‘TUC Get Off Your Knees, Call a General Strike!’ and ‘TUC Get Off Your Knees, Kick the Tories Out!’ rang out as the Workers Revolutionary Party and the Young Socialists held a powerful lobby of the TUC Emergency Delegate Conference at TUC HQ in central London on Saturday.
Before they entered the congress, many of the 500 delegates told News Line they wanted the TUC to call a general strike to smash the new anti-union law and to support Palestine.
Mark Anthony Bastiani, CWU delegate from London said: ‘In my view we have to call action up to a general strike. We have to use all our power. I am democratically allowed to withdraw my labour, but if that freedom is taken away then I’m nothing more than a slave. We need a ceasefire in Gaza and a plan for a Palestinian state.’
David Pilborough from the Society of Radiographers said: ‘This new anti-strike legislation takes away our basic rights. We must come up with something concrete today – action not words.’
Libby Nolan, President of Unison, told News Line: ‘We’re proud of our Palestine policy, calling for an immediate ceasefire and the TUC should adopt it here today. It’s a disgrace that the UK abstained at the United Nations on Friday night. The people of Britain have not abstained, they demand an immediate and permanency ceasefire. As far as this anti-union law is concerned this law has to go and we can’t wait for a Labour government to get rid of it, we need action now.’
Jennie Bremner, the industrial officer for the London Region of the Society of Radiographers said: ‘This law is another nail in the coffee for the rights of the working class we are heading for a general strike to defend the right to strike. My members will come under attack from this new anti-union law. We’ve just taken very successful industrial action but it will be illegal in future. How come we are only now waking up about Palestine? This is been going on for many many decades. But we have to act now to stop the genocide.’
Sarah Carter NEU NEC member said: ‘The TUC must call concrete action. We cannot let this happen. A general strike is needed. In schools it would mean 75% of pupils would be in, which means that strike action would be ineffective. The TUC must also demand a ceasefire in Palestine now.’
Mick Whelan, ASLEF General Secretary, said: ‘Action where the whole trade union movement comes together to defeat this new law is absolutely needed. It could well come to a general strike.’
Ian Lawrence, NAPO General Secretary, said: ‘We have to launch a campaign here today. There may be a debate about a general strike and if the majority calls for one then we will follow. The banning of the right to strike is a line in the sand.’
Mick Dolan, EIS delegate, said: ‘The TUC must take action to defend all its members against this atrocious and pernicious legislation. A general strike may well be needed.’
Robert Murtagh, from Nautilus, said: ‘Our big concern is that this bill gives the Secretary of State sweeping powers and we have large numbers of members in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary who could well come under attack from this legislation.’
Despite these calls for the TUC to organise concrete action and a general strike to smash the Strikes Minimum Service Levels Act, the Emergency Congress on Saturday did nothing of the kind.
Instead, it passed a resolution proposing to appeal to supportive bosses not to implement the new legislation and pledged abstract ‘support’ for those who fall victim to it.
The resolution unanimously passed at Saturday’s Special Congress stated: ‘We must use all means necessary to defeat the unjust MSLs (Minimum Service Levels) laws. We also recommit to 100% solidarity with any trade unions attacked under these MSL laws.
‘Support any worker subject to a work notice, including with support from across the trade union movement, if their employer disciplines them in any way.
‘Ensure that where employers fail to resolve disputes, workforces are still able to exercise their democratic right to withdraw their labour.
‘Ensure that where any affiliate is facing significant risk of sanctions because of this legislation, we convene an emergency meeting of the Executive Committee to consider options for providing practical, industrial, financial and/or political backing to that union.
‘Continue our wider legal challenge to these undemocratic laws – leaving no stone unturned internationally and in UK courts.
‘Call on all employers and public bodies with oversight to oppose this counterproductive legislation. Employers and public bodies from across the public sector and the country have already signalled their opposition to the Strikes Act. All employers and public bodies must reject it …’ etc, etc
‘Hold Labour to their commitment to repeal this legislation within their first 100 days of office as a key part of promoting and fully implementing the wider New Deal for working people as a flagship policy in the forthcoming general election.’ etc, etc.
The motion proposed no concrete action whatsoever, let alone the general strike, which is needed to smash the new legislation which threatens workers with the sack for striking and their unions with bankruptcy for calling strike action.
In his complacent address to the Congress, TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: ‘Today, this movement resolves: We will fight to defend your right to strike. Here we are, once again, facing yet another set of laws, designed to silence the voices of workers The Strikes Act – could – put simply – take away the right to strike from five and a half million people. 1 in 5 British workers. It’s Unfair. It’s Undemocratic. Congress, it’s unfit to be on the statute book.’
Nowak declared: ‘Congress, let us be clear: We won’t be quiet. We won’t be bullied. And we won’t be intimidated by this government.
‘Congress, No more lies. No more excuses. No more scapegoats. Time for the Prime Minister to take responsibility. Time for him to stand down. And time to call a general election. I expect, you expect, an incoming Labour government to repeal this spiteful legislation. That is what the leader and the deputy leader have both said. In private – and in public.
‘But we can’t just wait for an election, we have to decide what we are doing as a movement, right now, to fight this legislation. Now you wouldn’t expect me to talk tactics, here, in public, where ministers and employers (And their lawyers) Can hear. So I won’t. But I will tell you this, If they come for one worker, if they come for one union, they will face us all.
‘And no matter what laws they pass, or how they threaten us, this movement is not in the business of telling any worker to cross a picket line. I say to this Tory government, if you don’t want strikes. you know what to do. Pay us fairly, treat us fairly. invest in our public services. Fix the mess you’ve created. So Congress, here today, we resolve: We will defy their ban on strikes. We will overturn this unjust law, And we will win for workers! Solidarity Congress!’
Speaker after speaker pledged to defend the right to strike, with only one using the words, general strike.
NAPO assistant general secretary Ranjit Singh said: ‘NAPO doesn’t have a policy to call a general strike as the colleagues outside called for. But we do have a policy of defending every worker and every union against attack.’
TUC President Matt Wrack, Fire Brigades Union general secretary, said: ‘Crucially, unions have today agreed that they will refuse to tell their members to cross picket lines – a clear act of defiance against the Act. We now need to build a mass movement of resistance and solidarity to break these authoritarian new laws.’
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: ‘Defeating this law has to be done by the TUC. We can’t rely on the government or the employers. We need to fight this ourselves. We’ve got to act as one big union. We will stand in solidarity together. We will strike, let’s get out in the streets!’
