United Left Launch

A report from today's Morning Star:

United Left, the new socialist rank-and-file movement in UNITE The Union, was launched on Saturday 21^st February in Birmingham by a packed hall of UNITE activists from all over Britain and Ireland. This historic launch saw the creation of the largest left organisation within the British and Irish trade union movement, and there is no doubt it will have a pivotal role in steering UNITE The Union in a left socialist direction in the challenging times ahead.

United Left is the result of the merger of T&G Broad Left and AMICUS Unity Gazette, the two left organisations within UNITE’s former section unions. For several months, leading activists from both bodies have formed a United Left National Co-ordinating Committee to progress the merger, including drawing a draft Founding Statement of Aims and Principles for United Left. This Founding Statement, which was unanimously approved on Saturday, clearly redefines the nature and direction of the trade union left in terms relevant to the 21^st century, placing great emphasis on:

·         democratic lay member ownership and control

·         full commitment to equalities at every level

·         a socialist political direction with a strong voice to stand up for working peoples’ interests at all levels including international

·         a fighting back industrial vision to win for and defend our members in the workplace

·         an organising agenda to grow and build union power amongst the unorganised

Tony Woodley, Joint General Secretary of UNITE made a tremendous welcoming address at the launch of United Left, in which he clearly identified himself with the broad left of the Union and recognised the essential role an activist left plays in keeping the union in a progressive socialist direction. This was never more important than today, he said, with modern day capitalism in crisis and the time now ripe for a strong socialist voice as an alternative vision for working people.

Following on from Tony and developing the socialist theme of the launch, John McDonnell MP gave a superb political analysis of the current capitalist crisis and the failure of New Labour to respond in any way satisfactorily in the interests of working class voters. He explained the planned People’s Charter, drawn up by John Hendy QC other left union and progressive leaders (including Tony Woodley), which lays out an alternative political and economic programme to use the power of the state to control the economy in the interests of working people, in particular to reject privatisation, to win back trade union rights, to take full control of the banks and other key sectors of the economy and to use public resources to build council houses. Although there was no hard copy available for the launch, there was unanimous approval “in spirit and in principle” to support the People’s Charter, as explained by John McDonnell.

Both Tony Woodley and John McDonnell made reference to the historic importance of the day’s launch of United Left, which will be not only the biggest rank and file left in the British and Irish trade union movement, but will also be a leading left voice to which more and more working people will turn to for answers as the old neo-liberal mantras collapse. United Left will undoubtedly have a very influential role politically and industrially in the period ahead, both within and without the confines of UNITE The Union.

Martin Mayer, who chaired the launch and who was chair of T&G Broad Left and chaired the United Left National Co-ordinating Committee, explained that the Co-ordinating Committee had prepared a slate for the 8 National Officer positions, carefully balancing AMICUS Unity Gazette and T&G Broad Left positions as well as ensuring gender equality. He asked for consensus assent for the slate, in the knowledge that full and free elections could of course take place at the first United Left AGM in January 2010. This was unanimously agreed. The approved slate was as follows: Chair Martin Mayer; Vice Chairs (2) Neil Sheehan, Helen McFarlane; Secretary Paul Birkett; Treasurer Maggie Ryan; Editor Pete Gillard; Elections Campaigns Co-ordinator Sharon Hutchinson; Equalities Organiser Pat Stuart.

Thanking delegates for their unanimous endorsement of the Founding Statement and the National Officer slate, the Chair formally declared the disbandment of T&G Broad Left and AMICUS Unity Gazette, and called upon all assembled activists to ensure the new United Left  was up and running in all of UNITE’s 10 Regions. United Left must become larger than the sum of its two parts, he said, and our job must now be to reach out to those stewards and activists in our workplaces who up to now had not become involved in the left in either section of UNITE. We have the chance to recreate a vibrant shop steward movement via United Left, he said, of politically aware union activists fighting back industrially for our members and taking an active democratic role within our union, UNITE.

Among some of the decisions taken at the launch was a commitment to support a planned anti-BNP rally in Liverpool on 14^th March to protest Nick Griffin’s attempt to take an MEP seat in the North West, and to organise support for the 28^th March TUC-led demonstration to put workers’ interest first prior to the G20 summit. It was noted that UNITE Executive had already endorsed support for this march. The news was also welcomed that the UNITE Executive had unanimously supported an excellent resolution on Gaza in support of the Palestinians.

There is no doubt this was a highly successful launch for United Left and its influence in the political, economic and industrial challenges ahead will be eagerly waited.

Martin Mayer

Chair of United Left

(UNITE The Union’s socialist rank and file movement)