Steve McKenzie (UNITE Community – Greenwich, Lewisham, Bexley)
It should be becoming crystal clear to all socialists, that an effective shop stewards’ movement is absolutely necessary if significant change is going to be brought about. It is one of the fundamental foundation stones on which everything, including a serious political movement, is going to be built.
In the course of the recent industrial unrest, even us ancients have been reminded of this fact.
The first serious national strike action started in late June 2022. 40,000 RMT members on the national rail network were out over pay and totally unacceptable changes to conditions of service that management were, and still are, trying to impose.
Pattern
Anecdotal examples are sometimes not the best guide. However, if you apply the principle that once might be an accident, twice a coincidence, but three times and a pattern is developing, you won’t go far wrong.
Locally, as far as the railways are concerned, the best organised in our part of South East London is Lewisham. There is always an extremely strong picket on strike days. Significantly there are two very good shop stewards there. We are not aware of any picketing at any stations in either of the boroughs of Bexley or Greenwich.
In September 2022 the CWU members in Royal Mail were out. Their national action, involving 115,000 posties, was also over pay and totally unacceptable changes to conditions of service that management are proposing.
Completely shut down
The local sorting office in Bexleyheath had a poor reputation for union organisation in the past; non-union members had been involved in scabbing in previous disputes. That is not the case anymore. In the course of this dispute, the sorting office has been completely shut down on every strike day!
There is always a very strong picket. It is very significant that there is a very good shop steward, who has been building the union there over the last couple of years.
Then there was the third example. We got a bit of a surprise when nurses in the RCN in the Lewisham and Greenwich area failed to vote in sufficient numbers to reach the legal threshold and so have not been participating in the recent industrial action. We therefore visited picket lines at hospitals in Southwark.
In the first wave of strikes, we went to the one at Guys, by London Bridge, which was very good. In the second wave we visited Kings in Camberwell. The picket line there can only be described as exceptionally good (see title image above).
There were hundreds on the picket line. The mood was very upbeat, chanting, drums, there was a visit and speech by the general secretary of the RCN. Striking bus workers joined the picket line.
The difference, in my opinion, is that there were some damn good shop stewards (or union reps as some insist on calling them).
Memories of the 80s
This all brought back memories of disputes in the 1980’s, over 40 years ago. It was the same then, and it’s very nostalgic, remembering the names of decent shop stewards who organised efficiently to make sure strikes were successful. However, sentimentality to one side, it is clear to me that it is, and always has been, the case, that having a decent shop steward makes all the difference.
Rebuilding our unions is more than just joining a union and recruiting others, vitally important as that is. Getting the workplace and the branches organised is more than just a slogan. Taking responsibility, becoming a shop steward, getting trained up, representing union members at every level is a fundamental pre-requisite for effective trade unionism. This is clearly what has to happen if we really are serious about saying enough is enough.
