialist Party editorial

New Labour in blind panic

Regulators resign over financial meltdown


Sport

London Olympics battered by economic crisis


Socialist Party campaigns

Yahya must stay Defend Saudi Arabian trade unionist from deportation

Coventry: Hands off our youth services!

Political vendetta against Tommy Sheridan

Wirral cuts: Fighting 'cultural terrorism'

Fast news


Socialist Party feature

Defend the welfare state


International socialist news and analysis

Israel: Election results indicate a deepening political crisis

Costa Rica: Urgent solidarity action for unionists


Socialist Party workplace news and analysis

Manchester Unison elections: Left candidates well supported

Usdaw presidential election: The campaign they tried to hide

Usdaw Activist public meeting

Fight the Unison witch-hunt

Launch of new broad left for Unite


 

Home   |   The Socialist 18 February 2009   |   Join the Socialist Party

Subscribe   |   Donate   |   Bookshop






Related links:

Usdaw:

Support for No2EU at Usdaw conference

Usdaw Activist public meeting

Usdaw presidential election

Stop job cuts

For a fighting Usdaw leadership

Election:

TUSC General Election Launch Rally

Fight the cuts, not union members

Michael Foot - the end of an era

Socialist:

Fight For Your Rights - Against Prejudice, Discrimination & Inequality

After The Elections - Why We Need A New Workers Party

Robbie Segal:

Shop workers need a fighting trade union leadership

Socialist Party:

Leytonstone Socialist Party International Women's Day meeting

Leeds Socialist Party International Womens Day public meeting

News

News

10/3/10

Youth Fight for Jobs

Youth Fight for Jobs demonstrations

10/3/10

TUSC

Young voters need real change

 Latest Posts

600 rally in support of 'sussex six' suspended students

Fight the cuts, not union members

Debate on women's oppression: Socialists propose solutions

Hands off our NHS!

Protest against Unison dawn raids 15th March

Youth Fight for Jobs demonstrations

Young voters need real change

Tower Block of Commons

More ...

 What's On

13 Mar Youth Fight for Jobs Manchester demo

Youth Fight for Jobs

13 Mar Youth Fight For Jobs demonstration Barking, London

15 Mar Don't let Unison democracy go up in smoke!

15 Mar Leeds Socialist Party International Womens Day public meeting

16 Mar Question Time - not the BBC version

18 Mar University day of action against cuts, job losses and fees

More ...

On this site

News and views

Socialist news

Socialist policies

Marxist analysis

What we stand for

Online publications

The Socialist

Current issue

Previous issues

Subscribe to The Socialist

email The Socialist

Anti-capitalist cartoons

Socialism Today

Current issue

Back issues

Subscribe

Contact Socialism Today

Video and Audio

Current campaign videos

Historic struggles on video

You can

Join the Socialist Party

Learn more about joining

Donate: help us campaign

Send your comments

Subscribe to The Socialist

Young socialists

Youth Fight For Jobs

Youth and Students

Visit the ISR website

Socialist Students website

Campaign

Anti-capitalism

Anti-war campaign

Anti-privatisation

Campaign for a new workers party (CNWP)

Election campaigns

Environment

NHS campaign

Socialist women

Workplace campaigns

Youth and Students

More ...

International

Africa

Americas

Asia Pacific

Europe

Middle East

South Asia

Socialist Councillors

Socialist Councillors

Election campaigns

Coventry

Huddersfield

Lewisham

 Socialist Party groups

Black and Asian

Socialist Party LGBT

Socialist women

Socialist Party in Unison

Socialist Party PCS news

Questions

What is Socialism?

What About Russia?

Socialism and Terrorism

What is Marxism?

Which Countries are socialist?

Bookshop

Buy socialist books online

Read online publications

Index of books

 Socialist Party docs

Perspectives for Britain and the world 2009

British Perspectives 2008

British Perspectives 2007

British Perspectives 2006


Categories

1-9 

1-9 


Select articles from month:

March 2010

February 2010

January 2010

December 2009

November 2009

October 2009

September 2009

August 2009

July 2009

June 2009

May 2009

April 2009

March 2009

February 2009

January 2009

December 2008

November 2008

October 2008

September 2008

August 2008

July 2008

June 2008

May 2008

April 2008

March 2008

February 2008

January 2008

December 2007

November 2007

October 2007

September 2007

August 2007

July 2007

June 2007

May 2007

April 2007

March 2007

February 2007

January 2007

December 2006

November 2006

October 2006

September 2006

August 2006

July 2006

June 2006

May 2006

April 2006

March 2006

February 2006

January 2006

December 2005

November 2005

October 2005

September 2005

August 2005

July 2005

June 2005

May 2005

April 2005

March 2005

February 2005

January 2005

December 2004

November 2004

October 2004

September 2004

August 2004

July 2004

June 2004

May 2004

April 2004

March 2004

February 2004

January 2004