Wed 1 Nov 2017, 07:27 AM | Posted by Guest Blogger
Guest Blogger is Mark Langabeer, (RMT member, personal capacity)
The election of the Tories, albeit dependent on the DUP, raises the question of where next?
It is a general rule that the working class, when blocked on the political front will turn to the industrial front in to solve their problems. That has been the experience of the last 100 years or more. The Tories may fall quickly and the focus will remain on the political front.
We have witness the scandal of Grenfell, which epitomised life under the Tories. The latest scandal has been the revelations of sexual harassment by those in positions of power, including within the Westminster Establishment.
However, it is Brexit and the possibility of the UK crashing out of the EU that could witness the demise of the Tories. It is not inconceivable that the Tories will formally split on this issue. The right and miss named ‘left’ of the Tories do have a shared view, that is a fear of Corbyn gaining the keys to Number Ten and a hatred of the Trade Unions.
It is likely that the Tories will stagger on and hope for the best. Brexit deal or no deal will come with a price tag and it is the working class that will be required to pick up the tab.
For the past 30 years, Britain’s decline has been partially off-set by being the World’s financial centre. This is now under threat. The Bank of England forecasts large scale job losses. Britain is bottom of the productivity league, in comparison to its mayor rivals and has earned the dubious reputation of being the sick man of Europe.
Under these conditions, the bosses will go on the offensive and attempt to drive down wages and conditions. In 1924, Trotsky wrote a pamphlet, entitled ‘Where is Britain Going ‘ in which he forecast a General Strike. Many at the time regarded Trotsky’s prediction as far-fetched, but within two years it became an accomplished fact. Many of the political and economic conditions that existed then exist again today and I would recommend reading Trotsky’ pamphlet as a guide to the mighty struggles that will unfold.
The public sector pay cap became a mayor issue during the election. There is every prospect of a generalized movement of public sector workers in the next period. The RCN, formally a ‘conservative’ union, have indicated that they would ballot for industrial action. It is an indication of the mood that exist throughout the union movement. The public sector trade unions need to develop a coordinated series of strikes now to protest the on-going pay cap that is directly lowering the living standards of their members.
But the TUC should also take a lead, because all workers, public and private sector have faced – and still face – an austerity policy designed to make ordinary workers pay for the crisis of the system. The TUC needs to plan a 24-hour protest strike to demand an end to austerity.
The defeats of the 1980s, particularly, the miners’ strike 84/85 were serious blows to the trade union movement. Along with the decline of manufacturing and other traditional industries, trade union membership has fallen from 13 million in 1979 to around 6 million today. Despite this, the trade unions remain potentially the most powerful force in society. In the next period, his power will be revealed in practice. Struggle by trade unions will act as a pole of attraction to the unorganized workers. The Tories bragged in the past about having ‘tamed’ the unions, but this boast will come back to haunt them.
For a 24-hour General Strike!
Defy the anti-union laws!
Kick out the Tories!
Demand a General Election now!
Labour to power with socialist policies!
