by Bill Greenshields

TRADE UNIONS in the forefrontof resistance to governmentpolicies have united with anti-

cuts groups, the Coalition ofResistance, the People’s Charter andothers to organise the People’sAssembly Against Austerity.

The intention of this huge event, to beheld in London this weekend on June 22,is to bring together the forces that canbuild a movement of opposition broadand powerful enough to mobilisemillions of people against the Tory-LibDem government.

Such a movement is vital if publicsupport is to be won for widespreadstrike action taken to defend jobs, payand public services. It would inspire andensure solidarity for local communitycampaigns against cuts.

The People's Assembly also provides aforum for discussing the kind of strategyto make this happen and promoting thealternative policies that are needed. It

will constitute a strong voice for workingclass and popular interests against thoseof big business and the City of London.

Will all those taking part agree on everydot and comma about the way forward,the objectives, tactics and strategy? Ofcourse not. If they do, they won’trepresent the full variety and complexityof views within the working class andpeoples of Britain.

The People's Assembly must comprisedelegates and representatives fromScotland, Wales and every region ofEngland, from most trade unions andtrades councils, from communityorganisations and campaigning groups,making real contributions to a realexchange of ideas. The aim should be toreach the maximum possible agreementon how to support unions taking bolderand united action and how to buildstronger, broad-based local communitycampaigns that are linked to the tradeunion movement in a strategy to defeatthe Tory-led regime.

continued on back page

Unity!Communists at the UNISON conference 2013 Austerity

is workingThe ConDem government, and theruling class in general, has achievedsomething of a victory in persuading asection of the British people thatpublic expenditure is the mainproblem facing the country.

A financial and banking crisis caused bybossess, bureaucrats and bankers has beentransformed into a funding crisis for publicservices.

The point of this sleight of hand is topersuade us that austerity is necessary. In thisimportant sense austerity is working. It hasenabled the ruling class to shift the burdenfor the crisis of their capitalist system on toworking people and decisively in favour ofmonopoly and profits.

The key task for us in the public serviceunions is to put a brake on this process andbegin to win the kind of victories, large andsmall, national and local, that raise wages,increase living standards, strengthen the‘social wage’ in the form of benefits andpublic services and shift the burden fortackling this crisis on the people who causedit and benefit from it.

This requires a powerful blend ofindustrial action, political propaganda andalliance-building with other public sectorworkers and communities. Unity in actionwith other public sector unions, in localgovernment, health, utilities, the State andeducation is key and we have to face the factthat failure to fully achieve this is as much thefault of our leadership as any other. Each ofus must look critically at our work and seewhere we can make a difference where wework and live and where we have personalresponsibility

We need to be creative when looking atstrike action and look at all options. Is a oneday strike the most effective? Should we lookat bringing out key sections and pay them fullstrike pay? Should we look at 15 or 30minute stoppages? Should we look atwalking out when government ministers walkin? Strike action and action up to a strike allhas its place and we need to include all typesof action to fight back against austerity.

We can build unity in action most quicklyat local level but this must have a nationaldimension and the People’s Charter and thePeople’s Assembly movement is the solidfoundation for this.

It’s their crisis.Make the rich pay!

The Tory-LibDem government isattacking the living standardsand democratic rights of

workers and their families on a scalenot seen in Britain since the 1930s.

It is an integrated, ruling class offensive toprotect and expand big business profits.Resistance to this attack on incomes, jobs,public services and trade unionism has beensporadic, fragmented and defensive.

Industrial responses alone will not defeatsuch an all-round political offensive. Unity ofaction and purpose is desperately required inand around the labour movement.

The Call to the Labour Movement by theCommunist Party makes the a series ofpractical proposals for action that can giveshape and direction to our resistence.

Resistance to this attack on incomes, jobs,public services and trade unionism has beenlargely sporadic, fragmented and defensive.Industrial responses alone will not defeat suchan all-round political offensive. Unity of actionand purpose is desperately required in andaround the labour movement.

That is why this Call to the LabourMovement makes the following proposals:

H Unite against austerity andprivatisation

For unity to become a reality, trade unions,trades union councils, anti-cuts campaigners,socialists, Labour Party activists andprogressives must work together on thebroadest, most inclusive basis.

All who oppose the austerity andprivatisation programme of this Tory-LibDemgovernment should be welcome in anti-cutscampaigning. The focus of opposition must beon the current government and its policies.

We need to build durable militantmovements of ordinary people in localcommunities throughout Britain.

This will help ensure that a strategy ofrolling, coordinated and generalised strikeaction by the trade unions puts the maximumpressure on the government.

The People’s Assembly Against Austerityon June 22 can play an invaluable role inbuilding and uniting the resistance and winningpeople to an alternative.

H Rally support for the People'sCharter

Policies for progressive taxation, economicplanning, public ownership, public investmentand an independent foreign policy for Britaincan safeguard public services, jobs, livingstandards, our environment and peace.

Supported by the TUC, the TUCWomen's and Trades Councils conferences,the Scottish and Welsh TUCs and manyindividual trade unions and local trades unioncouncils, the People’s Charter provides thebasis for an alternative economic and politicalstrategy that puts the millions before themillionaires.

Every labour movement organisationshould affiliate to the People’s Charter andhelp promote it.

HCampaign for trade union freedomIndustrial action by trade unions to defendjobs, incomes and public services needs to becoordinated and generalised as widely aspossible, with every effort made to securepopular support.

The Tory-LibDem government, employersand the courts are now opening a new frontof class warfare against trade union andemployment rights and facilities. Based on thetrade union movement, the Campaign forTrade Union Freedom provides the focus fora united response to this anti-trade uniondrive in the interests of working people andtheir families.

Conferencematters

Everyone who works in the publicsector has had enough of beingthe kicking boy for this

government. The campaign of vitriol that continues to

be poured on us from the government andthe media, with a few honourable exceptionssuch as the Morning Star, has demoralsisedmany whilst the cuts in jobs and terms andconditions has made just surviving a struggle.

We need as a union to assess where weare and what to do next. The localgovernment pay freeze has not led to amass turn to industrial action, except inScotland where a ballot is being held. In theNHS members have received the 1% payincrease but 1% of nothing is nothing.Members in other sectors continue to facevicious employers and threats to their jobsand possible takeovers. Across all sectors itis the lowest paid who lose their jobs first,whose terms and conditions are attackedand have extra work dumped on themwhilst the senior managers seem to beimmune. This has to be challenged.

We need better information to thewhole membership and the public. Publicservice workers know the truth behindgovernment lies but we must win publicunderstanding that when services areattacked vulnerable people will be harmed.

This week we can take action to helpour members stand up and defendthemselves, their services and theircommunities. The debate on pay will becrucial. Members know that their jobs arevital but feel utterly devalued by thegovernment but also by the employers. Areal campaign with clear evidence for adecent pay rise is essential. The need toprepare for strike action where necessary isurgent.

The fight to defend facility time is key. Ourstewards are the union’s backbone and arebeing forced to work more hours andbecoming more stressed. We need tohighlight the real costs, human and financial,of stewards not being released to defendmembers. We also need to assist ourstewards to do their valuable work. Acampaign to illustrate the work of stewardsand also to recruit new ones would be useful.

Unison needs to go on the offensive. Thework in the past year with the Insitute ofEmployment Rights is to be welcomed. Thedecision to back the People’s Assembly onJune 22 is a good springboard to action.

Let us celebrate our 20 years of existencewith a good conference and a future ofstanding up and fighting back in conjuctionwith our local communities and other unions.

a call to the labour movement

This book challenges the consensusthat has confined political economy tothe options that the banks and bigbusiness will accept.

Based on the policy agenda that Britain’strade union and labour movement havebegun to shape it analyses what is wrong withthe British economy, arguing that thecountry’s productive base is too small, thatthe economy has become too financialisedand that power has become concentrated onthe City.

It sets out policies to establish democraticand social control of the City, arguing thatregulation is not enough.The book focuses onhow immediate growth and longer-term re-industrialisation might be achieved, arguingthat a socially owned banking sector canfoster the creation of a new, sustainable,social housing sector, a new communicationsinfrastructure and new green industries.

The book argues for an alternativeeconomic strategy that breaks politicaldependence on the US, and diversifieseconomic relationships, fostering those withemerging BRICS economies and questioninganew our dependence on the EU, whose‘social model’ now seems a distant memory.

Critically the book tackles the problemsthat a progressive government would faceand argues that an alternative economicstrategy must be accompanied by measuresto devolve political power and encourage theparticipation of the people in exercisingcontrol over big business and finance.

It sets outs a strategy that can boostspending power among the British people,begin to narrow the widening inequalities inBritish society and raise the standard of livingand build a new, democratised public realmthat insulates people from dependence onvolatile financial markets.

Edited by Jonathan White with contributors fromMark Baimbridge, Brian Burkitt, Mary Davis, JohnFoster Marjorie Mayo, Jonathan Michie, SeumasMilne, Andrew Murray, Roger Seifert, Prem Sikka,Jonathan White and Philip Whyman.

£6.95 (+£1 p&p) ISBN 978-1-907464-08-9

n Manifesto Press is a new venture thataims to publish working class history,socialist theory and the politics of classstruggle.

It is republican and anti-imperialist;secular and feminist; anti-fascist and anti-racist; committed to working class politicalpower, popular sovereignty and progressiveculture.n www.manifestopress.org.uk

H Promote the Charter for WomenAs low-paid and public sector workers, loneparents, carers and service users, women arebeing hit particularly hard by austerity andprivatisation measures. Supported by theTUC Women’s Conference, many tradeunions and the National Assembly ofWomen, the Charter for Women proposespolicies to win genuine equality at work, inthe labour movement and in society.

H Solidarity against EU austerity andprivatisation The Tories, UKIP andsections of the big business media fullysupport EU-wide attacks on people’s livingstandards and public services. But they wantto protect the City of London casino and itsUS backers even from feeble EU regulation.

For the labour movement, the key demandmust be to restore to parliament in Britain thepower to protect jobs and industries, to takethe utilities and transport back into publicownership and ensure that they are run in thepublic interest.

We also need to support workers acrossEurope who are fighting for these powers,against the EU and its Constitutional Treatycommitment to ‘an open market economywith free competition’ (Article 98).

H Oppose militarism and war Britain'sinvolvement in an endless series of wars toprotect British and US big business interests isnot protecting democracy or human rightshere or abroad. Military spending should bereduced to average European levels anddiverted into civilian production. Britain'snuclear weapons should be scrapped and thesubservient military alliance with the USended.

H Bring down the unelected Tory-LibDem coalition This regime wascobbled together at the behest of Torypaymasters in the City of London. Nobodyvoted for a coalition. Most people voted forparties (including the LibDems) that claimedto oppose the current austerity andprivatisation policies.

Putting an end to this government before itdoes even more damage to our society is ademocratic duty.

The only realistic alternative to the Tory-LibDems is a Labour government, whichunderlines the immediate need to fight forLabour policies that serve the mass of thepeople.

We urge all who broadly support this thisCall to the Labour Movement to win supportfor its positions throughout the labour andprogressive movements. Use it to unite andignite opposition to the Tory-LibDemgovernment around the positive alternative. Executive Committee Communist Party May Day 2013

An economy for the people

I want to join the Communist Party oPlease send me more information o

Name

Address

e mail phone

return to CPB Ruskin House 23 Coombe Road Croydon CR0 1BD(or hand to a communist at the conference, you know who they are)

Join Britain’s party of workingclass power and liberation

continued from front pageThe People's Assembly will a be test of

good faith for all those taking part,especially political parties and groupson the left. continued on back page

It must be open, tolerant andinclusive, free from attempts at controland manipulation by any oneorganisation. Only by enthusiasticallyseizing the opportunity of workingtogether to develop a broad, democraticmovement will we maximise the chanceof success.

Let no one be dismissive or cynicalabout the People’s Assembly, there is noalternative on offer with potential masssupport.

It is up to all of us whether it cangenerate the kind of movementrequired, one which reaches every town,city and community, drawing in peoplewho currently don’t think of themselvesas 'activists’ or even as 'political'.

In particular, it has to be a movementthat finds a place not only for organisedworkers, but for those in precariouswork, for those in self-employment, forsmall business people, for theunemployed, pensioners, students,carers and for people of every ethnicorigin and sexual orientation – in fact,for everyone under the cosh of bigbusiness and its Tory and LibDempuppets.

Bill Greenshields chairs the Communist Partyand is trade union officer of the People’s Charter

by Robert Griffiths

The EU has spearheaded the globaldrive for deregulation and privatisationthrough measures which, day in andday out, translate into all the evils ofausterity: massive job losses; povertywages; near-Victorian workplaces; anddeclining services in transport, energy,communications, health, educationand local government.

No surprise, then, that many Tories andmost sections of big business do not favourBritish withdrawal from the EU. Emboldenedby three decades of privatisation, deregulationand anti-trade union laws in Britain, theystrongly believe that the EU need not grantany concessions to the working class – inBritain or elsewhere – in the name of ‘socialpartnership’ or a ‘social Europe’.

Furthermore, they oppose any EUattempts to create a level playing field acrossEurope by regulating the City of London. TheTories and big business also want to makeBritain's harsh anti-trade union and ’flexible’labour market laws even worse.

That is why the Tories leadership – backedby the City and the CBI - want to renegotiaterelations between Britain and the EU, whilestopping short of withdrawal.

UKIP and some other Tories, on the otherhand, believes that an even more right-winggovernment in Britain should be free in futureto undercut social and economic provisions inwestern Europe, finish off trade unionism,ignore global warming and snuggle up stillcloser to US imperialist power.

This division represents a clash of viewsand interests within the British ruling class. Atthis stage, those who favour full withdrawalremain in the minority. Neither side has theinterests of the mass of people in Wales orBritain at heart. They are arguing about howbest to perpetuate super-exploitation,deregulation, privilege and inequality.

However, both the Euro-separatists andthe Euro-sceptics attack the EU or aspects ofit, playing upon a reactionary patriotism andxenophobia to garner support and concealtheir class motivations.

There is a third section of ruling-classopinion, the Euro-fanatics, who see the othersas jeopardising Britain's position within theneo-liberal, big business European Union.

Still believing in the benefits and promisesof the ‘Social Chapter’, substantial sections ofthe British trade union movement and LabourParty continue to align themselves with this

third camp, supporting the EU from theworkers’ perspective.

But this is ever more incomprehensible asthe EU Commission and the EuropeanCentral Bank impose austerity, privatisationand mass unemployment policies on thepeoples of one EU state after another.

Solidarity with the workers of Ireland,Greece, Cyprus, Spain, Portugal andelsewhere should mean opposing the anti-democratic and neo-liberal treaties of the EU– not defending them, or merely attackingtheir right-wing critics.

Britain’s unions should be exposing theanti-working class policies and institutions ofthe European Union, not confusing theEuropean Court and Convention on HumanRights with the anti-labour EU Court ofJustice or brandishing the feeble working timedirective as a fig-leaf for EU austerity,privatisation, impoverishment and despair.

The EU continues to centralise political,economic and financial power on a Europeanscale. For decades it supported the run-downof the Welsh coal and steel industries. TheEuropean single market has destroyed manymore manufacturing jobs in Wales than it hascreated. Public procurement rules favour largeEuropean monopoly companies at theexpense of local public and private employers.Ruthless contractors use EU labour marketlaws to exploit migrant labour, backed up byEU Court of Justice rulings.

Britain's labour movement should bedefending all workers, whatever their countryof origin, against EU-backed super-exploitation. Our response should be toreject all three camps of British monopolycapitalism in favour of popular sovereigntyand an independent foreign policy for thenations of Britain.

The left and Labour should be leading thefight against the corrupt, big business EU – notleaving it to Ukip charlatans, who ride the EUgravy train and who defend the corrupt, bigbusiness City of London.

The labour movement should becampaigning for the policies in the People'sCharter for public ownership, economicsustainability, progressive taxation and peace –against the Tory-led regime, UKIP, the EU, theUS and NATO. This will show people thatthere is a real alternative to the common bigbusiness agenda of the Euro-separatists, theEuro-sceptics and the Euro-fanatics.Robert Griffiths is general secretary of theCommunist Party

EU: no friend of workers

New from theCommunist Party

Bill Greenshields provides a sweeping analysisof the current crisis of capitalism, the class warbeing waged by the ConDem coalitiongovernment and the steps that need to betaken to build a People's movement inresponse. £2 from the Communist Party HMorning Star

www.morningstaronline.co.ukdaily paper of the left £1 from your newsagent