About SOLIDARITY
Jun 13th, 2007 by solidaritymagazine
Solidarity magazine is a publication produced by and for trade union activists in Britain (produced four times a year – 20 pages), campaigning in the unions for:
- A break from the ‘social partnership’ approach which ties the unions to the coat-tails of the employers
- A ‘new unionism’ which opposes subordination to the global market and campaigns for a practical working class internationalism
- Opposition to privatisation, whether outright, or in the form of PFI or PPP, campaigning for social ownership
- A trades unionism which, whilst fighting to improve working conditions and wages, breaks with the narrow workplace concerns of ‘non-political’ trades unionism, and fights for the interests of the working class and oppressed as a whole
- Repeal of all anti-union legislation and an end to state interference in the unions
- An end to all bureaucratic privileges and control, and democratisation of the unions under membership control.
The Editorial Board includes:
Glen Burrows (Bristol RMT)
Dave Chapple (Chair Bristol CWU, Sec Bridgwater TUC)
Sheila Cohen (NUJ, ex-Editor Trade Union News)
Pete Firmin (CWU, President Brent TUC))
Gregor Gall (Industrial Relations Hertford University)
Kim Moody (NUJ, ex Director Labor Notes USA)
Clive Norris (Assistant Secretary Nottingham City UNISON)
Terry Pearce (Chair Bracknell UNITE)
“An end to all bureaucratic privileges and control, and democratisation of the unions under membership control”
Is this a statement about committee members or the mass of people who subscribe to large unions and get a legal minimum ballot paper through their letterbox every few years?
If it’s about real members being told where their money goes, how to stand for elections, where the political fund goes and how to opt-out, then I’d like to see an artical about the candidates in Unite’s General Executive Council elections: how to ask questions, whether candidates are on the net, and whether they approve of more direct elections in future.
If any of the candidates are reading this – why not post?
John,
I’m guessing by you referring to it as Unite’s “General” Executive Council that you’re from the TGWU section?
The TGWU rulebook banned factions, which didn’t mean there weren’t any, just that they couldn’t organise in an open way – making it harder to be democratic and accountable. There’s precious little information on the net about candidates for the 40 TGWU seats.
On the Amicus side there is no such ban on factions, and so the left (Amicus Unity Gazette) organises more openly. Have a look at http://www.unitenecelections.com for example.
Ian Allinson
(elected to the first UNITE Executive Council)
http://www.iansunitesite.org.uk
[...] is a personal view from SOLIDARITY Editor, Martin [...]
Hi,I’m trying to contact Shelia Cohen about the possibility of coming to Liverpool for a meeting.It will be around the book Working for Ford, by Huw Beynon.The event is scheduled to last 6hours and will involve Huw and one of the stewards who was working at Halewood at the time.It will also involve others who were, or are involved in the auto industry.We have been having trouble in getting some of the women who worked at Halewood to contribute.The two female stewards who we have contact with are seriously ill. We don’t want to have an all male event, and your name was one of a number of women union activists who we thought could make a contribution.We want the event to take in the now as well then.What can we learn from our past struggles and what do we need to do in this century. Globalisation makes internationalism an imperative. the event is being held at the sociology department of Liverpool John Moores University on the 12th of November from 10 till4pm. I have a meeting to firm everything up on the 11th of this month,so if you could give me an answer before then I would be grateful. In solidarity,Brian Ashton.