The Socialist 19 June 2013

Cuts can be beaten!

Cuts can be beaten!

Why we're going to the NSSN conference: Coventry communications workers

Fight the Tories for right to a decent education system

Student loans threat: Action needed on student debt mountain

Lowest living standards in a decade

Sir 'sell-out' Brendan

Them & Us

We can beat the bedroom tax - Supplement to the Socialist

Let's axe the bedroom tax

Turkey: Eyewitness to Erdogan's state terror

Southampton byelection: Labour vote halved

Fire cuts - public will support strike action

Stopping the BNP from meeting

Home care: Cuts and outsourcing equal abuse

Wales campaigners fight for NHS

Socialist Party news

Bin workers strike for seven days

NUT members strike to defend teaching assistant posts

Housing support workers say 'enough is enough'

Unison Local Government conference: Leadership faces delegates' anger

Support for socialist alternative to pro-cuts New Labour at GMB conference

Wales Shop Stewards' Network conference

Workplace news in brief

Budding trade unionists and passionate Chartists

BBC 'unbalanced' on Liverpool 47

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Link to this page: https://www.socialistparty.org.uk/issue/770/16910

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Support for socialist alternative to pro-cuts New Labour at GMB conference

Ryan Aldred, Socialist Party Plymouth branch

On 2-6 June, Plymouth hosted the annual GMB union conference. Socialist Party members, who set up a stall outside, were generally met with a very positive response from GMB delegates. 50 delegates bought copies of the Socialist.

Les Woodward, part of the Remploy Consortium, said he really enjoyed the conference: "Remploy fired up passionate debate. Renationalising Remploy and reopening branches was well received."

Remploy factory closures have made 3,500 disabled people unemployed. Brian Davies, a Remploy worker for 33 years, now works for the GMB.

He remarked that "spirits were raised with some good discussions, people have not forgotten the Remploy workers".

Brian supported the call for a 24-hour general as a step towards further action "until we get rid of this lot!" Brian was also supportive of a motion to break ties with the Labour Party, and backed the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition.

Cut the link

Charlene Sibley, a domestic at Derriford hospital, said she was dissatisfied with Labour's betrayal of the trade unions, through their inaction regarding the anti-union legislation.

Charlene said: "I would [support a motion to cut ties and funding], I have been pushing to have all funding cut."

It is clear that there is dissatisfaction with GMB's funding of Labour, with rank and file union members expressing more than a little concern about Labour's ability to represent working class people.

These seeds of dissent are being nurtured by Ed Miliband's recent announcement that Labour will not reverse the cuts.

Ryan is standing as a TUSC candidate in Plymouth council's Southway ward on 27 June. Ryan is a young member of the local Unite union community branch, a former participant in the Occupy movement and recently elected as a delegate to the Plymouth trades council.

In this issue

Socialist Party news and analysis

Cuts can be beaten!