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Speech by Len Mccluskey 30 October 2019 4 Unite Theunion 1 Coventry Methodist Central Hall Tom Mann Memorial Lecture The Future of Work Speech by Len McCluskey 30 October 2019 4 unite theUNION 1 TOM MANN LECTURE Tom Mann Memorial Lecture - The Future of Work INTRODUCTION The Tom Mann Centre and Coventry Trades Union Council launched the annual Tom Mann Memorial lecture at the end of the 1970s. The launch of the first lecture, A2 years ago, involved such national figures as Jack Jones, then leader of the Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU). Jack had been a divisional organiser of the union here in Coventry before rising to become general secretary. In 1946, an agreement between the TGWU and the Coventry company Standard Motors introduced a five-day week of 42.5 hours. The following year the agreement began to be adopted nationally. The TGWU gave us the weekend! The TGWU is now part of Unite, and so we were particularly delighted that the general secretary of Unite, Len McCluskey, retied the knot and relaunched this lecture with his keynote address. Tom Mann was born in Coventry and became a national leader of the transport and engineering unions. He was one of the leaders of the great dock strike of 1889. He was the first general secretary of the Independent Labour Party, and in 1920 a founder of the British Communist Party. He was undoubtedly a pivotal figure in the development of the labour and trade union movement, and we are proud to celebrate his life as a "Coventry Kid'. Along with Keir Hardie, Tom Mann led the campaign in Britain at the end of the 19th century for a shorter working week. 130 years after the TUC adopted the 8-hour day, and in the year that we also commemorated 130 years since the Coventry TUC was formed, we celebrate Tom Mann's Legacy. Our memorial lecture discussed what strategy trade unions need today to ensure that the changes brought about by robotics, automation and Al are shared so that working people gain the benefits of modernisation, not become its victims. Coventry TUC, which brings together trade unions and community groups across the city, is committed to ensuring that this event becomes again an annual trade union event. We thank Len for his important contribution and thank Unite for ensuring this lecture is published. Finally, the reputed last words of Tom Mann in 1941 are quite apt for the struggles we are yet to face - "Tell the comrades to be of good courage. Go on with the work". Jane Nellist President, Coventry TUC 3 TOM MANN LECTURE Tom Mann Memorial Lecture - The Future of Work / Thank you Jane and thank you Coventry such fire, vehemence, passion, humour, TUG for inviting me. And thank all of you drama and crashing excitement that there for making the effort to be here on a has never been anyone equal to him. cold night. When Tom Mann spoke, Thompson said, What better way to begin my contribution "everything gave way before the than with the words of Tom Mann: tremendous torrents of oratory he let loose upon his audiences". Well, I can't promise Oh staves of these laborious years. I'll be letting loose a torrent of oratory Oh freemen of the years to be: tonight, but I'll give it my best shot. Shal<e off your blind andfoolish fears, And hail the truth that makes you free. When I was a young shop steward on the Liverpool docks I studied for a trade union Special words that provide me with my diploma and read a lot of E P Thompson. introduction and it's a privilege to read them once again. That's when I first came across Tom Mann, along with John Burns, Ben Tillett, Will But there's something a little daunting Thome,Tom Maguire and the many others about being asked to talk about a man involved in the new unionism of the late described by the late political 1880s and the emerging socialist commentator Bonar Thompson as having movements of the time. TOM MANN LECTURE Political disappointment with the Liberal Engineering and Chemical Group, which in Party was focussing minds on the need to go turn became a major driver for the growth of beyond radical democratic demands with a the TGWU (and its transformation away from working-class ideology and parliamentary a solely transport union). representation. Mann was also a major figure in the National Though it was the gas workers' and dockers' Transport Workers' Federation, and played a strikes which really exposed the extent to significant role in the Liverpool Transport which the Liberals, who had been supported Strike of 1911. by many trade unionists at the time, would never be on the side of working people. And then, of course, he became general secretary of the ASE in 1919, which soon Some things don't change. They are the became the Amalgamated Engineering party that gave us austerity and destroyed Union. our communities, championing an economy for the few. ]o Swinson reminds us of what Mann's work was key to the success of the Tom Mann and his comrades knew,that you new unionism movement, which was can never, ever trust a Liberal Democrat. focussed on organising semi and unskilled And given half the chance she will take her workers into unions, though he's best Party back into bed with the Tories after the remembered as one of the chief organisers general election. and leaders of the aforementioned dockers' strike. But enough of those Liberals for now - I'll return to Jo Swinson later. It's shameful that, 100 years after the dockers won their fight for union My theme tonight is how Tom Mann's legacy recognition, the abolition of contract work, to the trade union and labour movement and a minimum wage of sixpence an hour- helps us shape our responses to the the 'dockers' tanner'- their rights were challenges of today's changing world of work swept away by Thatcher when the National Dock Labour Scheme was abolished. And That legacy is one we're especially proud of our leadership was not properly prepared in Unite. Tom Mann laid the foundations for for the fight that was needed. what our union is today - representing both the TGWU and Amicus traditions. First Nevertheless, that historic strike, along with president of the Dockers' Union, created the Taff Vale Railway strike of 1900 is, for after the victorious 1889 London dockers' me,among the key moments in our history strike and then playing a key role in the that gave trade unions greater confidence to formation of the Workers' Union, a late'new organise and fight. union'formed in 1898. It organised unskilled and semi-skilled workers and New unionism,for the first time,focused on amalgamated with the TCWU in 1929, workplace issues beyond hours and pay. It strengthening the General Workers' Group started to recognise the importance of and providing the basis of the new Metal, challenging injustices in working conditions. TOM MANN LECTURE Tom Mann Memorial Lecture - The Future of Work and the need to provide some financial and fervently anti-war, he went on to join support to members,including through the the Liberal Party and became a minister in formation of friendly societies that could pay the 1905 Liberal government, only the sickness benefits. second working-class MR to do so. This was in spite of the work being done at the time But the shorter working day was the issue by Keir Hardie and others, including Mann, Tom Mann identified as one most likely to to establish a Labour Party to give workers rally and galvanise working people. Mann a voice in Parliament. called the campaign for the 8-hour day the struggle for free time, and it is this that I'll To be fair. Burns did resign from the concentrate on this evening, 100 years on government in August 1914,in protest at from the International Labour Organisation's its imminent declaration of war on (ILO) Hours of Work (Industry) Convention Germany. But still, what was it I said about of 1919. never trusting a Liberal? Indeed,the 8-hour day was the very first Tom Mann was of course all for topic discussed by the newly established ILO. overthrowing capitalism, but he was convinced that a campaign for a shorter Tom Mann didn't at first have an easy ride working week would help rouse and unite with the campaign. He established the Eight men and women,skilled and unskilled Hours League in 1886 in the face of workers. He argued in his 1886 pamphlet opposition from some of his comrades in the "What a Compulsory Eight Hour Day Means Socialist Democratic Federation, which he to the Workers" that an 8-hour day would had joined a couple of years earlier. The cut unemployment and, that by increasing SDF's leadership was critical of trade unions leisure time, workers' discontent with the as "at best palliatives, at worst props of conditions of their working lives capitalism" and Henry Hyndman - the SDF's would increase. Ultimately, shorter hours founder-and John Burns in particular, and full employment would strengthen opposed a motion brought by Mann to the trade unions. Battersea branch of the SDF. Sure enough, the campaign around the They argued that the "capitalist system was pamphlet grew and started to intersect on its last legs" and it was the duty of with the creation of the "new unions" of socialists to prepare to seize the whole of semi and unskilled workers at that time.
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