Gary Drabble , Sheffield Socialist Party
Over 40 people – 27 in person and 14 on Zoom, including 16 non-members, attended the Sheffield Socialist Party Branch open meeting on 25 August. They heard guest speaker Joe Howard, assistant branch secretary of transport union RMT, talk about their current dispute and the need for solidarity and working-class unity.
This was followed by a speech on ‘General Strikes, the lessons of 1926 and what it means for us today’ by a member of the civil service union PCS and the Socialist Party.
The lively discussion that followed included contributions on the role of the trade union leadership and how we should organise within the unions. It also raised the need for a new workers’ party and building for the National Shop Stewards Network lobby of the TUC on 11 September.
Following the meeting, two people have joined the Socialist Party, bringing the total to seven new members in three weeks, reflecting the changing class
consciousness.
In addition, a further non-member has agreed to stand as a candidate for the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition in the 2023 local elections, meaning we already have 15 candidates for 28 of the Sheffield wards up for election.
