Chris Strafford reports on the ‘Right to Work’ conference

The Socialist Workers Party’s Right to Work conference on Saturday January 30 saw over 800 socialists and trade unionists pack into Manchester’s Central Hall. An excellent turnout, with the SWP bussing in comrades from across the country, to be joined by contingents from other left groups, including the Socialist Party in England and Wales, CPGB, Workers Power, International Bolshevik Tendency and Respect, some representing trade union branches.

The large attendance produced an atmosphere that was upbeat, energetic and positive, but at times things bordered on the chaotic, as people were crammed into every space available in the main hall, with many having to listen from the corridors or behind the stage. The conference was promoted as an opportunity to develop and strengthen “networks of resistance” both nationally and locally. It was possible to submit amendments to the statement of intent and for comrades to stand for a 25-strong steering committee.

The opening session consisted of a rally, featuring speakers from recent and ongoing struggles, some of which have resulted in victories or inspirational resistance. Vestas occupier Mark Smith spoke of the struggle to find work after the closure of the plant on the Isle of Wight, but is hopeful that there will be a new facility built on the island and the sacked workers will be re-employed. Sue Bond (SWP), vice-president of the Public and Commercial Services union, who was forced to apologise for voting with the PCS leadership and against SWP policy in 2005, discussed the current ballot to defend redundancy entitlements. Meanwhile, fresh from undermining the postal workers’ strike, Communication Workers Union deputy general secretary Tony Kearns used the opportunity to talk militant and left. Kearns said to a round of a applause that we need policies and action to “defend the working class, not the political elite”. Comrades then broke up into different ‘workshops’.

I attended the one on ‘A political voice for the movement’, where the speakers were Susan Press from the Labour Representation Committee and Michael Lavalette, the SWP’s councillor in Preston (comrade Bond was in the chair). Susan Press argued that the left had failed to form any credible alternative to Labour and that what is needed now is not more arguing over forming a new party, but uniting around a common agenda such as the People’s Charter that could bring together socialists inside and outside the Labour Party in common action. Comrade Lavalette spoke of the tradition of the left in standing for election as fighters for the working class, going back to the first communist MPs and looking forward to more representatives like himself. During the discussion Workers Power’s Jeremy Drinkall announced that WP intended to stand in London Vauxhall constituency, hopefully under the banner of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition. He also argued for the need for a new anti-capitalist party – a common theme pushed by Workers Power members throughout the day. An IBT comrade argued for a new party, but not on such vague and anti-Marxist foundations as ‘anti-capitalism’ or the ‘broad left’. She argued that during the general election communists should not call for a vote for anybody.

Unfortunately I myself was not called to speak, but there were interventions from local members of SPEW, who came to push the Hazel Must Go campaign (which aims to stand against Hazel Blears in Salford), and to dismiss any thought of voting for any Labour candidates. Members of the SWP loosely agreed with the need for a new party and attacked the IBT’s intervention as “ultra-left posturing”. It should be noted that Tusc got very little mention during the session, which surely provided both the SWP and SPEW with the opportunity to try and win support for the coalition from trade unionists and other socialists in the hall. There were other sessions on organising the unemployed, the anti-union laws, ‘jobs, not bombs’, climate change, anti-racism, education cuts, and students and young workers. The session on unemployment was addressed by the secretary of the Unemployed Workers Union, Alex Halligan, who was seeking support not just from the Right to Work campaign, but from across the workers’ movement. The session on anti-union laws, which was addressed by Unite general secretary candidate Jerry Hicks (Respect, ex-SWP), looked at how they have been used against BA workers.

The final plenary was entitled ‘Building solidarity – uniting the resistance’. Speakers included Dave Chapple, chair of the National Shop Stewards Network, who engaged in what was in essence a prolonged rant claiming continuity with Industrial Workers of the World leader Big Bill Haywood and syndicalism. He said that the NSSN is not the Campaign for a New Workers’ Party or the property of this or that left group and, whilst it is a rank and file network, it is not in opposition to the union leadership. The comrade seemed rather confused. Sue Bond spoke about the PCS ballot again, as Mark Serwotka did not attend, and Michael Bradley, SWP industrial organiser, talked of the need to establish local groups and link up the different struggles. The best speech of the day came from victimised trade unionist and cleaner Juan Carlos, who explained the struggles that he and his comrades have had to go through just to earn a wage they could live on. He ended his speech by calling, to cheers and a round of applause, for the end of capitalism.

At the end of this final session it was announced that all amendments to the statement of intent had been accepted. These included additions on unemployed workers, immigration and asylum, as well as building a rank and file network. The statement was passed unanimously with no-one speaking against – but in fact there had been no opportunity to speak on the statement or propose an alternative.

It is, of course, full of supportable demands (see www.righttowork.org.uk). It calls for local groups to be formed across the country, which would “bring together networks of supporters” to organise campaigns, and would be “centred on rank and file workers but should also seek official trade union support”. They would also be open to students and pensioners. On a very basic level it is true that getting socialists and activists meeting regularly can ‘only be a good thing’, but on what basis? The left already mobilises as best as it can in support of workers’ struggles, but only a single working class combat party can provide them with a winning strategy.

Similarly decisions to support the demonstration against job cuts at Corus on February 13 and back the National Pensioners Convention April 10 rally to defend public services, as the conference agreed, were worthy enough, and no doubt we will all go along to the demonstration promised outside the autumn conference of whichever party has won the general election and continue to fight the BNP. But weren’t we going to do all that anyway?

The conference was far more interesting than, say, the SWP’s previous dull ‘united front’ for workplace activists, Organising for Fighting Unions. But it was yet another indication that the left in Britain has no clear way forward, and is much happier to push trade union struggles and single-issue campaigns than fighting for unity within a single Marxist party – when the question came up, it was posed in the usual ‘broad workers’ party’ terms.

Throughout the day we were treated to platform speeches from trade union bureaucrats and members of national executives. There is obviously a contradiction between aiming to organise the rank and file independent of the bureaucracy and giving such prominence to its left face.

Tusc featured very briefly throughout the day and there was no clear indication that the SWP was backing it. The Stop the War Coalition is officially supporting the Right to Work campaign, although only a year ago the STWC refused to back the Convention of the Left because, as Lindsey German argued, it was too political and would scare away the liberals and moderate supporters of the anti-war movement. In reality RTW is just another gathering (convention) of the left, but obviously different rules apply when it comes to SWP-organised campaigns. No doubt the conference was also seen by the SWP leadership as a chance to cement ‘the party’ around their new ‘strategy’ of giving priority to workers’ struggles against the effects of the recession and showing the beleaguered minority that the leadership can draw in support. An RTW steering committee was elected at the conference, though the names of the successful candidates have not yet been released as I write.