PARLIAMENTARY COLUMN

Parliamentary column I would like to start by thanking RMT and its membership for the hard work and sheer dedication displayed over the last 11 months in our campaign for the Labour leadership. Thanks to the commitment of activists, the campaign lifted the hearts of experienced activists and inspired a new generation of enthusiastic, skilled and innovative campaigners. Although the Parliamentary Labour Party blocked an election, the campaign significantly enhanced the profile of socialist ideas in the movement and wider public despite a historically low level the organisation and consciousness of the left in the Labour Party and the unions. This undoubtedly increased recruitment, re-engagement, organisation and activity. The fear was always that a campaign which failed to secure nomination or significant electoral support would disillusion many existing and new supporters, leaving the Left in no better condition than if a challenge for the leadership had never been mounted. So far, this fear does not seem to have been proved the case, but unless we seize the moment the enthusiasm and activist base, status and momentum created by the campaign could rapidly be dissipated. One of the strengths of our campaign was its open, non-sectarian approach. We never turned anyone away and we worked in solidarity on a principled basis with so many other campaigns and on such a range of issues from asylum rights to individual industrial disputes. It is clear that the Brown premiership will mean little change on a number of fronts with the result that confrontations will occur and continue at every level. Already, major industrial disputes are looming and large scale campaigns are developing on the environment, civil liberties, Iraq, Trident, and public service cuts and privatisation. The left in the labour and trade union movement needs to position itself as a key ally and resource for these campaigns and for those participating in these struggles, building wider solidarity by linking together campaigns, trade unions, community organisations and activists wherever possible. A key element of future campaigning must be the facilitating of the political debate leading to a shared understanding and analysis of this real world, also stimulating a ferment of detailed policy debate, research, and development. To kick off a debate on political analysis, we are organising a speaking tour based upon the ‘Another World is Possible’ booklet which I have written. This will bring together a much wider range of people interested in developing a shared understanding of the world and the potential way forward. The Labour Representation Committee will be organising fringe events at the TUC and Labour Party conferences to engage with the movement and to make clear its proposals in the run up to the LRC’s annual conference in October from which we must go forward with a detailed programme of work. I very much hope that RMT activists will play a central role in building a vibrant and campaigning labour movement that can unite around campaigns to achieve our aims on trade union rights, the renationalisation of the railways, pulling the troops out of Iraq – and ultimately of putting socialism back on the political map. Another World is Possible is available online at www.l-r-c.org.uk or send a cheque for £2.50 (inc p&p) to ‘Labour Representation Committee’, PO Box 2378, London, E5 9QU John McDonnell MP for Hayes and Harlington BUILDING A MOVEMENT RMTnews :: june/july 2007 :: www.rmt.org.uk 9 R MT has won the re- instatement of a retail service manager working for Virgin Trains. The company re-instated the member on appeal following a request for a ballot for industrial action from fellow workers over the sacking. The member had been dismissed after he was not informed of changes to his work pattern leading to the absence of a retail manager on a train. Despite a clean work record the member was sacked, arousing a lot of anger among work colleagues. Following his re- instatement, the local branch secretary said that it once more showed the importance of being in the union. “This is a very satisfactory outcome following an unfortunate course of action by management,” he said. R MT’s Parliamentary group Chair John McDonnell MP has put down early day motion (EDM) 1584 to demand that the government does not sign up to the EU constitution without a referendum. It calls upon the Prime Minister and the Chancellor not to sign any treaty or agreement that affects the constitutional relationship between Great Britain and the EU without consulting the British people. Departing PM Tony Blair has blocked such a referendum despite a previous commiment to have one. The EDM has already gained signatories from all the three main parties including many Labour MPs. Get your MP to sign. You can contact your MP on the web by going to www.writetothem.com UNION WINS JOB BACK FOR CATERING MEMBER DEMAND A REFERENDUM