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RMT union conference sees big step forward for TUSC

 

THE RECENT annual conference of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport workers (RMT) saw a significant step forward in the struggle for working class political representation and for the development of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC).  The resolution below was agreed with no opposition.  It speaks for itself. 

 

Resolution to RMT Annual General Meeting 2012:

Trade Union and Socialist Coalition (TUSC)

This Annual General Meeting applauds the decisions of the Council of Executives to allow RMT branches and regional councils to use their Political Funds to support all candidates standing for the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) in local elections in England and Wales, which took place on Thursday 3rd May 2012. This AGM congratulates all RMT members who stood as TUSC candidates, or whose branches or regional councils supported TUSC candidates, for contributing to the hard, long-term task of rebuilding political representation for working class people and communities in the most difficult period for our movement since the 1930s.

It is now possible to draw some political conclusions from the results of the local elections. TUSC candidates were able to obtain some very creditable results and to build on previous election campaigns in the 2010 general election and the 2011 local elections. We look forward to further development of TUSC in the future. We note that the average TUSC vote in the local elections was 6%, while Tony Mulhearn, standing as TUSC candidate in the Liverpool Mayoral contest, won over 4,700 votes.

The AGM believes that:

• All the main political parties in Britain advocate austerity policies, differing only over what timescale and with what severity cuts should be made to force workers and our communities to pay for a crisis caused by the banks. Leaders of both the ConDem government and the Labour Party opposition promote the false idea that there is no political alternative to austerity measures and echo international capitalist institutions (the European Union, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund) in demanding cuts to pensions, attacks on employment rights and privatisation of the welfare state.

• The development of a new political force that advances the ideas of trade unionism and socialism would give confidence to workers and help to create a viable political alternative to austerity.

• TUSC provides a nucleus of such a new political force.

• At this stage in its development TUSC should remain a coalition with a federal structure. RMT members should be encouraged to participate in area TUSC committees where they can be established. RMT should continue to be represented on the TUSC national steering committee.

• RMT should continue to support TUSC candidates in local and parliamentary elections under rule, subject to the authority of the Council of Executives.

The AGM instructs the Council of Executives to:

• Circulate TUSC national newsletters and other material to RMT branches and regional councils;

• Promote activities of TUSC to RMT branches and regional councils;

• Put forward contemporary resolutions as appropriate and encourage RMT members to participate in the 2012 TUSC conference to be held on 22 September 2012.