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.
Tories collapse amidst a growing strike wave
As strike votes multiply, we explains the growing revolt in the context of the weakness of British capitalism and the divisions among the Tories.
What is the rank and file strategy?
Transcript of a talk that a Unite rep and rs21 member gave on the rank and file strategy as part of a Notes from Below panel at The World Transformed in Brighton.
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.
Obituary: Neil Davidson, 1957–2020
Neil Davidson, who died on 3 May 2020, was a socialist militant and the foremost Scottish intellectual of his generation. Obituary by a comrade.
The Brexit election – from revenge to resistance
Both sides of the establishment want to bury the legacies of struggle in the communities that abandoned Labour in the 2019 General Election. The left cannot afford to do the same.
How capital is reshaping the battleground of class war
Kim Moody’s new book seeks to rethink our understanding of capitalism today, and how workers can respond.
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 […]
revolutionary reflections | For Another Europe (Part 2) The European Social Model (ESM), Social Partnership and the ETUC
With Brexit the EU has never been a more controversial and critical issue for left political strategy. In the second of a two part piece, a Unite activist looks at the incorporation of the leadership of the labour movement within the EU project and draws conclusions for left strategy. Introduction In part 2 we will move […]
revolutionary reflections | For Another Europe (Part 1)
With Brexit the EU has never been a more controversial and critical issue for left political strategy. In the first of a two part piece A Unite Rep reviews Guglielmo Carchedi’s classic Marxist analysis of the EU. The second part looking at the incorporation of the labour movement within the EU project will appear in […]
revolutionary reflections | Rank and File Organising – Lessons from America Part 2
The International Socialist tradition has always believed in socialism from below – which means that socialism can only come about by the self-activity of the working class. In this interview Anindya Bhattacharyya and a Unite rep spoke to labour organiser Kim Moody about his experience of rank and file organising in the US since the 1960s, […]
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 […]
We can defend jobs without supporting nuclear weapons
We reprint this article from last September in solidarity with everyone marching today for a missile free future In the wake of recent statements by Len McCluskey, an Aerospace Unite rep argues that unions should support those arguing for a future beyond nuclear weapons. The destruction of the world is not a job creation scheme Len […]
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 […]
We can defend jobs without supporting nuclear weapons
We reprint this article from last September in solidarity with everyone marching today for a missile free future In the wake of recent statements by Len McCluskey, a Unite rep, argues that unions should support those arguing for a future beyond nuclear weapons. The destruction of the world is not a job creation scheme Len McCluskey’s […]
Strong support for Scottish independence in mass canvas
The Radical Independence Campaign (RIC), on Tuesday released the findings of their recent mass canvas of 18,000 Scottish voters, showing a lead for Yes over No in the forthcoming independence referendum. A Unite rep discusses how the results contrast to official polls. Canvassing over 18,000 voters in 90 working-class communities across the country, RIC […]
What capital won, and how we can win it back
[extended edit of a review in the launch issue of rs21 magazine] A Unite rep examines arguments put forward by labour researcher Kim Moody – and how they shed light on how bosses have reorganised the workplace to our detriment. For 30 years now the left has faced tremendous difficulties in coming to terms with changes that […]
Sparks strike at Three Bridges and protect jobs on the cards
report by a Unite rep Electricians in Three Bridges, Sussex, walked out this morning to defend their terms and conditions. Within hours they had forced their employers to back off and hire them on industry standard conditions. The action involved 30 agency workers hired by NG Bailey on a Volker Fitzpatrick construction site for Network Rail. Their Unite union demanded direct […]
Participation, resistance and betrayal among car workers
A Unite rep reviews Militant Years, Alan Thornett’s political memoir of his life as a radical car plant worker in Oxford – and draws out some political warnings about ‘participation’ then and ‘partnership’ today.