Now -read the book!

Here is a link to my memoirs which, if you are a glutton for punishment, you can purchase online at https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/an-obscure-footnote-in-trade-union-history.
Men fight and lose the battle, and the thing that they fought for comes about in spite of their defeat, and when it comes turns out not to be what they meant, and other men have to fight for what they meant under another name. (William Morris - A Dream of John Ball)

Friday, April 03, 2009

Job Done or Jobs Done For?

If I was any good with the relevant software I would illustrate this blog post with images of trade union leaders as cheerleaders (although now that I have that image in my head I will regret having thought of it for many years!)

The Unions Together blog declare - of the result of the G20 "Job Done - Now Let's Get to Work" - this seems to me to be taking rose tinted spectacles into a whole new dimension.

Unions Together is a "trading name" of TULO (The Trade Union Labour Organisation - the coordinating body for Labour Party affiliated trade unions).

If what TULO was for was to encourage trade unionists to feel good about the Labour Government then this sort of positive spin would make sense.

If the point of TULO was to campaign for trade union policies within and beyond the Labour Party then it would be difficult to see why we would want to talk up the outcome of the G20.

It offers precisely nothing to the Visteon workers, nor to those losing their jobs at Bombardier.

I am one of those dinosaurs who still thinks we could get some good out of our affiliation to our Party - but not if we are simply cheerleaders for Gordon Brown.

No job was done for us at the G20 and the work to which we must now turn is the campaign for progressive policies in the interests of working people.

1 comment:

harpymarx said...

I went to the protest at Visteon factory at Enfield yesterday. Good and positive atmosphere.

The convenor of the plant is due in the high court tomorrow re legal proceedings and he could end up in prison. So the workers need our maximum support and solidarity.