Solidarity Solidarity& Workers’ Liberty For a workers’ government For social ownership of the banks and industry 1 MAY: BRING UNIONS OUT AGAINST POLICE BILL By Sacha Ismail Lewis, Lloyd Russell-Moyle, and across the country. It needs to SOCIALISM Richard Burgon. be generalised and its links with he labour movement is still The Socialist Campaign the labour movement strength- Tnot a force in the anti-Po- Group of Labour MPs which ened. lice Bill struggle. For us to win, Burgon convenes has put out • Trade union and Labour it needs to be. The Tories’ de- a statement signed by 29 La- activists should join the Kill the laying of the Bill shows they are bour MPs and six members of Bill protests on May Day (see @ vulnerable to pressure; so do the Lords: bit.ly/scpolice. Most SistersUncut), take banners and repeated retreats on their Over- unions have now made state- take workmates and comrades. seas Operations Bill (part of the ments against the Bill. NEU’s • Hold labour movement- same authoritarian-nationalist national conference passed an sponsored organising and agenda). emergency motion from Bris- discussion meetings for your The Labour leadership tol NEU. Following the clashes area, workplace or industry. whipped its MPs to abstain on in Bristol, South West repre- • Activists have produced a Overseas Operations, with op- sentatives of eight unions, motion for labour movement position mounted by left-wing Bristol trades council, and the organisations to mobilise MPs and members of the House regional TUC made an anti-Bill against the Bill, and raise wider of the Lords. Labour planned to statement: bit.ly/bristolstate- demands about the right to abstain on the Police Bill until ment. However, the statement protest, policing and criminal the pressure of demonstrations condemns protesters who en- justice: bit.ly/polbillmotion. Put pushed it to vote against. gaged in provocative actions, in your union, Labour or other However its “opposition” was while saying nothing about po- organisation. SLEAZE politically weak, focusing on the lice violence in Bristol or else- We need motions on these Bill being “ill-conceived”. Since where. (Bristol trades council issues to Labour Party con- the last parliamentary vote, it itself took a better stance). ference. If we don’t push to has gone quiet. Unions have said very little change the labour movement’s Some left-wing MPs have about the threat the Bill poses policy, we allow Starmer and his ≫Workers’ inquiries been better. Nadia Whittome to rights to strike and picket — team to continue their conserv- attended the Sarah Everard let alone used the opportunity ative “pro-police” position with- protest on Clapham Common, to denounce existing anti-strike out challenge. Oust the Tories spoke out about the police vi- laws. Most seem to have made The movement to stop the ≫ olence there, and spoke at the one statement and not done Police Bill needs the labour first big rally outside Parliament. much else. There has been very movement’s social weight, She has promoted anti-Police little in the way of mobilising strategic position in society ≫Social priorities, not rule Bill actions in Nottingham and members for demonstrations. and politics, and resources. generally. To build pressure for the Organised labour needs the See page 2 Whittome was joined at the leaders of our movement to movement’s radicalism and of profit first Parliament Square rally by be better and do more, we grassroots militancy. Both need 300 anti-voting Uni occupations Myanmar: plans Lessons from three other women MPs of col- must mobilise at the grasroots, clear ideas about how we not laws in USA and UCU strikes for solidarity India, Michigan our, Zarah Sultana, Bell Ribei- drawing in as many labour only Kill the Bill, but reverse the Republicans table big Students and uni Support garment Don’t believe that the ro-Addy and Apsana Begum. All movement activists and organ- decades-long trend to restrict drive to exclude black workers rally against a workers by targeting Covid pandemic is three have attacked police re- isations as possible. There is a protests which it deepens: bit. voters drive for cuts brands in the UK fading away yet pression and promoted action lot of good work being done ly/earlierlaws. □ against the Bill. So have Clive Page 9 Pages 5 and 13 Page 3 Page 7 No. 590, 28 April 2021 50p/£1 workersliberty.org No. 590, 28 April 2021 50p/£1 workersliberty.org Socialism versus sleaze

sure ever-expanding bonuses. Many of them have simply moved the goal- Editorial posts and got their “remuneration committees” to redefine the criteria so they still get bonuses. Some fund man- ore and more leaks and side-chan- agers are cross. So far they have won nels from the pump of plutocracy M a 40% shareholder vote against Foxton are becoming visible. Tories are falling estate agents’ payment of a bonus to out among themselves. Dominic Cum- its chief executive for “doing well” in a mings has denounced Boris Johnson’s year when the firm got almost £7 mil- behaviour as “mad and totally unethi- lion in government bail-out just to keep cal”. 50% of those polled say there is a going. Their alternative is to have the “culture of sleaze” in the government. money paid out in dividends instead, Socialists work to switch off the pump or reinvested for future profits. as well as fixing the leaks. The core process of capitalist plutoc- Switching off the Pump racy is the transaction in which, though Socialist measures can get to the root economic compulsion, we sell our la- of it. bour-power to a capitalist, endowed • Bring operations in-house, where with riches and control of the means of Late 19th Century US cartoon core workers and unions can see how production. They pay out as meagre a they are done and on what conditions, “living wage” as they can get away with thus its extra multitude of government the regulators at the wealth-spouting rather than contracting them out. (or, sometimes, not even that). In return contracts to draw juice from, a big part end of the pump. • Follow that through to bring all they gain control over all our collective of the battle is for favours and contracts Probably the biggest effort ever in a major industry under public ownership creativity and ability to produce, and of from government. The battle becomes capitalist country to regulate the leaks and workers’ and democratic control. all the embedded skills and technolo- an industry in itself. and diversions of wealth-spouting was • Replace high-paid bosses and of- gies generated by previous labour. In the USA, the industry of lobbying that of the “Progressive Era” in the USA, ficials by elected managers, operating They “consume” the “commodity” the federal government employs about between the late 19th century and on workers’ wages and with accounta- they’ve bought, labour-power. They 100,000 people and runs on a scale World War 1. It generated two sizeable bility to the workforce and the public. put us to work, commanding, bullying, of about $9 billion a year. Each of the but ephemeral new parties, the “Pro- • Opening the books: freedom of speeding up, cutting corners, to extract 500-odd members of Congress has an gressive Parties” of 1912 and 1924, information in big firms and in govern- the maximum of labour which adds new average of 200 lobby-industry people as splits from the Republicans. “Pro- ment. value. The value added exceeds the on their case, and an average of $18 gressives” in those days were mostly • Workers’ inquiries, drawing on ex- price originally paid for labour-power: million a year spent on lobbying them. concentrated in the Republicans, and pert scrutiny at industry and firm level, in today’s capitalist economy, typically, In Britain, a book published in 2014 much of their drive was against Dem- putting it together with investigation perhaps, it is three times as much. estimated the industry of lobbying ocrat party-machines controlling city and discussion by workers at workshop central government at £2 billion a year, governments. The battle for wealth and office level, making the information which is an average of £3 million a year into the guiding light of an organised The excess value pumped out is the per individual MP. labour movement pushing for workers’ font from which profits, rents, interest, ur central battle control at all levels. dividends, and high pay-outs for man- Rules and regulations is to switch off “O Switch off the pump of plutocracy! agers and “consultants”, are drawn. In The rich have some collective interest Replace it by democracy which guides modern capitalism we also claw some in establishing rules for that lobbying, the pump of plutocracy, economic life by social priorities, and of that value back, via state spending and making it more predictable and and reorganise economic not by the rule of profit!□ on public services. Within those, how- orderly. The capitalists who didn’t have ever, the same norms apply: squeezing personal connections with MPs or min- efforts with democracy down the wages for the workers pro- isters to get them in the “VIP lane” for and equality...” ducing the services, squeezing up the PPE contracts; the ventilator-manufac- pressure on them at work, and extract- turers who did not, like James Dyson, It pushed through many reforms, ing the maximum for top managers. have Boris Johnson’s personal phone some useful, some ambiguous, some Our archive As Karl Marx put it: “The workers number through which to seek tax ineffectual, some counterproductive. cannot become rich in this exchange, breaks; the contractors who hoped to Revolving Door get some of the Test and Trace billions, since, in exchange for their labour ca- The USA today shows the limits of that online but whose bosses didn’t have the links pacity as a fixed, available magnitude, sort of capitalist clean-up drive. After page on our website. workers- with top Tories through shared time they surrender its creative power, like the crash of 2008, the outgoing chief A liberty.org/wl-archive, has links at university or other connections... all Esau his birthright for a mess of pot- economist of the International Mone- to archives of our publications right those want some rules. tage. Rather, they necessarily impov- tary Fund (IMF) commented that con- back to 1966-7. A recent addition is For the working class, too, more erish themselves, because the creative nections like the “flow of individuals a file (with some gaps) of the Internal openness and regulation is prefera- power of their labour establishes itself between Wall Street and Washington”, Bulletin of Workers’ Fight (a forerun- ble. Better a process that ensures that as the power of capital, as an alien the “revolving door” between govern- ner of Workers’ Liberty) from 1972- a firm with a government contract at power confronting them”. ment positions, lobbying jobs, and 5. We appeal to older readers to least does the job halfway properly, at As that capitalist core process pumps high-finance posts, meant that “the -fi help (from their own archives, or by something like the going rate, than one out plutocratic wealth, there is a con- nance industry has effectively captured asking round) with the missing bul- under which they do a scrappy job with tinuous competitive battle between [the USA’s] government”. letins, and with other items we can’t ill-paid workers while pocketing huge managers, investors, hangers-on, and Wealth-siphoning is rife under capi- trace (like some issues of industrial payouts. Our central battle is to switch others to see who can grab most from talism even in completely legal forms. bulletins produced in the 1970s, The off the pump of plutocracy, and reor- the flow. In modern capitalism, and The pandemic and lockdowns have Hook, Real Steel News, etc.) or have ganise economic efforts with democ- probably even more in neoliberal cap- messed up the measures on which only damaged copies of (Socialist racy and equality, rather than to help italism with all its contracting-out, and many top bosses had hoped to en- Organiser 326 and 327). □

2 workersliberty.org @workersliberty @workers_liberty fb.com/workersliberty Myanmar campaign to target brands By Michael Elms business • Ensure no workers are dismissed for ctivists in the UK labour movement participating in the democracy move- Aare getting organised to provide ment. solidarity to the workers of Myanmar The workers’ movement in Myanmar who are on strike against the Tatmadaw is the true bulwark of democracy. The military regime, which did away with elected government which was over- elected government and democratic thrown by the Tatmadaw was domi- freedoms in a coup on 1 February this nated overwhelmingly by Aung San year. Suu Kyi’s National League for Democ- On 10 April, Momentum Internation- racy, which had defended the geno- alists (MI) and other Labour activists cide against the country’s Rohingya held a meeting with Khaing Zar Aung ment is being circulated for labour and largely female, is one of the pow- minority and opposed a solution to the of the Confederation of Trade Unions movement activists and representatives erhouses of the general strike. The many national minority freedom strug- of Myanmar (CTUM), Kyaw Ni of the to sign. There is also a drive to promote workers have been faced with threats gles in Myanmar. All-Burma Federation of Trade Unions a fundraiser run by the local affiliate of mass dismissals from the employer The workers’ movement is the pow- (ABFTU), and Htuu Lou Rae of the An- of the AFL-CIO for the benefit of the as well as repeated lethal attacks by the erhouse of the democracy struggle, ti-Junta Mass Movement (AJMM), as ABFTU and other Myanmar labour or- armed forces. but is also changing politics and lay- well as Andrew Tillett-Saks, an Amer- ganisations. The Industrial Workers’ Federation of ing the groundwork for social justice ican labour activist with the AFL-CIO The first solidarity protest actions Myanmar has issued a list of clothing and federalism to offer autonomy to Solidarity Center based in Thailand. are planned to take place in May, and brands including H&M, Marks & Spen- oppressed peoples in Myanmar. It is in From that meeting, plans have gone will be aimed at raising awareness of cer, Gap, and Mango, and raised the urgent need of solidarity and support. forward to make solidarity. Activists in the struggle in general, and at putting following demands: Please get in touch with Momentum In- MI, the anti-sweatshop campaign No particular pressure on western brands. • Denounce the coup ternationalists at team@momentumint- Sweat, and across Labour and trade Clothing brands are one important • Announce that continuation of a ernationalists.org, and sign and share unions are discussing plans for days of focus of international pressure cam- military regime will threaten future in- the following statement in your Labour action, in-person demonstrations and paigns because the large garment vestment Party or trade union branch: bit.ly/my- online activities. In addition, a state- factory workforce of Yangon, young • Cut ties with military-connected anmarsolidarity □

Workers’ Liberty meets in A socialist and anti- imperialist hapurji Saklatvala was Labour’s conference Sfirst BAME MP, and a revolution- By Sacha Ismail On 24-25 April, we elected orient, which we have been ary socialist and anti-imperialist. a new National Committee, debating for some time (bit.ly/ Learn about his life and struggles in n 24 and 25 April Work- Industrial (trade union) Com- trump-d). this pamphlet, replete with lessons Oers’ Liberty held its first mittee and other bodies; The conference voted that for today. £3. □ conference since the start of and debated, amended and our National Committee was workersliberty.org/publications the pandemic. Normally we voted on a series of motions. right to call for support for the have a conference once a year. We heard reports on and dis- US Green Party candidates, so- We last met, physically, in Jan- cussed our work in a variety of cialist activists Howie Hawkins uary 2020, and hope to do so trade unions and campaigns, and Angela Walker, not for again 27-28 November 2021. and our plans for mobilisa- Biden and Harris. It voted that Upcoming meetings During the pandemic many tion around the COP26 cli- socialists should work in the labour movement organi- mate summit in November. movement around the left- orkers’ Liberty meetings are open to all, held online over sations have cancelled their We sharpened our ideas and wing of the Democrats to build Wzoom. conferences. Others have oriented ourselves for the up left-wing and working-class Friday 30 April, 6-7.30pm: Neurodivergent Labour, What do held online events but made months ahead. forces and promote a “dirty Neurodivergent people need from local councils? them much less democratic Motions discussed and break” from the Democratic Sunday 2 May, 4-6pm: ­LabourStart event ­— Free jailed trade than they could be. Last year passed included “Class strug- Party. While recognising the unionists! Labour held an online “confer- gle in the age of Covid”, “US threat Trump and Trumpism Sunday 2 May, 6.30-8.30pm: The Poplar Rates Rebellion of ence” which was just a series politics”, “Report on the work represent and the spur they 1921 of speakers. of the AWL” and “The Labour have given to far-right and fas- Sunday 16 May 12-1:30pm: Socialist Feminist Reading The conference days were Party”, plus amendments to our cist organising, it rejected the group — Rape, gendered violence: various readings shorter — six hours, with more code of conduct, grievance idea Trump himself is a fascist Sunday 16 May, 6.30-8.30pm: Socialists on the Israel Pales- breaks — and much of the nor- procedure and constitution. or quasi-fascist. tine conflict — Workers’ Liberty debates Red Flag mal informal discussion and There were discussions and Despite the many challenges Wednesday 19 May, 7-8.45pm: Shapurji Saklatvala and John networking “around” the event decisions on our activity in facing the left — and despite Archer — pioneers of working-class and black representation. was obviously not possible. workplaces and unions, on the Zoom — the conference was an But, despite the limitations of streets and in the Labour Party encouraging and inspiring as Plus an online format, we held a as the pandemic recedes, with well as useful event. Mondays, 6-7pm: AWL Students’ discussions democratic decision-making an emphasis on getting out Help us build up the labour Thursdays, 8-9.30pm: Lenin’s What Is To Be Done? Reading and organising conference. on the streets to promote so- movement and the fight for group As always, it was preceded cialist ideas and literature. We socialism as we enter a time Our calendars of events: browse or subscribe! □ by a series of “pre-confer- also discussed “longer range when eased Covid restrictions ence” discussion meetings at issues” like the recent US elec- facilitate more street activity. All online which issues were could be tions and how the socialist Get in touch, work with us, join For full and updated details, zoom links, more meetings and discussed in depth. movement in the US should us. □ resources, visit workersliberty.org/events

Events and campaigns: workersliberty.org/meetings youtube.com/c/WorkersLibertyUK workersliberty.org/audio 3 Why so quiet about the Unite election? against McCluskey in 2017 and came within a few thousand votes of winning. Antidoto There may also be another reason. While the CPB’s leading Unite activists are experienced militants with consid- he race is on to replace Len McClus- erable knowledge of the true nature key as general secretary of the Unite T of the candidates, the same cannot union. This is the second most powerful be said for many other people in and position within the British labour move- around the CPB and for many Morning ment, after leader of the Labour Party, Star readers. On the face of it, Howard and the outcome will have massive re- Beckett comes over as more “left wing”. percussions not just for the Unite, but While Turner says “I don’t think the for the movement as a whole and the union gains much from a public spat Labour Party. with the leader of the Labour Party”, The four declared candidates, Steve Beckett makes speeches denouncing Turner, Howard Beckett, Sharon Gra- Starmer and last year led a dramatic ham and Gerard Coyne, will be seeking walkout from Labour’s National Exec- sufficient branch nominations between Communist Party of Britain — do take paper is funded by the trade union utive. now and 7 June. The election runs from a view on who to support: “Commu- movement and, in particular, by Unite. Given Beckett’s substantial social-me- 5 July to 23 August. nists endorse Turner for Unite leader” The election is expected to be close- dia presence and the sycophantic sup- You would expect the Morning Star we were informed by the Morning Star run. While Turner has the backing of the port he’s received from the Skwakbox — a publication largely aimed at, and on 27-28 March. The endorsement was main official left group within Unite (the website — a forum that appears to have funded by, the trade union movement fulsome: the CPB’s political committee “United Left”), Beckett has the massive much the same politics as the Morning — to have a lot to say. But so far at least, noted his “contribution to the working advantage of McCluskey’s behind-the- Star and undoubtedly shares many of there has been there has been one not class struggle from his time as a bus scenes backing. Graham’s campaign the same readers — it may well be that very informative article: “Election Con- conductor to being assistant general has made use of the union’s influential the paper fears that by coming out for test Starts With Four Hats In The Ring”, secretary of Unite... [he is] a passionate Organising and Leverage department, Turner or Graham it would alienate a lot 16 April. The paper has noted, without fighter for his class... [the committee] which she heads. It is by no means a of readers. further comment, that Gerard Coyne called on all communists, socialists and foregone conclusion that Turner will Certainly, it dares not explain why it is “a rightwinger”, and briefly covered trade unionists to support Mr Turner.” win, and the Morning Star (literally) is that serious trade unionists consider the three other candidates’ campaign So what explains the paper’s reti- cannot afford to antagonise the next the millionaire solicitor and business- launches. That’s all. cence? leader of Unite whoever that may be. man Beckett to be a completely unsuit- The paper’s political masters — the Paradoxically, the main explanation The paper has even been reasonably almost certainly lies in the fact that the polite about Gerard Coyne, who ran able person to lead a trade union. □ Good content, but dubious wrapping Better lockdowns ploding debt and “the in- tractable economic crisis”. Letter Second, declining economic Letter growth will turn people to so- odd Hamer (Solidarity cialism. im Denham says that it T589) argues well that cli- Possibly huge floods will Jis “self-evident” that: “If mate change is not just a trigger cascades of default. all workers other than those threat for the future. It is hap- Mostly, though, capitalism doing “absolutely essential” pening now. A lot of further is quite resilient about re- work are staying home, work- adverse change will come growth (of its own sort) after ers’ action is by definition no soon even if we can cut car- destruction. Its distinctive factor in [the Zero Covid pro- bon emissions very fast. route to crisis is through over- gram to win more effective We must address climate production. There will surely lockdowns]”. adaptation: “climate-resil- be more such crises in the I don’t agree with the Zero ient infrastructure”, “solu- years ahead. Not necessarily Covid strategy but is wrong they have determinedly main- easing could have ended tions to the food and fresh one “intractable” breakdown. to suggest workers’ action tained conditions of wage sooner. water crises”, “the capacity In countries like the USA, can play no role in winning slavery and near wage slavery Zero Covid take the daft for mass resettlement of dis- the UK, etc. most people al- more effective lockdowns. In that have prevented more ef- stance of opposing any reo- placed people”. And mitiga- ready think that life will be fact the opposite: workers’ fective lockdowns. If the tens penings until Covid has been tion measures such as “the worse for their children than direct action has forced more of thousands of schoolworkers eliminated. But that does drawdown and storage of themselves. All other things effective lockdowns, most sig- who resisted schools reopen- not detract from the fact that atmospheric carbon”. To do equal, social pessimism is nificantly with the action by ing in January had been joined workers can take action to win that requires huge economic more likely to drive people schoolworkers in January. Far by workers in construction, more effective lockdowns and mobilisation, achievable only to the right than to the left. from a measure that has to be non-essential manufacturing it was precisely on this terrain if social priorities can over- In 2016, though more peo- imposed on workers by police (arms, luxury goods etc.) and that workers won a total victory whelm private-profit vested ple currently badly-off voted action, the lockdowns have others, then probably the over the government. The NEU interests. Clinton, Trump had a 58%- been extremely popular (one lockdown would have been leadership got spooked by Todd, however, wraps that 29% lead among the pessi- poll found 79% supported even more effective: less so- the threat of legal action and message up in two others mists who felt worse off than lockdown in January 2021). cial mixing would have meant made little of this victory. So- which are shakier. First, that their parents. □ Capitalists big and small have the infection rate would have cialists should not underplay collapses in property prices Chris Reynolds, been the force in society most dropped quicker, less people its significance. in coastal areas will trigger North London resistant to lockdowns and would be dead and lockdown Stuart Jordan, South London economic snowballs of im-

4 workersliberty.org @workersliberty @workers_liberty fb.com/workersliberty A Promising Young Woman “I mean, what would you have me do? is a rape revenge film without the ca- Ruin a young man’s life every time we tharsis of the neat revenge. The only Women’s get an accusation like this?” violence that happens on camera is Fightback The anti-feminist woman, with no unbearably long. It can’t quite settle sense of solidarity: “And, statistically, into a tone and is worse for it. It tries By Katy Dollar feminists are more likely to do anal. so hard to subvert expectations, some- n A Promising Young Woman, Cassie That’s a literal fact, by the way... You times it feels like there are plot twists I(Carey Mulligan) is still living with her know, when it comes down to it, all guys for the sake of it. The ending feels like a parents, and works at a coffee shop want the same thing... A good girl.” compromise between Director and Stu- though once she was the most promis- And creeps, oh so many creeps. dio. For all the neon pinks and sparkly The Director (Emerald Fennell) makes scrunchies, it is a dark and bleak film. ing student in medical school. She has at the point he initiates sex with his “vic- some fantastic choices: the femme col- Cassie is the personification of the no partner, and only one friend: her tim”. our palette, all bubble gum and pastels grief and rage at a world that protects manager at the coffee shop who thinks As the film and Cassie’s mission of and girl pop soundtrack, subverting men and sees women as disposable. she’s wasting her life. Once a week she vengeance develop, we meet a series the association of girly with unserious. Even the men you think are allies are gets dressed up, goes to a club, and of archetypes. Some very smart camera work similarly not, and even modest and overdue preys on creeps who believe she is The University Dean who shows more dissects the male gaze. justice will only be achieved via the de- drunk and vulnerable. Each reacts with empathy for perpetrators than victims: terror as her calm sobriety is revealed Still, it’s a difficult film to watch. This struction of women. □ Safe and Equal calls protest sick pay. Salford Unison pushes The Uyghur Solidarity Cam- Activist paign has put out a statement Agenda — “Recognise the genocide, but don’t rely on the super- care workers’ charter n the week 1-7 May, Safe powers” — on the vote in and Equal and the PCS civil By Mohan Sen Salford councillors (eight To- have done nothing even to I parliament to recognise the service workers’ union are ries, one independent). So far campaign against cuts and for Chinese state’s action against jointly calling for protests (bit. alford’s local government 22 Labour candidates, plus restored funding. the Uyghur people as geno- ly/s-e-pcs) demanding full SUnison branch was the first the Labour mayor Paul Den- In Tribune earlier this year cide. And USC will be back sick pay for all. This is a cen- to win the right to full isolation nett, have taken photos to say Steve Dennett made the case on the streets, outside the tral demand for controlling pay for all care workers in their they are “committed to use for “the Salford model” — bit.ly/ Chinese Embassy on Port- the spread of Covid by sup- council area, a victory that trig- their role to deliver on these salfordmodel. He said that the land Place, London, at 6pm porting workers to self-iso- gered others in the North West pledges, if they are elected”. council had cut a near-major- on 5 May. □ late when they should. They (bit.ly/salfordunison). This is a good initiative. ity of its workforce, but done want people to use a poster • Links and info for these Now they have put a series Other union branches should so in a relatively civilised way. (below) at work places, in and other campaigns, and of care workers’ demands to put the same or similar de- He made no mention at all of union meetings, with their suggested words for labour- candidates in their local elec- mands to councillors, particu- campaigning to block or re- friends and family, to show movement motions on many tions: larly Labour councillors, citing verse cuts. support, and to share pic- issues, at workersliberty.org/ 1. The Foundation Living the commitments in Salford. Strong, left-wing branches tures online agenda Wage (currently £9.50/hour) We should try to develop mo- in Unison and other local gov- of gatherings for all Salford care workers. mentum on this nationally, in ernment unions need to take with the poster. 2. Holiday pay based on nor- the unions, in the Labour Party a lead in demanding a Labour Other actions mal wages. and beyond. campaign to stop and reverse proposed are 3. Sleep-in pay at the Foun- Salford’s council and mayor cuts and commitment to re- raising the issue dation Living Wage rate. have done better than most storing all lost funding. □ in your union 4. Occupational sick pay for Labour local authorities, in • For the Care and Support branch, or help- all Salford care workers. part under pressure from a Workers Organise network, ing another 5. Publicly delivered social strong and left-wing union in which Salford activists, the workplace or care. branch. However, like other UVW Sage strikers and many group of work- 6. A strong voice for workers, Labour councils it has contin- others are involved, see bit.ly/ ers if yours al- those in receipt of care and ued to make cuts. Like other careworkersorg ready has full their loved ones. Labour councils, it seems to Labour has 50 out of 59 Wave of action in universities to fight cuts By AWL students pied university buildings. When two in the next week. out of the 2010 movement against fee Sheffield Hallam students were filmed Keeping up momentum into next hikes, this is a coming together of rent he summer term at UK universi- being pinned to the floor by security term is key. There will be no going strike organisers. The school, organised Tties has opened with direct action guards, as they went into occupation “back to normal” for University man- by The World Transformed, Liberate the by students involved in rent and fee in the Cantor building, there was a big agements, who will be pushing for cuts. University and others had useful de- strikes — a last push in this academic push back on social media; this was Last weekend (24-25 April) an online bates. We will be pushing for the move- year to win our demands. Student rent seen to be typical of the way students organising school was held under the ment to hold a policy-making founding strike activists at Nottingham University, have been treated all year. banner of “The Red Square Movement”. conference which can consolidate na- Sheffield Hallam, Sheffield University Elsewhere — at Goldsmiths, LSE — on- Modelled on the National Campaign tional organisation and encourage the and Manchester University have occu- line and in person rallies are being held Against Fees and Cuts, which came setting up of local activist groups. □

Events and campaigns: workersliberty.org/meetings youtube.com/c/WorkersLibertyUK workersliberty.org/audio 5 Strong fossil-fuel reboot, weak plans government’s statements. It speaks of “investment”, “equity”, plans to “create Environment millions of good-paying, union jobs”, and the like. It would at least be a step in the right direction. By Zack Muddle But it is scant on details of proposals he fossil-fuelled reboot that we have or funding. Tlong warned of in the wake of 2020’s His Budget proposed to Congress Covid-19 lockdowns is on course to be committed only $1.2 billion to the UN’s record-shattering — and not in a good “Green Climate Fund”, and $14 billion way. Global energy-related carbon di- for initiatives to fight climate change oxide emissions are set to see their sec- in 2022, far short of his — inadequate — ond highest rise in human history. election pledge of $40 billion (£29bn) No, not the second highest levels of per year in “clean energy and innova- atmospheric CO2, nor even the second tion”. The ambition in his proposals highest emissions or rate of addition to leaves much to be desired, and the these levels. In both levels and emis- hinted-at details have numerous prob- sions, 2021 is heading towards first lems. place. Emissions are predicted to rise is torching your home, you wouldn’t their “Decarbonisation” include mar- Crucially, it isn’t clear how any of it will by 1.5 billion tons, to 33 billion — 33 give them (more) money in exchange ket signalling, and enabling consumer actually happen: how the plan will be thousand million tons — over the year, for promises to go easier on the flame- action. These are woefully insufficient fleshed out with details, and whether and that 1.5 billion rise is the second thrower later on. We must not allow (bit.ly/carbon-t) or actively harmful. Congress will approve the funding. highest figure ever. This comes as gov- a similar approach with our planet: a CCUS and hydrogen production crop China ernments the world over are making radical transformation of the industry is up again, plus another favourite green- President Xi likewise kicked the can green-sounding noises. What do these required. washing industry, bioenergy, which in down the road, and failed to make mean? The proposed “decarbonisation” some ways is worse than coal (bit.ly/ specific, immediate commitments for methods vindicate this scepticism. bio-e). China. “We will strictly limit the increase UK Central is “Carbon Capture, Utilisation, Even if their IDS was good, the £1 bil- in coal consumption over the 14th Maintaining the emptiness of its pre- and Storage” (CCUS). Really Existing lion to fund it is a pittance. £1 billion, five-year plan period (2021-2025) and vious promises, “UK government [has] CCUS is much worse than useless (bit. that is, which had already been allo- phase it down in the 15th five-year plan set in law world’s most ambitious cli- ly/re-ccs): it is used to justify continued cated and was just repackaged! period (2026-2030),” he said. This delay mate change target, cutting emissions emissions while squeezing out even We see a similar story with their “En- is critical, as China is by far the greatest by 78% by 2035 compared to 1990 more crude oil than may be possible ergy White Paper”. More greenwash- burner of coal, and is expected to drive levels”. Once again, inadequately am- otherwise. ing than green in approach, and three over half of the growth of demand for bitious targets are not backed up by Their encouragement of the sector quarters of the celebrated £12bn/year coal in 2021. the kind of policies or action necessary to expand “hydrogen production” is investment having already been allo- to realise them, rendering the target likewise, in practice, concerning. The cated. The choice to leave the energy Possibilities largely meaningless, impotent beyond production method in question would sector in private ownership means This fossil fuelled reboot comes de- being perhaps a flimsy legal weapon be steam-methane reforming, whereby that insufficient money goes even less spite solar power now offering ar- for case-by-case fights. methane from natural gas is reacted far. This is most starkly demonstrated guably the “cheapest… electricity in As with Johnson’s “10 Point Plan” for a with water at a high temperature to with the Hinkley Point C nuclear power history”, demonstrating the irrationality green industrial revolution, much of the form hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and plant: exorbitantly expensive not be- of capitalism even by neoliberalism’s green-washing hype concerns pre-ex- carbon dioxide. The carbon monoxide cause it is nuclear powered, but be- own self-proclaimed standards, and isting commitments, carried forward as may then be catalysed with more water cause of privatisation. the continued failure of the market in part of an updated package. to create more hydrogen and carbon tackling climate change. The so-called “North Sea Transition USA dioxide. Yet the Covid-19 pandemic, and Deal” will likely do more harm than The UK government’s expansion of hol- This is an energy intensive way of government responses, have made good. The deal pumps more cash into low promises was prompted by Biden’s converting one fossil fuel to a different the need and possibilities for tackling the fossil industry, and permits further “Leaders Summit on Climate”. For this form for storage, transportation and climate crises more evident than ever. exploration of oil and gas fields. This is summit, Biden made much of a new use in fuel cells. It is not a new source We can and must build a mass work- in exchange for — at least partially vol- target to cut USA’s emissions to 50% of energy. No less carbon dioxide is ing-class environmental movement that untary — commitments to “decarbonisa- below 2005’s levels by 2030, up from created overall, and, depending on can force the needed changes from our tion” or reduction in emissions by the around 38% previously. the source of the additional energy re- governments and employers; and take same polluters. The official press release has a much quired, more will be produced. Meth- power to implement them ourselves. □ If someone knowingly sets fire to and ane, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, more progressive ring than the UK perhaps other pol- lutants will leak Red: monthly mean CO2 meas- in the process. ured in Hawaii. Methane is over 80 Black: “corrected” for times more potent Our audio! average seasonal cycle. a greenhouse gas isten, download or subscribe to Workers’ Liberty audio recordings of our than carbon diox- Lpaper, other publications, and many meetings. Playlists include: ide over a twenty • Solidarity Newspaper year time-frame. • Pamphlets, publications beyond Solidarity Another compo- • Public meetings nent of the UK’s • Fighting racism: pamphlets and more government’s • Solidarność: The workers’ movement and the rebirth of Poland in 1980-81 commitments is • Environmental pamphlet and meetings their “Industrial Decarbonisation See workersliberty.org/audio for episodes, and for information on subscribing Graph: bit.ly/ppm-21 Strategy” (IDS). Key and using podcasts. All recent episodes can be found through most podcast mechanisms for providers: search “Workers’ Liberty” or “Solidarity & More”. □

6 workersliberty.org @workersliberty @workers_liberty fb.com/workersliberty Lessons from India and Michigan censed in April, and looks to have been a “super-spreader” event. Covid-19 India’s plight is a call to beware for countries like Britain which have seen cases falling, and where the idea that By Martin Thomas the pandemic is “almost over” may ovid cases and deaths in India spread prematurely. Chave rocked since early March, Another such signal is given by Michi- and scanty hospital provision has been gan. There, the seven-day running-aver- overwhelmed in some areas. On the age case rate has risen almost eightfold official count, India’s Covid death rate from late February to late April. Michi- per population is still only what the gan, unlike India but like the rest of the Workers at the testing facility at the National UK’s was in mid-March, mid-October, USA, has a fairly high vaccination rate, Centre for Disease Control, Delhi or mid-June, and way below the high- so the death rate has risen less (about est rates seen in the UK or in countries fourfold), but it is still rising. Chile has a requirement to wear a mask if you’ve mer could not use emergency powers like Brazil. However, in India only 22% seen something similar: it has a higher not had two jabs. to extend Covid restrictions. The Re- of deaths are medically certified with vaccination rate than Britain, but saw a Michigan’s case rate looks like easing publican-majority state legislature had a cause of death. The real rate may be huge rise in cases from late February, off now. Michael Zaroukian, manager sued her months before, and in early much higher. only now levelling off. A factor there at a hospital in Lansing, guesses that April voted to authorise suing her again The world Covid death rate has been is spread of the P.1 and P.2 variants “people are... being more cautious... over Covid restrictions and funds. rising again since mid-March, and is from Brazil after travel restrictions were spring break is over… [indoor] winter Whitmer is a mainstream Democrat now higher than it has ever been, bar a eased. sports... are over now”. But it is precar- and was relatively quick to lock down in peak around late January. Chile introduced new lockdowns. ious. And meanwhile hundreds have spring 2020. It looks like she has been A possible factor in India is the Michigan hasn’t. Its governor, Gretchen died. pushed into easing precautions by fear spread of a new variant, B.1.167. An Whitmer, eased restrictions on 2 March Whitmer had her State House of the pro-Trump right. almost certain factor is the federal gov- just as the new spike was starting, and stormed by an armed gang in April In Europe, pressure from the an- ernment’s decision, after cases had hasn’t reversed the easing. In Michi- 2020 demanding she ease restrictions ti-lockdown right is weaker. But Michi- been steadily declining from a peak in gan as elsewhere in the USA, big-city then, and was the target of a kidnap gan is a warning. Workers’ control over mid-September to a low in February, to schools have remained mostly closed; plot over which 14 people were ar- workplace safety! Full isolation pay for trash Covid restrictions. A crowded re- but almost everything else, bars, cafés, rested in October 2020. all! Bring social care into the public sec- ligious festival, attended by 3.5 million churches, sports places, is open, only In October 2020, the Republican-ma- tor! □ people travelling from all over, was li- with some restrictions on numbers and jority Supreme Court ruled that Whit- Remember the class-war prisoners! herself arrested during the LGBTI+ activist and a mem- recent months of protest fol- ber of the Canadian Union of Eric Lee lowing the rigged Presidential Public Employees (CUPE), is elections in her country that currently imprisoned in Tur- kept Alexander Lukashenko in key. Following his arrest last By Eric Lee power. September, CUPE has cam- he noted international Khaing Zar Aung, the presi- paigned for his release. Ttrade union leader Dan dent of Industrial Workers Fed- And finally, we’ll have a Gallin used to say that what the eration of Myanmar (IWFM) speaker from the Hong Kong labour movement needed is a and a member of the executive Confederation of Trade Unions “May 2nd Movement”. In other committee of the Confedera- whose leader, Lee Cheuk-yan, words, after all the wonderful tion of Trade Unions Mynamar has been subjected to ruthless speeches made on May Day, (CTUM) will also be there. She persecution by the state. we need to focus on what hap- will be speaking on behalf of We encourage trade union- pens every other day of the a trade union movement and ists around the world to raise year and how we put our ideas indeed an entire nation facing awareness of the event and into practice. severe repression at the hands to sign up to attend: bit.ly/ls- In that spirit, on Sunday May The cover image of Labor Defender, of the military dictatorship. may1 □ “Free Sacco & Vanzetti” Ömer Ongun is a diversity, 2, LabourStart will host a major • Eric Lee is the founding equity and inclusion con- online event focussing on what in defence of Sacco and Van- 2nd will be a Zoom call (like editor of LabourStart, writing sultant and performing artist we sometimes call “class war zetti and Tom Mooney, as well every other event in recent here in a personal capacity. now living in Canada who will prisoners”. It’s an archaic term, as jailed members of the In- months) featuring a number also speak. His partner, Cihan • Workers’ Liberty 3/53 covers a leftover from the 1920s, and dustrial Workers of the World of speakers from around the Erdal, a sociologist, peace and the ILD campaign for Sacco had been used by — among (IWW). Sadly, International world. and Vanzetti: bit.ly/sac-van others — groups with names Labor Defense later fell under Among them will be Monireh like “International Red Aid” the control of the Stalinists. Abdi, the wife of jailed Iranian Second hand books! and “International Labor De- Today in many countries teacher trade unionist Esmail fense”. The latter of these was there are trade unionists lan- Abdi, who has been the focus orkers’ Liberty is sell- established in the U.S. in 1926 guishing in jails and it is vitally of a number of our campaigns Wing hundreds of second by James P. Cannon and Max important to remember them, over the years. hand-books — politics, but also Shachtman, who edited its support them, and campaign Another is Lizaveta Mer- fiction, history and much more. popular magazine, Labor De- for them every day of the year liak, international secretary of Visit bit.ly/2h-books for the cur- fender. The group achieved and not only on May Day. the Belarusian Independent rent stock and prices, and to prominence in the campaigns LabourStart’s event on May Trade Union (BITU), who was order.

Events and campaigns: workersliberty.org/meetings youtube.com/c/WorkersLibertyUK workersliberty.org/audio 7 “Ukraine is the victim of Russian aggression”

Interview

By Peter Duncan

Peter Duncan is a professor at the School of Slavonic and Eastern Eu- ropean Studies at University College London. He spoke to Chris Ford of the Ukraine Solidarity Campaign (ukraine- solidaritycampaign.org). Many thanks to the campaign for allowing us to pub- lish this interview. We have seen a build up of Russian Federation armed forces on Ukraine’s borders and in Crimea. There has been an escalation in East Ukraine Russian “little green men” after the seizure of Perevalne military base since January. What is behind this? powers to escalate a more aggressive fluence to include the whole territory lin succeeds in pressuring Ukraine into There are 100,000 troops now sur- approach towards Russia? of the former Soviet Union, except for accepting some of its aims. If Trump rounding Ukraine. The aim is to intim- Putin is clearly the instigator. the Baltic States. returned to office in 2024, this would idate Ukraine, to try to persuade it, and facilitate the latter. the EU and NATO, to drop or adopt cer- There is a widespread opinion in There was a resurgence of protests in tain actions. I think these are the most the Western left that the conflict is Russia in opposition to Putin. Is this What should Western socialists say? important: a response to Western expansion- internal situation in Russia a signifi- Socialists should oppose the author- To abandon hope of getting back ism, that there was a “fascist coup” cant factor in shaping the approach itarian kleptocratic regime in Moscow Crimea. in Ukraine, and the current tensions towards Ukraine? and the oligarchic system in Kiev. But To prevent any attempt to move the are due to Ukraine’s intransigence as No, the regime has dealt with the pro- the Kremlin, with its blatant interfer- Donbas “line of contact”. regards peace. tests which have escalated since 2018 ence in the politics of liberal democ- To drop Ukraine’s aims of closer as- Many people, not only on the left, in- inside Russia by stepping up internal racies and support of far-right groups, sociation with NATO and the EU; and cluding a House of Lords sub-commit- repression and by trying to kill Alexei represents a danger to the Western to discourage other states in Russia’s tee, believe that the EU acted recklessly Navalny. I think that some of the moves left in a way that no Ukrainian regime “sphere of interests” from seeking such before and during 2013 in ignoring against Ukraine in 2014 reflected fears ever could. Ukraine is clearly the vic- association, and to discourage NATO Russian interests in Ukraine with the of protest inside Russia, but people tim of Russian aggression. Further, and the EU from further enlargement policy of the Eastern Partnership. Un- tend to forget that the protest wave Putin’s increasingly vicious attack on in the region. doubtedly there were fascists in the against the fraudulent State Duma elec- those calling for human and demo- To force Ukraine to implement its Maidan in 2013-14. The Poroshenko tions of 2011 had been largely dealt cratic rights inside Russia needs to be side of the Minsk agreements, in par- regime which led Ukraine from 2014 with by 2013. Policy towards Ukraine opposed. Russians today do not want ticular “federalisation”, involving more to 2019 rehabilitated and made a hero has its own momentum, primarily re- a war, whether it’s in Ukraine, Syria or autonomy for oblasts. of the Ukrainian nationalist leader Ban- lated to events in Ukraine itself; and Libya. They want a stop to their falling To stop the pressure from [Ukrain- dera, who for a while cooperated with also to send signals to the peoples of living standards and are more aware ian president] Volodymyr Zelensky on the Nazis during the Second World other states such as Belarus, Georgia of the connection between corruption pro-Russian parts of the Ukrainian elite, War. Nevertheless, the current ten- and Kazakhstan about the benefits of and their own socioeconomic position most recently on Viktor Medvedchuk sions are mainly attributable to Russia’s cooperating with Russia. than they were before. Repression at and the TV stations associated with policy, starting with the annexation of home is aimed at silencing not only op- people close to him. Crimea and then followed by forcible What is the attitude of the official -op ponents of domestic policies, but also To get Ukraine to restore water sup- interventions in Southern and Eastern position in Russia to the conflict with critics of the regime’s foreign policies. plies to Crimea. Ukraine, which began in 2014 and con- Ukraine? Socialists should call for sanc- More generally, Vladimir Putin wants tinue in Donbas today. The parties of the “systemic opposi- tions against the Kremlin, particularly to punish Ukraine for the Maidan revo- tion”, the Communist Party of the Rus- against those responsible for the ac- lution of 2014, both for regime change What has been the impact of the sian Federation, “A Just Russia”, and tions against Ukraine and for repres- and for international political realign- conflict with Ukraine on the Russian Vladimir Zhirinovsky’s Liberal Demo- sive internal policies. It is not easy for ment. In particular, Zelensky must be ruling class, and has there been a cratic Party of Russia are all fully support- socialists to support the foreign policy taught a lesson for suggesting that as change within the elites towards ive of the Kremlin, and sometimes call actions of their own governments when the people of Ukraine had changed Putin and policies of the Kremlin? for a tougher line. Zhirinovsky has not they appear to be promoting interna- their leadership, so could the people I suspect that the opposition to Pu- recognised Ukraine’s independence. tional tension. But the threat to world of Russia. tin’s Ukraine strategy from figures out- The non-systemic opposition opposes peace now comes from China and Rus- Russia also wants to address Joe side the regime but close to it, such as the regime’s policy. Grigory Iavlinsky’s sia rather than from the liberal democ- Biden from a position of apparent Alexei Kudrin, reflects wider concern at liberal party, Yabloko, which is legally racies, and some of these sanctions are strength. the impact of sanctions. So far, the re- registered, rejects the annexation. The aimed at removing the oppressors and I would not rule out the possibility of gime has closed ranks on this. unregistered liberal groups are also op- warmakers. We should differentiate a further invasion of Ukraine, beyond I think the military has been becom- posed; Boris Nemtsov, a leader of the themselves from Conservative policies the existing territories of Crimea and ing more influential in Russian foreign Party of People’s Freedom, was about by highlighting how successive gov- parts of Donbas. Russia says that the policy, from 2014, but Putin still con- to expose the undeclared presence of ernments have encouraged Russian exercises will be over in two weeks, but trols it. Russian troops in Eastern Ukraine when money, looted from the state, to find he was murdered in 2015. even if troops are withdrawn on this oc- Is it right that Russia has sought to a safe home through City of London casion the point will have been made protect its business interests and in- After seven years of conflict, what channels. In particular, we should ex- about Russia’s capacity to mobilise rap- fluence in Ukraine, viewing it from do you consider is the possible pose the connections between figures idly. the strategic perspective as part of outcome? linked with the Kremlin and some of the structures and leaders of the Conserva- Is Putin deliberately raising tensions, the “greater Russian world”? The most likely is the continuation tive Party. □ or is this a pretext for the western Yes. I think that the leadership now of the status quo, until either there is a considers the projected sphere of in- change of regime in Russia or the Krem-

8 workersliberty.org @workersliberty @workers_liberty fb.com/workersliberty Three hundred anti-voting laws tabled in USA By Sacha Ismail 2020 election. sion of people of colour’s right to There has been greater contro- The March on Washington vote. Until the 1960s this was or- for Jobs and Freedom, art of the US Republican Party’s shift versy around the next, Georgia, ganised and championed predom- 1963 Pto more authoritarian right-wing where an Election Integrity Act be- inantly by the Democratic Party. In politics is its drive to suppress the num- came law on 25 March. The Act in- the last decades of the 19th cen- ber of Americans voting — particularly cluded sixteen changes including tury Southern Democrats created Americans with dark skin. Following new ID requirements for absentee white-supremacist one-party rule Donald Trump’s campaign against the ballots, restrictions on ballot drop- in the region by wiping out black “stealing” of the presidential election, off boxes, a prohibition on handing office-holding, largely eliminating Republicans have introduced bills out food and water to voters wait- black voting, and suppressing Re- in many state legislatures to make it ing in line, and greater state (i.e. Re- publicans, Populists and others with harder to vote. publican) control over local election significant black support. In many The former President’s evidence-free procedures and officials. cases they disenfranchised swathes claim of major voter fraud in the US Bills introduced around the US in- of poor white people too. duce the electorate, including changes is now mainstream in the Republican clude a wide range of measures, mostly How the Republicans and Democrats to registration and electoral rolls which Party. Republican politicians typically focused on access to absentee voting, switched places from the 1960s, with may have eliminated millions of voters. proclaim that making it harder to vote early voting, voter ID requirements, particular speed and completeness in Over the years, however, there have is a matter of restoring “election integ- registration rules, electoral roll purges, the South, is a peculiar historical and been clear shifts and accelerations, rity”. and the number of polling places. political story. even before this one. Their real concern was expressed by Georgia, in the heart of the civil-war Trump last year when he told Fox News Minority rule Confederacy and the 20th century that if proposals for expanding voting If all the proposals go through, they are White supremacy An important shift came after 2013, white-supremacist South, is at the cen- rights had passed, there’d be “levels unlikely to dramatically suppress voting when the Supreme Court voted 5-4 to tre of the current battles for clear rea- of voting that if you’d ever agreed to it, numbers, at least immediately. What overturn key provisions of the 1965 Vot- sons. Almost a third of its population is you’d never have a Republican elected they can do, if successful, is further ing Rights Act requiring states and local black (nationally, 13%). In the presiden- in this country again”. strengthen the US political structure’s authorities to get federal “pre-clear- tial election Georgia went Democratic Last month John Kavanaugh, the bias towards right-wing forces domi- ance” before implementing changes to for the first time since 1980 — with the Republican chair of the Arizona leg- nating on the basis of minority support. voting laws or practices, based on their exception of an ultra-narrow 1992 win islature’s Government and Elections The Senate — in which the 600,000 histories of voting rights discrimination. by Southerner Bill Clinton in a three- Committee, told CNN: “everybody people of Wyoming and the 40 mil- Within five years this attack on civil way race — and largely on the basis of shouldn’t be voting… Quantity is im- lion people of California both get two rights-era legislation led to a thousand increased black turnout. In the Senate portant, but we have to look at the representatives — and the presiden- polling places closing, disproportion- run-offs that followed, the Democrats quality of votes as well”. tial electoral college are key elements ately in predominantly African-Amer- flipped both seats on the basis of even of this set-up. The fifty Democrat- An avalanche ican counties, and a flow of other higher black turnout and support, ic-aligned senators represent 56.5% of electing the state’s first black and Jew- By February, over a hundred anti-vot- restrictions disproportionately impact- the US population, to the fifty Repub- ish Senators. ing bills had been introduced in state ing black people and other minorities. licans’ 43.5%. Senate Republicans last The Georgia Republicans, who still legislatures. That number is now ap- This brings us back to a central as- represented a (very narrow) majority of control the state government, are strik- proaching three hundred. More than pect of the Republicans’ drive against the population in 1996, yet they won a ing back. 90% have come from the Republicans. democracy: its targeting of participa- majority of seats in eight of the thirteen The ban on giving food or water to These bills are concentrated in close tion by black and brown Americans. Senate elections since then. This ad- people waiting to vote mainly affects states in the presidential election, in- They want politics more dominated by vantage will likely grow. people in urban areas, who are more cluding on recent counts 26 in Arizona; right-wing politicians from small, con- The Republicans lost the popular likely to have to queue — and more 27 in Georgia; 21 in Michigan; 15 in servative states — and by white people. vote in seven of the last eight presiden- likely to be black or minority. Greater Pennsylvania; 26 in Texas. In each all or As socialist US historian and activist tial elections, but won three times due state-wide control of local election de- all but one bill came from the Republi- Robin D G Kelley put it: “Voter suppres- to the electoral college. In 2020 Biden cisions means giving Republican poli- cans. Note that all these states swung sion is anti-black act and an anti-class won the popular vote by over seven ticians control over mainly Democratic from Trump to Biden — except Texas, act… Voter suppression laws are class million, but it would only have taken officials and voters in black-majority where there is much speculation about warfare.” a few tens of thousands in a few close areas. (An earlier version of the Elec- the Democrats winning in the near fu- The context is a long history of — states to deliver the election to Trump. tion Integrity Act banned early voting ture. Texas already has some of the US’s often dramatic and violent — suppres- These biases have knock-on effects on Sundays, to stop get-out-the-vote most restrictive voting laws. in other parts of the structure, not least mobilisations by black churches.) And Small and heavily Republican Arkan- the President-appointed and Sen- so on, and in other states as well. sas, Iowa and Utah were the first to ac- ate-confirmed membership of the Su- Our pamphlets Clearly nothing like the reinstate- tually impose new restrictions after the preme Court. rowse, download, buy, or listen ment of old-style “Jim Crow” laws which The Republicans are using their Bto our pamphlets including: generally excluded black people from dominance in state legislatures to ger- voting altogether is on the cards, or • The German Revolution: selected rymander state and congressional con- possible after the political struggles writings of Rosa Luxemburg stituency boundaries, extending their and demographic changes of the last • For Workers’ Climate Action advantage. century. Republicans say the wide- • Two Nations, Two States More broadly, the existence of a ly-made comparison is an outrage. • Workers Against Slavery major party eager to diminish even ex- Proportions guarded, though, it is le- • How to Beat the Racists isting plutocratic democracy and nor- gitimate and to the point. As New York • Remain and Rebel malise institutionalised minority rule is Times opinion writer Jamelle Bouie ex- • Shapurji Saklatvala: Socialist a powerful reactionary influence in pol- plained (bit.ly/bouiejc), Jim Crow laws Rebel in Parliament itics and society. did not formally or fully openly disen- • Stalinism in the International Republican hostility to voting rights franchise black people; and they did Brigades is not new. In the Reagan era, leaders not spring fully-formed but proceeded • Left Antisemitism: What it is and of the newly insurgent Christian right step-by-step over decades from the How to Fight it talked about the necessity of limit- first defeats of post-civil war “Recon- • Arabs, Jews, and Socialism: So- ing participation in order to win their struction”. “The thing about Jim Crow”, cialist Debates on Israel/Palestine □ agenda. For decades Republican pol- wrote Bouie, “is that it wasn’t ‘Jim Crow’ iticians have supported policies to re- Pic: bit.ly/2020-wm workersliberty.org/publications until, one day, it was.” □

Events and campaigns: workersliberty.org/meetings youtube.com/c/WorkersLibertyUK workersliberty.org/audio 9 May Day greetings to readers of Solidarity from Nottinghamshire, Mansfield and Nottingham Trades Union Council m Save public services including the John Carroll Leisure Centre m Defend the right to protest - oppose the Police and Crime Bill Lewisham NEU sends m Support decent pay rises for NHS and all workers solidarity and May m Campaign to free trade unions from all anti-union laws - support workers defending themselves at work Day greetings to all m Fight for an end to all forms of discrimination and oppression our comrades, sisters, m Stop climate change! brothers and siblings. May Day march and rally, Saturday 1 May 10.30am, assemble for march: John Carroll Leisure Centre, Denman St Central, NG7 3PS Defend victimised union 12-2pm, rally: Forest Rec, Nottingham NG7 6HB Covid-19 measures: socially distance and wear a mask if you can. reps! May Day greetings from RMT Bakerloo branch

RMT London Transport Regional Council sends This May Day, we particularly salute the May Day greetings to contribution of our cleaner members readers of Solidarity. during the pandemic, and reaffirm our commitment to fighting for in-house employment for Tube cleaners. rmtlondoncalling.org.uk

10 workersliberty.org fb.com/workersliberty workersliberty.org/audio We invite Solidarity readers to:

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Watch, subscribe, like, comment and share: youtube.com/c/WorkersLibertyUK Royal Mail union embraces partnership By a CWU member board to embrace the union and get them on board to co- fter a period of turbulence, operate with change. That cer- Aincluding an industrial ac- tainly suits the CWU DGS(P), tion that was struck down by who spent his 14 years as Na- the courts, the principal Royal tional Officer responsible for Mail union CWU is embracing parcel members avoiding any a partnership approach with confrontation, whilst allowing the company. A joint online things like the growth of owner Q&A was held in late April, drivers to flourish. hosted by the CWU, where The only way to reverse this both parties answered ques- trends is to build on the mas- tions from workers. This love-in sive support for strike action failed to deal with the real is- by bringing together those sues and consisted of vague who were active in delivering promises to fix things. Terry Pullinger that at the grassroots into a The union has lost so much egy was partially successful Pullinger, who built his union (rather than six days) in the campaign for a fighting union. ground over the last 30 years it in using the perceived threat career by positioning himself midst of Covid. That was ve- The partnership approach is unrecognisable from the or- of a national strike to defend as the key figure on the right, toed by the government and now on offer is a dead end for ganisation that once enjoyed existing terms and conditions had no choice but to go onto Rico Back, the new CEO (2018- workers. The main beneficiary real power in the workplace. whilst waiting for a Corbyn-led a war footing. 20), walked away immediately. will be an employer who will Its activist base has shrunk dra- Labour government to deliver With management threa- His replacement, Simon drive through change they matically, with what remains renationalisation. thening the separation of Thompson, has clearly been want having bought industrial looking very white male and Following Ward’s election as parcels from the main busi- given a remit from the RM peace. □ middle aged. Membership is General Secretary in 2015, his ness and the end of long-held also down. successor Terry Pullinger faced worker protections, a ballot Following privatisation in his first real test when the em- produced a massive major- 2013 the then CWU Dep- ployer announced its intention ity in favour of a strike. The Anti-racist resources uty General Secretary Postal to attack members’ pensions. key event that followed was e have compiled various anti-racist resources to learn (DGS(P)), Dave Ward, enjoyed A deal was patched up but an attempt by the company about anti-racist movements, and arm yourself with ideas a very close relationship with W the onslaught that followed to move to a five day Univer- to beat back racism: readings and pamphlets, video and audio. Royal Mail CEO Moya Greene. meant that even someone like sal Service Obligation USO It could be argued that strat- See workersliberty.org/anti-racist-resources □

Meetings, events, campaigns: workersliberty.org/events @workersliberty youtube.com/c/WorkersLibertyUK 11 BT: time to fight back on jobs By a CWU activist in BT legal requirements of industrial action the Executive only called a consultative ballots. It’s a complex task as the ma- ballot. An overwhelmingly positive re- 70 BT Repayment engineers who jority of employees work out and about sult on this was announced in Decem- 1work for BT Openreach have taken and reorganisations of staffing are con- ber. Now, with the Executive dragging 15 days of strike action against man- stant. BT has used the anti union laws things out, the earliest we can get a bal- agement’s regrading plans for their on balloting before to stop action in lot result to take industrial action will be group. Negotiations are happening this Openreach. They sought and were suc- June. week with BT on the issues of concern cessful in seeking injunctions based on The current telecoms Executive, including future grading and promo- apparent lack of compliance from the lead by Andy Kerr as Deputy General tion opportunities. CWU on members’ (and non-mem- Secretary for the Telecoms sector, has These negotiations are taking place bers’!) locations of work in a previous pursued a “company union” approach against the background of a potential dispute on productivity bonuses in the to industrial relations for over a dec- CWU company wide ballot on job cuts 2000s. ade. That road has now run out. BT has in BT group, i.e. BT, Openreach and The “Count Me In” campaign against is Union policy, was breached at the promised all non management grades EE. The largest number of job cuts has the job cuts has been running for the end of 2019 in certain small BT divi- a one off £1000 bonus and £500 in been announced in Openreach. Those past few months with social media pro- sions, and the Telecoms Executive did share options. This will not appease are a result of management plans for motion and political support from local not respond. Indeed when the major people. site closures (mainly in London and the Labour MPs and councillors. This puts job cuts in Openreach were announced We work in a growing and profitable South East) and a significant reduction pressure on the employer and also in 2020, the Executive still failed to act. industrial sector and we are an over- of the number of the higher grade raises the profile of Union demands It attempted to encourage the com- whelmingly unionised workforce. The technical jobs. The scale of these job amongst the membership. That is a pany to be flexible on voluntary redun- time for a fightback is now. How this cuts cannot be managed by voluntary good thing. However CWU activists are dancy when this clearly was not going dispute pans out will be an important redundancy schemes and redeploy- concerned that we are running to catch to deal with the issue. indicator of whether organised parts of ment as previously. up. Even at the end of 2020, when it was the labour movement are prepared to CWU branches have been asked to The principle of opposition to any clear that the redundancies had to be fight for job security in a post pandemic update their records to comply with compulsory redundancies in BT, which resisted, rather than accommodated, economy. □

Arguing for a Otto Rühle’s society based on abridged human solidarity, version of Buy our books! social ownership Capital, putting of industry aside current Order from workersliberty.org/publications and banks, factual material, rowse, basket, and buy books, pamphlets, and publication bundles and political, illustrations, B— and find more info, related resources, study guides, reviews and economic polemics, is a so on, from the same place. Some books are free to download or as and social good lead-in for audiobooks. Prices listed exclude postage and packaging: £1 for small democracy. 182 the full book. items, £3 for larger items, free over £30. Every third publication will be pages. half-price and 15% off over £50. □ £5 131 pages, £6

A socialist dissection The 1917’s The history of A socialist approach Defending the A debate on reform, Critical history of the of Left antisemitism. revolution’s real Solidarność, from its within recent “waves” Bolsheviks and their revolution, Labour, disoriented left, and Third edition, 212 history, and lessons. dawn until the coup. of feminism. relevance today. democracy, more. the way forward. pages, £5 374 pages, £12 116 pages, £5 102 pages, £5 312 pages, £10 107 pages, £5 408 pages, £12

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12 workersliberty.org @workersliberty @workers_liberty fb.com/workersliberty Locked up and down Unis ballot for strikes on course cuts f you’re locked down with books By a UCU activist including archaeology and religious the dispute that first blew up in 2018 Iand a partner who cooks studies. over the USS pension scheme. After a better than you ultiple branches of the further At Aston, history and languages are valuation of the scheme in March 2020, Then you’ll probably get through Mand higher education union UCU under threat. At LSBU management at the height of market panic over the are heading for industrial action after took a unilateral decision without con- pandemic, trustees have demanded If you’re locked down with a garden successful ballots. Prison educators sultation to withdraw history and ge- major increases in both employee and it might not be so hard and working for private firm Novus across ography courses from UCAS, and then employer contributions to maintain with a nice glass of wine forty-nine prisons and young offenders’ declared the staff who teach those current benefits — or else cuts to those You’ll probably be fine institutions were due to take their first courses at risk of redundancy. Kingston benefits. The employers’ proposed day of strike action on 26 April, with have suspended recruitment to Politics, compromise looks remarkably like the If you’re locked down with games two more to follow on 11 and 12 May. Human Rights and IR courses. proposal striking staff rejected during and people who play them That dispute is over health and safety. These cuts follow similar processes at the 2018 dispute. Expert negotiators and plenty of space Staff at London’s United Colleges universities including Portsmouth, Sun- from the union side have questioned You can probably face it Group have voted to strike over in- derland and Roehampton. They follow the whole basis of their calculations. creased workloads. UCU branches a government line encouraging shifts Once again, this attack on pensions If you’re locked down with lists at Leicester and Liverpool have held towards subjects supposed to improve fits a government agenda of closing of tasks that you missed successful ballots over redundancies, students’ “employability”, rather than defined benefit pension schemes in -fa when you went out all day which at Leicester appear to be target- those that might encourage critical vour of leaving pensioners dependent You might be OK ing union activists. thinking and alternative perspectives to on the stock market. Leicester is one of many universities the mainstream (and which in fact have Across the board there is an urgent And if you are locked down where cuts are focused on critical re- good graduate employment figures). need for a fight against these attacks in without loss of pay search in social science and humani- While old universities are not immune, further and higher education. The mul- instead of with nowt ties subjects, along with Chester, Aston, the hardest-hit universities are newer tiple successful strike ballots, beating Then that’s one less thing to worry Kingston and London South Bank institutions that have traditionally at- the threshold even through lockdown, about (LSB) Universities. Chester is in finan- tracted local working-class and mature show it is possible to mount one. With cial trouble after a disastrous decision students. the exam season approaching it is im- But if you’re locked down with damp to expand into a new campus without In the old “pre-92” universities, mean- portant that we don’t let momentum and it’s cold and it’s cramped proper planning permission: manage- while, there is likely to be a revival of flag.□ If you’re breathing in spores ment’s response is to cut back subjects Then it’s not good indoors

If you are locked down Vote for “real change” in Unison with a primitive heater By Ruth Cashman election. Unfortu- ises in local government, and not enough coins nately some of this education, health, and to keep feeding the meter he ballot to elect the may be squandered care, will need to defend and a smell that you hate TNational Executive Com- by the inability of workers against cuts and Then that isn’t so great mittee (NEC) of the public much of the Unison privatisation in the next services union Unison opens left to cooperate. two years, and seek to If your bubble is trouble on 4 May 2021. The NEC is The previous elec- break the pay freeze. Hav- and your mum’s prone to falls made up of representatives toral alliance, Unison ing recruited care workers If your lockdown companion elected from Unison’s re- Action, was disman- in the pandemic, we need is climbing the walls gions and service groups, tled by three rival a combined political and If he’s working from home plus seats for four Black left General Secre- be supporting that group’s industrial campaign for so you don’t get your respite members, two young mem- tary campaigns. The group candidates, running as public ownership, NHS-level Or he’s out of his job bers and two disabled mem- around Paul Holmes proved #TimeForRealChange, and pay and conditions for care and his head’s getting desperate bers. the most viable, securing pushing for an approach workers, and a thorough After left candidate Paul the highest vote, winning which in future brings ac- transformation of social care. If you are locked down Holmes delivered a strong whole union service groups, tivists together on a pro- The election runs until 27 with a mental abuser, result in the general secre- and organising rallies and gramme for the union, rather May 2021. The results will independence refuser, tary election, the left in the meetings to promote its than a left based on back- be announced on 11 June control over-user, union have the potential to campaign. Workers’ Lib- room deals and tantrums. 2021. □ soaked in aggression make big gains in the NEC erty Unison activists will The union, which organ- and close supervision who teaches you lessons with forensic precision

If you’re locked down Accessibility should be as standard with a partner-cum-master By a delegate back which incorporates this and other the pandemic, and answered ques- with nowhere to go equality issues. tions about refusal to work on safety to escape from the bastard ver thirty delegates attended the Conference also passed resolutions grounds, avoiding over-burdening You’re locked up and locked down ORMT transport workers’ union’s on working hours, accessibility of re- children with “catch-up” and more. As in exactly the place, 2021 Disabled Members’ Conference placement bus services, and involve- two sets of frontline workers, disabled the home of your own, online on 17 and 18 April. The con- ment with TUC Disabled Workers. transport and school workers found where you’re supposed to be safe ference demanded that workplace On the first day, we had a live link-up that we have a lot in common. accessibility be “as standard” not “as with the Justice for Osime Brown pro- Many delegates welcomed the com- Remember the people, required”. An accessible job is one in test taking place at the Home Office, radely atmosphere at the event, feel- most of them women, which a disabled worker does not have with young RMT member Joe Booth ing able to disagree knowing that this whose lives were diminished to ask for adjustments, because barri- explaining the case and enabling del- would lead to a constructive discussion or brought to an end before lock- ers have already been removed. egates to watch speeches. rather than personal abuse. Several down was finished With the pandemic and the economic Our guest speaker was Colleen John- pointed out that RMT as a whole could From Janine Booth’s new book of crisis accompanying it, delegates ac- son, disabled members’ representative learn from this. verse, Unprecedented Rhymes: knowledged that disabled transport on the National Education Union (NEU) Janine Booth and David King were verses versus the virus. Available to workers feel insecure in their jobs and Executive. Colleen explained the issues re-elected as Secretary and Chair re- buy online, £5, at bit.ly/v-v-v that the union needs a concerted fight- facing disabled school workers during spectively. □

Events and campaigns: workersliberty.org/meetings youtube.com/c/WorkersLibertyUK workersliberty.org/audio 13 What we stand for oday one class, the working class, Tlives by selling its labour power to another, the capitalist class, which “I realise it’s bullshit” owns the means of production. D: “Well we can’t do that can we? The Electricians have been wreaking Capitalists’ control over the econ- Cause what if there’s no apprentices havoc with this already: omy and their relentless drive to in- Diary of an here, or J’s not here? We need to be Me: “What did we agree on for an in- crease their wealth causes poverty, engineer able to see what our work is for the day, strument check? Four hours?” unemployment, blighting of lives by in order of priority. I can’t believe — I M: “About right — when in doubt aim By Emma Rickman overwork; imperialism, environmen- just can’t believe — there isn’t a simpler high.” tal destruction and much else. fter a botched job where we failed way of doing this.” Me: “What’s this ‘scheduling’ thing?” The working class must unite to Ato weld pipe brackets onto a steel I speak to M, our manager and trainer. M: “If me and D were into micro-man- struggle against the accumulated girder, I decide I need to get the hang He’s two years younger than me. Some- aging, we could use this to organise wealth and power of the capitalists, of welding. Most of our time between times he’s a genius and sometimes he every hour of everyone’s day. Dictate in the workplace and wider society. jobs is taking turns at the workshop behaves like a teenage boy. I got him how many jobs per day, how long they The Alliance for Workers’ Liberty stick welder. L is the most experienced, on a good day. should take, who should do them, what wants socialist revolution: collective J is very proud of his straight lines, and Me: “Is there a way of saving the filter materials should be used etc. But we ownership of industry and services, I’m happy to have overcome my fear settings, so that the Fitters can just log trust you lot to know what you’re doing workers’ control, and a democracy of burns and electrocution — progress! on and see their jobs without having to — because you’re engineers and you’re much fuller than the present system, The time spent concentrating intensely go through all these steps?” not stupid.” with elected representatives recall- on a small dot of molten metal make M: “Nope. I’ve been on at IT about Me: “Cheers. Is someone checking able at any time and an end to bu- me feel a bit light-headed. this and they say first: look at the train- these labour hours…?” reaucrats’ and managers’ privileges. When we’re not practising welding, ing manual (which I’d already done and M: “Probably. But it won’t mean any- We fight for trade unions and the me and J are trying to use the new it’s not there); second, we can’t save fil- thing to them the way we’re logging it!” Labour Party to break with “social job-logging software. Unlike the old ters — the jobs are all just there, in no To close a job, I have to allocate la- partnership” with the bosses, to mil- software, getting hold of jobs directly particular order. Fitters will have to just bour, switch the job status to “released”, itantly assert working-class interests. relevant to the Fitters takes a bit of sort- filter them out.” save it, switch the status to “in pro- Me: “I mean the start and end date gress”, save it, then finally switch the job n workplaces, trade unions, and ing and filtering. Some of the Fitters tabs are off to the right of the screen to “work completed”. Once the manag- Labour organisations; among stu- who struggle with computers find the I — having to drag them into view each ers have reviewed it, they can mark it dents; in local campaigns; on the whole process demeaning. time is very annoying… I found a way as “closed” and the job will disappear left and in wider political alliances D: “M, that wanker, gave us the train- of exporting a set of jobs into a spread from the list. we stand for: ing, but he kept flipping backward sheet, but that would involve someone Me: “Are they expecting someone to • Independent working-class rep- and forward between screens so we doing that every morning….?” be logged in all day making changes resentation in politics couldn’t follow him.” M: “And even then, jobs will change. to these? This takes longer than actually • A workers’ government, based A: “He’ll do that. He’ll give you a brief Fitters need to be able to log in regu- doing some jobs.” on and accountable to the labour round of training, patronise you, make larly and see that latest activity. It’s bol- M: “Yeah, it’s very frustrating, it has no movement you feel really stupid and ‘illiterate’, so locks — I realise it’s bullshit.” relation to what we actually do.” □ • A workers’ charter of trade union you won’t understand it. Then it’ll be We go through “closing” a job. Before rights — to organise, strike, picket ef- left to those who do get it to do all the • Emma Rickman is an apprentice any job can be marked as “work com- fectively, and take solidarity action training.” engineer at a Combined Heat and pleted”, labour hours must be attached • Taxing the rich to fund good J: “Or all the logging.” Power plant. to the job, along with who did the work. public services, homes, education and jobs for all • Workers’ control of major indus- tries and finance for a rapid transi- tion to a green society • A workers’ movement that fights £20,000 by all forms of oppression • Full equality for women, and so- Days of Hope cial provision to free women from 11 July domestic labour. Reproductive free- t our conference on 24-25 April doms and free abortion on demand. Kino Eye Awe raised an additional £3,478, • Full equality for lesbian, gay, bi- taking our total to £5,590.24. This sexual and trans people puts us nearer a track to achieve our • Black and white workers’ unity By John Cunningham £20,000 goal by 11 July, with sev- against racism eral supporters pledging to make s far as I know there is no film about • Open borders additional donations in the coming the events around Black Friday in • Global solidarity against global A weeks. 1921 (see Solidarity 588) but Episode capital — workers everywhere have As well as helping to bolster our Two of Ken Loach’s four-part TV drama more in common with each other return to the streets, we want to put Days of Hope — covering the period than with their capitalist or Stalinist some of this money aside to pre- from the First World War to the 1926 rulers pare us for an eventual move to new General Strike — admirably fills the gap. • Democracy at every level of soci- premises. We also have agreements It was broadcast by the BBC in 1975, ety, from the smallest workplace or from some supporters to raise their with a script by long-time Loach collab- community to global social organi- existing monthly standing orders, orator Jim Allen. It sees Ben (Paul Co- sation and plans for a push to sell more pley), a British soldier, desert the army • Equal rights for all nations, subscriptions to Solidarity and Wom- after serving in Ireland. He befriends against imperialists and predators en’s Fightback. a group of Durham miners who are middle of the night Ben and the min- big and small An overall larger income, along- locked out for refusing to accept a pay ers’ leaders are arrested. In the next ep- • Maximum left unity in action, and side one-off donations, will enable cut. The miners receive food aid from isode, on their release from prison, Ben full openness in debate us to expand what we do, particularly fellow workers around the country and and a group of miners join the newly in the run up to our hybrid in-per- f you agree with us, take copies of hold firm despite the continued lock- formed Communist Party. Days of Hope sobn and online Ideas for Freedom ISolidarity to sell — and join us! □ out. In a meeting with the mine-owner, is available with many other Loach pro- summer school on 10-11 July. work- they threaten to blow up the mine if ductions on a DVD box set released by ersliberty.org/donate2021 □ • workersliberty.org/join-awl their demands are not met but in the the British Film Institute. □

14 workersliberty.org @workersliberty @workers_liberty fb.com/workersliberty Regrouping in British Gas

By Darren Bedford to maintain the momentum of the strikes. Gas engineers tend to work ver 1,000 workers attended an less during the summer, so some ac- Oonline meeting organised by the tivists argue that building up to action GMB union to discuss the next steps again in autumn and winter may be in British Gas engineers’ fight over more effective. While calls for such a terms and conditions. delay — at least partially informed by British Gas used a “fire and rehire” inevitable fatigue after a long and bit- process to dismiss around 500 engi- ter campaign of strikes — are under- neers who refused to sign new con- standable, there is a risk that a lengthy Pic: Andy O’Donnell (Cropped) tracts that will see workers work longer pause will see the energy of the dis- for less. Union activists estimate that pute dissipate. around another 500 workers left the The lack of a collective agreement company voluntarily during the dis- also means engineers can revert to pute. GMB members struck 43 times statutory standards over working DVLA strikes again 4-8 May against the new contracts, which were time, which may have an effect on finally imposed on 14 April. the largest civil service department in emergency working and could there- With no negotiated collective agree- terms of the number of people em- fore give workers some additional lev- ment in place, GMB can submit a new John Moloney, ployed and therefore a major mem- erage. pay claim. A consultation process to PCS AGS bership base for the union. Reinvigorating union organisation determine its contents is planned, I’ve had further correspondence in British Gas by electing new reps, orkers at the Driver and Vehi- which the new reps who have come with the United Voices of the World activated by the strikes, to leading cle Licensing Agency (DVLA) forward during the dispute must take W (UVW) union to discuss deepening positions, and permanently breaking complex in Swansea will strike again ownership over to ensure it is demo- our collaboration. In particular we’ll from the partnership model that char- from 4-8 May. We’re continuing to cratic and rooted in the workplace. be supporting UVW members in Royal acterised GMB’s relationship with the fight there over the fact our members The need for that process to be Parks as they endeavour to resist job company prior to the “fire and rehire” are being compelled to come into given due time must be balanced cuts that might accompany the re-ten- dispute, is vital. □ the workplace, in a way we believe against the need to move quickly dering of an outsourced cleaning con- is unsafe. The employer has made tract. some concessions in negotiations, but On Monday 19 April, the union these relate mainly to changes in the met with the Cabinet Office to - dis medium-term future, around greater cuss bargaining arrangements in the provision for homeworking. We need civil service. I’m pushing for a radical action right now — centrally for all on- change in these. The current bargain- site working, except for emergency ing and negotiation machinery is set and absolutely essential work, to be up explicitly to benefit the employer. suspended. A system called “delegation” allows We’re also demanding agreements bosses to fragment workers into doz- that will give the union direct input ens of different bargaining units. All in setting on-site staffing levels in this is governed by the Civil Service British Gas repossesses vans in the coming months as the economy Management Code. Yet the Code the wake of fire and rehire opens and more and more staff po- also places these units under a num- tentially could return to the workplace. ber of obligations that they frequently The government’s official scientific-ad- ignore. Therefore we are getting the vice committee SAGE is predicting Central Line worse of all worlds. that there will be a third wave, though Subscribe to The key strategic goal of the union hopefully much less severe than the is that there be national agreements drivers to strike other two. In that regard, the princi- on pay and terms and conditions, Solidarity ple of workers’ control is guiding us which means ending delegation. We rial sub (6 issues) £7; Six months here. We want workers, through their won’t leap straight to that from where (22 issues) £22 waged, £11 un- elected union representatives, to have Tubeworker T we are now, but we’ve started a pro- waged, €30 European rate. the maximum degree of control over cess of pushing towards it. The 19 how their workplaces are organised. If April meeting was the first meeting of From Tubeworker Visit workersliberty.org/sub infections take off as staff return, then its type on the issue for many, many Or, email [email protected] staff must go back home. entral Line drivers on the London years. with your name and address, or Our outsourced members in the Underground will strike from 21:00 Elections for the union’s National C phone 020 7394 8923. Standing Ministry of Justice, working for the on 5 May to 20:59 on 6 May, as the cam- Executive Committee are now under- order £5 a month: more to support contractor OCS, are still voting on a paign to win reinstatement for unjustly way. The PCS Independent Left (IL) is our work. Forms online. □ new pay offer, and in the Department sacked RMT union rep Gary Carney standing a slate, advocating greater for Work and Pensions (DWP), we’re steps up. Gary was sacked for allegedly rank-and-file democracy and militant conducting a number of indicative “avoiding” a Drugs and Alcohol test, de- industrial strategies. They are also ballots which could lead to formal spite having booked off sick before he working with the PCS Rank-and-File ballots over workplace safety. As I’ve was even informed about the test. network in the HMRC. I was elected as Contact us written previously, this is not the strat- London Underground accepts Gary an IL candidate for Assistant General 020 7394 8923 egy I personally advocate, as I believe was legitimately sick and that he fol- Secretary and I believe the IL platform we needed to move swiftly to formal lowed the correct procedure to book is the one that offers the best way for- [email protected] ballots. But our Group Executive Com- off. Gary took a D&A test upon his return ward for civil service workers and the mittee for the DWP decided to go for to work and passed. Strong action on Write to: 20E Tower Workshops, PCS as a union. □ indicative ballots first. Hopefully those 5-6 May will show London Underground Riley Road, London, SE1 3DG will return strong mandates, and we • John Moloney is assistant general that Gary’s workmates won’t allow this Production team: George can move to formal ballots as soon as secretary of the civil service workers’ injustice to go unchallenged. If Gary is Wheeler, Martin Thomas possible. union PCS, writing here in a personal not reinstated, the action will need to (editor), Sacha Ismail, Simon Nelson, The DWP is a key department, as it’s capacity. spread. □ Zack Muddle

Events and campaigns: workersliberty.org/meetings youtube.com/c/WorkersLibertyUK workersliberty.org/audio 15 Break the world vaccine logjam!

By Gerry Bates for Pfizer this year). Another is vaccine nationalism. All the vaccine ust over 13 Covid jabs have been given per production lines depend on inputs from many J100 people, world-wide, as of 25 April. That’s countries. Export restriction on those inputs can about five more vaccinations per 100 people stall production. since 1 April. A third is the control by Big Pharma of the Over April, vaccination levels have increased, know-how and technology needed to set up new but only in a straight line, about 0.2 more jabs production lines. Vaccine production is complex per 100 each day, not exponentially, as they need and high-tech. Unless governments cooperate to to. At current rates it will take more than a year force Big Pharma to make the know-how widely to give everyone in the world one dose, and two available, production will be limited to a few sites. years to give everyone full vaccination, even tak- The way to break through all those obstacles ing into account the contribution of the Janssen is public requisitioning of Big Pharma, through a single-dose vaccine. cooperative effort by governments coordinated Probably long before then, the vaccine pro- by the World Health Organisation. The labour tection for those who have already had jabs will movements must demand that medical need wane, and they will need booster vaccinations. comes before private profit. And the longer the wait to vaccinate, the greater The vaccination program in Britain has gone the risk that new virus variants will evolve which well thanks to the structuring of health care here evade the existing jabs. as a single coordinated service, free at the point Usually the world vaccine industry produces of need. Other countries have systems organised about five billion doses of various vaccines per to supply health care only in response to “market year. There are pencilled-in plans for 10 billion demand” (from those who can afford it), or sim- extra this year, but there are many obstacles to ply lacking in infrastructure. They need massive that target. More like 15 billion doses are needed. aid, and the political will to impose provision of One obstacle to production is patent protec- at least this health-care as a single coordinated tions. The big pharmaceutical companies which service, free at the point of need. have developed the vaccines want to keep pro- To win the race between the spread and muta- tection on their patents (though all their technol- tion of the virus, and the vaccination programs, ogies depended on vast government subsidies the labour movement must demand: requisition for development) and reap their profits ($4 billion Big Pharma! □ i workersliberty.org Meetings, events, campaigns: workersliberty.org/meetings ii Solidarity Solidarity& Workers’ Liberty For a workers’ government For social ownership of the banks and industry 1 MAY: BRING UNIONS OUT AGAINST POLICE BILL By Sacha Ismail Lewis, Lloyd Russell-Moyle, and across the country. It needs to SOCIALISM Richard Burgon. be generalised and its links with he labour movement is still The Socialist Campaign the labour movement strength- Tnot a force in the anti-Po- Group of Labour MPs which ened. lice Bill struggle. For us to win, Burgon convenes has put out • Trade union and Labour it needs to be. The Tories’ de- a statement signed by 29 La- activists should join the Kill the laying of the Bill shows they are bour MPs and six members of Bill protests on May Day (see @ vulnerable to pressure; so do the Lords: bit.ly/scpolice. Most SistersUncut), take banners and repeated retreats on their Over- unions have now made state- take workmates and comrades. seas Operations Bill (part of the ments against the Bill. NEU’s • Hold labour movement- same authoritarian-nationalist national conference passed an sponsored organising and agenda). emergency motion from Bris- discussion meetings for your The Labour leadership tol NEU. Following the clashes area, workplace or industry. whipped its MPs to abstain on in Bristol, South West repre- • Activists have produced a Overseas Operations, with op- sentatives of eight unions, motion for labour movement position mounted by left-wing Bristol trades council, and the organisations to mobilise MPs and members of the House regional TUC made an anti-Bill against the Bill, and raise wider of the Lords. Labour planned to statement: bit.ly/bristolstate- demands about the right to abstain on the Police Bill until ment. However, the statement protest, policing and criminal the pressure of demonstrations condemns protesters who en- justice: bit.ly/polbillmotion. Put pushed it to vote against. gaged in provocative actions, in your union, Labour or other However its “opposition” was while saying nothing about po- organisation. SLEAZE politically weak, focusing on the lice violence in Bristol or else- We need motions on these Bill being “ill-conceived”. Since where. (Bristol trades council issues to Labour Party con- the last parliamentary vote, it itself took a better stance). ference. If we don’t push to has gone quiet. Unions have said very little change the labour movement’s Some left-wing MPs have about the threat the Bill poses policy, we allow Starmer and his ≫Workers’ inquiries been better. Nadia Whittome to rights to strike and picket — team to continue their conserv- attended the Sarah Everard let alone used the opportunity ative “pro-police” position with- protest on Clapham Common, to denounce existing anti-strike out challenge. Oust the Tories spoke out about the police vi- laws. Most seem to have made The movement to stop the ≫ olence there, and spoke at the one statement and not done Police Bill needs the labour first big rally outside Parliament. much else. There has been very movement’s social weight, She has promoted anti-Police little in the way of mobilising strategic position in society ≫Social priorities, not rule Bill actions in Nottingham and members for demonstrations. and politics, and resources. generally. To build pressure for the Organised labour needs the See page 2 Whittome was joined at the leaders of our movement to movement’s radicalism and of profit first Parliament Square rally by be better and do more, we grassroots militancy. Both need 300 anti-voting Uni occupations Myanmar: plans Lessons from three other women MPs of col- must mobilise at the grasroots, clear ideas about how we not laws in USA and UCU strikes for solidarity India, Michigan our, Zarah Sultana, Bell Ribei- drawing in as many labour only Kill the Bill, but reverse the Republicans table big Students and uni Support garment Don’t believe that the ro-Addy and Apsana Begum. All movement activists and organ- decades-long trend to restrict drive to exclude black workers rally against a workers by targeting Covid pandemic is three have attacked police re- isations as possible. There is a protests which it deepens: bit. voters drive for cuts brands in the UK fading away yet pression and promoted action lot of good work being done ly/earlierlaws. □ against the Bill. So have Clive Page 9 Pages 5 and 13 Page 3 Page 7 No. 590, 28 April 2021 50p/£1 workersliberty.org No. 590, 28 April 2021 50p/£1 workersliberty.org