Anti-privatisation conference

Contents

Appendix:

Below is part of the statement proposed to the national conference of public-sector trade union delegates in London on 24 November 2001, organised by the following Union Broad Lefts: Left Unity (PCS civil service union), United Left (UNISON), Socialist Teachers Alliance (National Union of Teachers), CDFU (National Union of Teachers), Communication Workers’ Broad Left (CWU, Communication Workers Union), NATFHE Rank and File The committee is now called Trade Unionists Against Privatisation (TUAP).

This conference agrees that we should campaign for the following policies in all the trade unions represented at this conference today:

*The bringing back into public ownership all services and industries privatised by Tory and Labour government over the past two decades.

*That there should be no compensation to the fat cats who have made millions out of privatisation.

*That workers such as those in Railtrack who were given shares in lieu of wages should receive full compensation.

*That any worker who loses out in their pension entitlements through re-nationalisation should be individually compensated because pensions represent the deferred wages of those workers.

*That any shareholder who wants compensation should only receive it on the basis of proven need.

*That all publicly owned services should be fully funded, accountable and democratically controlled.

To assist achieving these demands we agree to the following :

*To mobilise maximum support for all workers who are in opposition to the privatisation and are taking industrial action in defence of their wages and conditions.

* To campaign for and lobby a special one-day TUC conference on the public sector.

* To demand at that lobby that public-sector trade unions organise-national action against privatisation -including a national demonstration in spring 2002.

* In the event that the TUC or any national trade union .are unwilling to organise a national demo, the liaison committee will draw up plans for its own national event and campaign for the widest possible support in the unions, trades councils and community campaigns.

*To fight within our respective unions for national industrial action in support of members involved in struggles against privatisation.

*To co-ordinate a campaign across the unions for the official unions to organise a one-day, public-sector strike against privatisation.

*To co-ordinate the above we agree to set up a liaison committee consisting of up to three delegates from each trade union Broad Left.

*The committee will have the responsibility to organise the lobby of the TUC, to circulate material of struggles against privatisation and to co-ordinate future rank-and-file conferences against privatisation.