organising against fascism - tuc · their propaganda on workplace and ... 02organising against...

FASCISMOrganising against

in the workplace

This booklet has been produced tohelp trade union shop stewards andactivists get involved in workplace and community campaigns opposingfascist politics and extreme far rightpolitical parties.

Fascist and populist extreme right-wing parties are becomingincreasingly involved in mainstreampolitics in Europe and the UK. InEurope they have had considerablesuccess by demonising racial andreligious minorities – especially those that have come to Europe as migrant workers.

At the start of 2007 fascist andextreme right-wing parties formedpart of governments in Austria,Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway,Italy, Portugal and Switzerland. Theelection of fascist MEPs in Bulgariaand Romania resulted in attempts toform a fascist group of MEPs in theEuropean Parliament. If this hadsucceeded the group would havebeen entitled to financial support asa ‘part bloc’.

In the UK the British National Party(BNP) have targeted local council seats in an attempt to build a politicalbase that could launch them toparliamentary success. Since 2000 theyhave expanded rapidly – from fielding 17candidates and receiving 3022 votesand no seats in 2000 to gaining 49seats with votes of 238,389 in 2006.

Why is this a problem?Fascism is a political philosophy thatglorifies the nation, and often race,above the individual. It believes in acentralised autocratic governmentheaded by a dictator and a uniform,rigid economic and social way oforganising society with forciblesuppression of any opposition. Thephilosophy is opposed to the values ofdemocracy and solidarity that are atthe heart of trade unionism.

While many fascist parties presentthemselves as nationalist parties, theircampaigns and policies reveal that infact they subscribe to a fascistphilosophy. Increasingly the BNP andother extreme far-right parties focustheir propaganda on workplace andcommunity issues that trade unionsare campaigning on. They are alsostepping up their campaign againsttrade unions fighting for the rights ofmigrant workers. While many unionshave anti-racist policies and campaignagainst fascist parties during elections,it is important that trade unionistsdevelop an anti-fascism message thatis focused on the workplace to counterfascist arguments.

Educating union members aboutfascism and why they need to activelyoppose fascist politics and parties isessential because workers make up asignificant part of the local electorateand can become activists in localcommunity anti-fascist campaigns. Themore that we can actively engage tradeunion members the more effectivethese key campaigns will be.

1: INTRODUCTION

02 Organising against fascism in the workplace

JESS HURD/REPORTDIGITAL.CO.UK

Fascist parties have sought to winpopular support from workingpeople as a way of obtainingpower and influence at a local andnational level. Building supportand influence among tradeunionists has always been part of their strategy.

In the late 1960s most British Nazishad realised they could win somesupport by adopting an ultra-patriotic and racist programme. Thiswas the main reasoning behind theformation of the National Front(NF) in 1967. Although theImmigration Control Association(ICA) was originally set up bydissident conservatives, it quicklysaw an influx of NF members eagerto exploit the support that the ICAwas finding in many workplaces.The most notorious was Smithfieldmeat market, where the porterswere organised in a trade union.Danny Harmston, a prominentunion member at Smithfield, was a long-time fascist and formerbodyguard to the fascist leader SirOswald Mosley. Under Harmston’sleadership the meat porters formedthe core of many ICA marches.Ironically, in 1936 the meat porterswere in the forefront of the hugeanti-fascist protests against Mosleyat Cable Street in east London.

By the mid 1970s the NF hadstarted to establish cells in theprison service. They wereparticularly strong at Strangeways,

Dartmoor, Wandsworth andPentonville prisons. Workers at thenorth London Royal Mail sortingoffices of Mount Pleasant andUpper Street, Islington, were alsowell known for their support forthe NF. Ninety-six NF activists wereorganised in cells at sorting officesin London and the Home Counties.On the railways the NF was able toset up its own Railwaymen’sAssociation. These activities wereco-ordinated by the NF’s TradeUnion Association.

This period saw the slow demise of the ICA and its replacement bythe Trade Union Anti-ImmigrationMovement (TRUAIM). NFmembers, helped by TRUAIM, wereelected to official trade unionpositions, such as on Luton tradescouncil and the shop stewards’committee at Rover in Solihull.

William Roberts, an open NFmember, was re-elected as aconvenor for the AmalgamatedUnion of Engineering Workers(AUEW).

This success in unions was one ofthe reasons for the split in the NF in1976 and the launch of the NationalParty (NP). The NP took a big chunkof the NF’s most capable anddedicated members, as well as a lotof their supporters in the unions. Tobegin with the NP met with somesuccess, particularly in the decliningmill towns in the North-West ofEngland, and even had two localcouncillors elected in Blackburn,Lancashire. It also won support inthe old racist hotbeds of eastLondon. Fortunately for the labourmovement internal problems led to the NP’s rapid collapse.

2: FASCIST ACTIVITY IN THE WORKPLACE

Organising against fascism in the workplace 03

MARK THOMPSON

The British National Party In recent years the British NationalParty (BNP) made a concertedattempt to infiltrate the trade unionmovement. As well as trying toinfluence workplace attitudes BNPmembers have sought to confronttrade unions on an individual basis by getting expelled from membershipand then taking unions to tribunalsfor breach of the law and their ownrules. This resulted in a number ofhigh profile cases where BNPmembers took different unions to court.

ASLEF, which had been found to haveacted unlawfully by the British courts after expelling an active BNPmember, took their case to theEuropean Court of Human Rights. InFebruary 2007 the European Courtissued its judgement in the case ofASLEF v UK, holding that ASLEF’s rightto freedom of association underArticle 11 of the European Conventionon Human Rights had been violatedby UK law, which prevented it fromexpelling one of its members on theground of his membership of theBNP. The case, taken by ASLEF, wasfinancially supported by 12 other TUCaffiliates.

The court’s decision represented areal advance in terms of the rulesgoverning the kinds of people unions can admit or exclude frommembership, including BNPmembers and activists. As a resultthe Government is changing UKlegislation. Unions are also in theprocess of tightening their own rules to make anti-racism and anti-fascism clear as objects of the union.

Solidarity – The Union for British Workers’As a response to the failure of theirstrategy to infiltrate trade unions theBNP and other extreme right-wingparties have attempted to form theirown union. ‘Solidarity – The Union forBritish Workers’ was formed in late2005 and registered with the TradeUnion Certification Officer in early2006. The union’s General Secretary




is Patrick Harrington, an ex-RMTmember, and Clive Potter, ex-Unison. While stating that it isopen to all workers from ethnic, religious and politicalbackgrounds, Solidarity describesitself as a nationalist union and itis, in effect, a front for the BNP.Harrington is a close friend of BNPleader Nick Griffin while ClivePotter has stood as a candidate forthe BNP and is a member of amore obscure fascist organisationcalled Third World. Lee Barnes,another member of Solidarity’smanagement team, is head oflegal affairs at the BNP.

Solidarity’s main activities so far have been to organise arecruitment campaign in NorthernIreland by distributing leaflets inloyalist areas through their linkswith some elements of the BelfastOrange Order. They also have linkswith Civil Liberty, an organisationwith links to the BNP and otherright-wing extremistorganisations domestically and internationally,

There have been reports ofSolidarity activists trying to recruitin the Stoke area and they have awebsite with information aimed atworkers in a number of differentsectors. However, they do not haverecognition in any workplaces andPersonnel Today has publishedarticles expressing concern aboutSolidarity’s link with the BNP.

RedwatchSet up in 2001, the Redwatchwebsite publishes the names andpersonal information of perceivedanti-rascist activists along withtheir photographs and addresses.The main purpose of the site is to encourage people to attack orharass these opponents of the BNPand other fascist groups.

The TUC and its affiliates areconcerned that the Redwatchwebsite, which has links with farright groups including the BNP,Combat 18 and Blood and Honour, isa tool to intimidate trade unionists,journalists and anti-racist/fascistcampaigners.

There have been a number ofincidents that have heightenedconcern. Examples include:

� Several NUJ-member journalistswho, in the course of their work,investigated far right groups orcommented against right-wingpolitical groups, have beentargeted by the site alongsidemessages that indicate a need tofind reporters fast and scarethem off.

� Members of the ATL and NATFHEhave appeared on the site whenchallenging the views andbehaviour of students with far-right sympathies. In one incident,a lecturer’s name was publishedon the Redwatch site after sheinsisted that the university

disciplined a student who hadripped posters off her office wall,shouted at her and attempted tointimidate her after issues hadbeen raised about the racistcontent of the student’s work.

� A UNISON activist involved inanti-racist activity in the NorthEast had paint thrown over hishouse after his name andaddress were published on thewebsite.

� The chair of the Trades Council inWirral was attacked in his homeby a man and his face cut with aknife after being featured on thewebsite.

The TUC, along with member trade unions, is pressuring theGovernment to close the websiteand prosecute those who run it


What to do if members are attacked or harassedIf a member of your trade union isharassed or attacked as a result of theirphotograph and details being put onthe Redwatch website, they should:

� write a statement detailing whathappened and why they believe theincident was linked to Redwatch

� report the incident to the police� raise the issue with their local MP.

Any information on incidents shouldbe collated and sent to the TUC, whichis collating evidence on harassmentthat has taken place as a result oftrade unionists’ details beingpublished on the Redwatch website.This information will be passed ontoACPO and the Home Office.




Have a plan and stick to itUnderstanding what you are trying to achieve is key to a successfulcampaign. Randomly handing outunion leaflets or arranging formembers to receive letters from theunion when you have no clear idea ofwhat you are trying to do can be bothsoul destroying and a waste of timeand resources, so your first step will be to consider your objectives.

ObjectivesSpending even a short period thinkingabout what it is you want to achievecan make a world of difference. Yourobjectives may include:

� countering a BNP presence in yourworkplace

� countering myths about asylumseekers, migrant workers and issuesabout race and religion

� raising the level of awarenessamong members about fascist andfar-right extremist parties

� encouraging trade union membersto become more active in anti-fascist community campaigns.

Achieving these objectives will requirea specific campaign strategy.

StrategyAn essential part of your strategy will be ensuring that you secure the active support of your branchcommittee so that you have thesupport of colleagues and can accessresources from regional and nationallevels of the union.

As well as securing the support of the branch for the campaign and itsobjectives you should ask yourself thefollowing questions when puttingtogether your strategy:

� Which groups of members are yougoing to target?

� In which workplaces or offices areyou going to target your efforts?

� Do you know the union members in your target workplaces and theirattitude to fascist and extremeright-wing parties?

� What people and resources do youneed to deliver your strategy?

� Can you get time off for thoseinvolved in the campaign?

� What materials do you need toproduce locally and what can youget from other sources?

� What issues and messages will bemost effective in influencing theviews of members?

� How can you deliver thesemessages most effectively? (Forexample, through workplacemeetings, leaflets, posters, etc.?

3: CAMPAIGNING IN THE WORKPLACE


GRANT LYNCH

ResourcesEnsure that you have adequateresources, including both people andmaterials. Also make sure that thepeople working on the campaign talkto each other on a regular basis. Youshould ask the following questions:

� Do you have a campaign team andwhat are the individual membersresponsible for?

� Are the branch publicity andeducation officers involved?

� Where do people meet and atwhat time?

� Who will be responsible forconvening the branch campaigngroup?

� What training do they need?

Thinking about even the simplestcampaign in these terms will make it clear what your objectives are and will make it easier for you to judgewhether the techniques you use aresuccessful.

Countering fascism in theunion and the workplaceA number of unions have expelledfascists from their membership andothers have changed their rules toenable them to take action againstthem. If you discover that there is amember of a fascist or extreme right-wing party in your union branch it isimportant that they are not ignoredand that the union makes a decisionon how to deal with the situation.


3: CAMPAIGNING IN THE WORKPLACE

WWW.JOHN BIRDSALL.CO.UK

The law on how trade unions candiscipline or expel members iscomplicated. It is important that youget advice from your regional ornational officer before attempting to take disciplinary action against amember.

There may be instances wheremembers of the BNP’s unionSolidarity become active in yourworkplace. Although there is littlechance that the TUC will be able topersuade the trade union certificationofficer to de-list Solidarity it isimportant that genuine tradeunionists organise against them ifthey become active or attempt to gain recognition in a workplace.

� Report instances of where Solidarityhave attempted to organise to yourregional or national office.

� Explain to members what Solidarityis, what it stands for and why theyshould not join.

� Work to get employers to banSolidarity activists from thepremises if they seek to recruit inthe workplace.

� Counter Solidarity-organiseddemonstrations and campaigns inworkplaces.

Where Solidarity attempts to recruitin unorganised workplaces it will beimportant for unions to recruit andgain recognition.

Developing effective local communitycampaigns and strategiesagainst the far rightThe TUC believes that one of theprimary means of defeating far rightparties is through determined grass-roots activity that engages with people in their communities andworkplaces; good will alone will notdefeat the far right. It should also berecognised that if all previous tacticshad worked we would not be facing asituation where the far right continueto make electoral gains.

The TUC has published theOrganising Against Racism andFascism handbook, a resource to helptrade union activists develop effectivelocal community campaign strategiesagainst the far right. Copies of thehandbook can be obtained from thepublications department at the TUC (see page 12).

The TUC has also developed an onlinetraining course, Tackling Racism, runby unionlearn. The course for unionreps has been designed to provide an opportunity for furtherunderstanding of equality anddiversity issues in relation to race and to equip reps with theinformation to tackle myths aboutrace, religion and migrant workers.Information on the course can befound at www.unionlearn.org.uk/education/learn-337-f0.cfm


DUNCAN PHILLIPS/REPORTDIGITAL.CO.UK

You may choose to run your campaignduring election time. If you do, you willneed to be aware of electoral law.

Campaigning during general or local elections is covered by theRepresentation of the Peoples Act1983 and the Political Parties, Electionsand Referendums Acts 2001. Theselaws control how political parties,organisations and groups campaignand how much money can be spentdirectly and indirectly by politicalparties and politicians during election campaigns. Under theelection rules trade unions areclassified as ‘third parties’.

What the law saysA third party is a person ororganisation which campaigns on behalf of one or more registeredpolitical parties or a particularcategory of candidates (for examplethose who advocate a particularpolicy or opinion).

Controls on the intervention of non-party organisations and individuals inthe UK were introduced for the firsttime by the Political Parties, Electionsand Referendums Act (PPERA) 2000.This took effect in February 2001,backing up the limits on campaignexpenditure by political parties alsointroduced by PPERA.

PPERA restricts the amount that athird party can spend on campaigningfor the electoral success of registeredparties or candidates. Being registered

as a third party with the ElectoralCommission increases a third party’sspending limits.

Spending in support of, or todisparage, an individual candidate is not covered by those provisions and continues to be subject to thecontrols set out in the representationof the People Act 1983.

At any election, other than a by-election, any of the following canregister with the Commission as‘recognised third parties’, whichpermits them to spend more than£10,000 in England and £5,000 ineach of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland:

� an individual resident in the UK orregistered in an electoral register

� a company� a trade union� a building society� a limited liability partnership� a friendly, industrial or provident

society� an unincorporated association.

PPERA introduced regulationsrestricting the amount of expenditurethat can be incurred by a third party or third parties when producingelection material that is madeavailable to the public.

Election material is material that canreasonably be regarded as intended topromote electoral success for a partyor group of candidates (including by

4: ELECTORAL LAW


GETTY IMAGES

disparaging a different party or groupof candidates). It is irrelevant whetherthe material expressly mentions thenames of the party or candidate.

Once registered with the ElectoralCommission third parties are subjectto the regulations governingdonations to political organisationsset out in PPERA. Donations that aremade in support of a third party’sactivities in campaigning on behalf of a party or group of candidates mayonly be accepted if they are from apermissible source, and donationsabove a certain threshold must bereported to the Electoral Commission.

Materials to unionmembersWhere the third party is a trade union,and all expenditure incurred inpreparing and distributing thematerial to members of the union ismet from a political fund, members ofthe union would receive the electionmaterial as members of that unionrather than as a section of the publicor as individual members of thepublic at large.

The expenditure, therefore, would notconstitute controlled expenditure by athird party for the purpose of Section85(2) of the PPERA.

If you are unsure as to whether youare complying with the law, contactthe Electoral Commission (see page 12).



Anti-Semitism and Xenophobia Today (AXT)Contains in-depth analysis and trends regarding anti-Semitism and racism across the world.www.axt.org.uk

The Electoral CommissionT: 020 7271 0500 (switchboard)F: 020 7271 0505E: [email protected]

Equality and Human Rights Commissionwww.cre.gov.uk

Institute of Race RelationsProvides useful resources fro activists, campaigners, students, researchers and teachers working against racism.www.irr.org.uk

Kick it OutA campaign to eliminate racism from football.www.kickitout.org

Searchlightwww.searchlightmagazine.com

Trade Union Congress (TUC)Represents the interests of the 7 million trade unionists and their families in England and Wales.www.tuc.org.uk

The booklet Organising Against Racism and Fascism handbook can be obtained from TUC Publications, TUC, Congress House, London WC1B 3LSD, T: 020 7467 1294F: 020 7636 0632www.tuc.org.uk/publications

5: USEFUL CONTACTS


Northern RegionRegional Secretary: Kevin Rowan [email protected] Policy Office Carolyn Clayton [email protected]/north

Yorkshire & Humber RegionRegional Secretary Bill Adams [email protected] Policy officer John Lewis [email protected]/yorkshireandthehumber

North West RegionRegional Secretary Alan Manning [email protected] officer Peter Holland [email protected]/northwest

Midlands RegionRegional Secretary Roger McKenzie [email protected] and Campaigns Alan Weaver [email protected]

Southern & Eastern RegionRegional Secretary Megan Dobney [email protected] and Campaigns Laurie Heselden [email protected]/sertuc

Wales TUCAssistant Secretary Derek Walker [email protected] officer Julie Cook [email protected]

South West RegionRegional Secretary Nigel Costley [email protected] officer Marie Hughes [email protected]/southwest


6: TRADES UNION CONGRESS REGIONAL OFFICES

Scottish TUCGeneral Secretary Graeme Smith [email protected] sec John Park [email protected] sec Dave Moxham [email protected] sec Stephen Boyd [email protected] sec Mary Senior [email protected]

Northern Ireland Committee, ICTUAsst gen sec Peter Bunting [email protected] asst gen sec Tom GillenAdvisory services Ann HopeEducation officer Tom Moore

TUC Brussels OfficeEuropean officer Peter Coldrick [email protected] Elena Crasta [email protected]


6: TRADES UNION CONGRESS REGIONAL OFFICES

Published by:Trades Union CongressCongress HouseGreat Russell StreetLondonWC1B 3LSwww.tuc.org.uk

February 2008

Design: www.design-mill.co.ukPrint: NewnorthCover Photographs: Jess Hurd & Duncan Phillips/reportdigital.co.uk

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