rs21 updates its ‘About Us’ statement
The new rs21 ‘about us’ – how the membership designed the new statement
rs21 – the first ten years
For the tenth anniversary of the launch of rs21, Jonny Jones reflects on a decade of activity, our ups and downs, challenges and achievements, and considers our hopes for the future.
What’s going on in Unite? | Part 2
Unite activist assesses Sharon Graham’s leadership of the union. Part 2.
What’s going on in Unite? | Part 1
A Unite activist assesses Sharon Graham’s leadership of the union. Part 1.
Interview: the United States in crisis, part 2
Openings exist for the American left, but not with the Democrats
Interview: the United States in crisis
Housing, school shootings, racism – the US feels like it’s falling apart
Unite Policy Conference backs climate action
Unite’s Policy Conference backed the COP26 protests, workplace action and climate strikes, but remains attached to technical fixes.
Sharon Graham wins stunning Unite victory
Graham recognises the need to focus on rebuilding workplace power to reverse union decline.
What’s at stake in the Unite election?
We have to develop a strategy that challenges the status quo in Unite, and that means taking a different road to the official left.
Voting opens for Unite’s General Secretary
Ballot papers for the Unite general secretary election are being delivered this week and voting will end on 23rd August. rs21 members in Unite explain why they are urging a vote for Sharon Graham.
Unite elections: An interview with Howard Beckett
There are three candidates competing for the left vote in the Unite elections. rs21 interviewed Howard Beckett about his election platform.
Who should be Unite’s next General Secretary?
Campaigning for Unite’s general secretary election is underway. None of the candidates is ideal, but rs21 argues for critical support for Sharon Graham.
rs21 member publication deals
This page has publication deals for rs21 members only. Pamphlets You can order a set of four rs21 pamphlets for just £7 including postage (normally £11 plus postage). Stocks of Unite Against Trident are very limited so we will provide an electronic copy instead. rs21 also produced a pamphlet in electronic format which you can […]
How students supported the miners’ strike: an activist remembers
On 6 March 1984, the walkout at Cortonwood Colliery signalled the beginning of the 1984-85 miners’ strike. Colin Revolting remembers how he and his fellow students supported the miners.
Unite against Trident
Brian Parkin wrote a pamphlet taking on the arguments about Trident, the arms industry and diversification into socially useful production. Unite against Trident was published in 2016 as an intervention into the debate on nuclear weapons. The issue of Trident has proved to be massively divisive within the UK labour movement and beyond. Undoubtedly Trident […]
Fujitsu workers to strike as company dismisses chair of Unite union
The Chair of Unite in Fujitsu UK was dismissed on Friday 12 January as part of a “redundancy” process that has targeted union activists.
Growing the grassroots in Unite
In April 2017, Ian Allinson stood in the Unite General Secretary election as a grassroots candidate. Recently, warnings have been raised about the long-term decline in trade union membership. At the same time, trade unions continue to show their worth. For instance, the cleaners and support workers at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) […]
revolutionary reflections | The KPD and the United Front during the Weimar Republic
This article by Marcel Bois was originally published in a collection of essays in German by Marx21 on the German Communist Party (KPD). It sets out the history of the United Front in Germany from the years 1920 to 1926. The United Front was a tactic developed by the Communist International in the early 1920s and this […]
Unite after the General Secretary election
Unite member Kate Bradley reflects on her experiences campaigning for grassroots socialist Ian Allinson in this year’s Unite General Secretary election.
A united front against US aggression: difficult but necessary
Rob Owen argues that revolutionaries need to engage with the anti-war movement that exists to build the one we need On Tuesday 4 April two U.S. warships fired 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Al Shayrat airfield in Syria. The airport was the base from which the Assad regime had carried out the Sarin gas attack […]
Free movement is a workers’ right – Unite must defend it
Lisa Leak argues that defending freedom of movement for migrant workers is the only way forward for British trade unions. On Monday (27 March) Unite members started to vote on who will be their next General Secretary – the centrist incumbent, Len McCluskey; the right-winger, Gerard Coyne; or the socialist, rank-and-file candidate, Ian Allinson. We are currently […]
The wrong red line: why Unite needs a change on Trident
A Unite rep argues that Unite members should support Ian Allinson’s anti-Trident, pro-diversification candidacy for the post of General Secretary. On Monday (27 March) Unite members start to vote on who will be their next General Secretary – the centrist incumbent, Len McCluskey; the right-winger, Gerard Coyne; or the socialist, rank-and-file candidate, Ian Allinson. Over the next few […]
Breaking with the bureaucrats: how to reclaim Unite
Joe Hayns writes about the need to end the bureaucratic stasis at the top of Unite and support dynamic grassroots struggles led by rank-and-file members. On Monday (27 March) Unite members start to vote on who will be their next General Secretary – the centrist incumbent, Len McCluskey; the right-winger, Gerard Coyne; or the socialist, rank-and-file candidate, […]
For a rank-and-file strategy: supporting #ian4unite in the Unite GS election
Unite activist and former executive member Sara Bennett explains the politics behind Ian Allinson’s challenge to the Unite leadership Long-time Unite workplace activist, Ian Allinson, has thrown his hat into the ring in Unite the Union’s General Secretary election. The election was called at short notice and is the second time that current General Secretary, Len […]
Unite conference backs Corbyn and mandatory reselection of MPs
Ian Allinson gives a second update on Unite Policy Conference which took major decisions on migration, industrial strategy, backing Jeremy Corbyn and mandatory re-selection of MPs, fracking and climate change.
Delegates put argument for scrapping Trident at Unite conference
A delegate reports from the Unite Policy Conference 2016 on Trident, Corbyn and the Trade Union Act Len McCluskey’s opening speech This year’s Unite policy conference takes place against a backdrop of unprecedented political crisis. Following the Brexit vote, the establishment are directly intervening in the Labour leadership crisis. In his opening speech, Len McCluskey […]
Unite Against Trident
Brian Parkin and Raymond M have written a new rs21 pamphlet taking on the arguments about Trident, the arms industry and diversification into socially useful production. The issue of Trident has proved to be massively divisive within the UK labour movement and beyond. Undoubtedly Trident was one of the issues around which the right of […]
‘My duty is to save lives’ – rs21 interviews junior doctors on the front line
Both the recent junior doctors’ strike over new contract terms and the student nurses’ protest against the withdrawal of bursaries have been widely covered. Charlie Jarsve spoke to two junior doctors about why they are taking action, support from the public, and the future of the NHS.
Unite shifts left over Trident, opposes war on Syria and launches its industrial strategy
The Unite sector conferences were organised over three days this week. They give reps an opportunity to debate industrial issues relating to each sector with a view to developing industrial strategy for the next 2 years. This year the conferences took place against the backdrop of the Tories’ anti Trade Union Bill, the recent victory […]
Report: rs21 national meeting
On the weekend of 10th-11th January, rs21 held its 4th national meeting, one year after its founding in January 2014. It was attended by over 100 members, and had around 20 observers from other organisations and campaigns. We discussed the political situation in both international and national terms, debated what was possible for the left, and […]