The following letter from a Unite member in Yorkshire shows the increasing understanding of many union activists and stewards about the need to have a leadership which both understands what the bosses are really up to and knows what the movement must do in response.

A reply to Les Bayliss

A Unite shop-steward recently passed me a press release by general secretary candidate Les Bayliss, who is seen by many as representing the right wing elements inside the union machine. The steward was angered by the way in which Les tries to justify the inactivity of the union leadership when it comes to fighting factory/plant closures, and the consequent job-losses.

The press-release starts off by celebrating the success of the campaign to prevent the closure (at least in the short-term) of the Corus steel plant on Teesside. Every trade-unionist will be delighted that 2,000 jobs have been saved for now, but Les uses the success of this campaign to attack 'activism' in the union.

According to Les, the sale of Corus to Thai steel giant SSI was achieved by "Tery (sic) and the team... work[ing] quietly and patiently to get agreement with Corus to sell the plant and then go onto (sic) secure a buyer for the business. The campaign was based on a clear strategy that involved organising the workforce, winning the support of the local community and influencing local politicians." (My emphasis.)

In other words, the strategy is about asking big business to kindly and considerately save the jobs of these workers, against the backdrop of the biggest world crisis of capitalism since the 1930s. What happens when SSI decide that it is no longer possible to run the plant profitably? Or when they decide to slash wages to remain 'competitive'? Will the union be able to conjure up another buyer?

Les pours scorn on those in the union who believe we should be fighting to defend our jobs and conditions against these attacks. "Ironically this success story will never be afforded legendary status", he opines, because "[i]t wasnt (sic) a romantic glorious defeat, with slogans and marches and strikes and thousands of column inches devoted to the notoriety of an individual."

Instead, he goes on to say that the strategy was "a clear example of Unite at its best and a model for the Unite I want to see develop in every sector." So it's pretty clear what sort of union Les would wish to see. To Les I pose the following: what about Cadbury's, closed without a single hour lost to industrial action? Or what about Rover? The list goes on. In these cases, the union's 'strategy' was, instead of organising industrial action to fight the closures, to 'negotiate' to persuade some capitalist somewhere to save the plant.

For every success such as Corus, dozens of other plants and factories will close up and down the country if the union is prepared to do nothing more than plead for some business to step in and save the day. Cadbury's is a case in point - here, the 'saviour' reneged on the agreement and closed the plant anyway! At a rally in support of the threatened workers, left-wing filmmaker Ken Loach (much to the surprise of the assembled union bureaucrats) declared that the only way to save the factory was to take industrial action. How right he was! Sadly, the union persued Les' strategy, and the jobs were lost.

I am delighted that the Corus workers still have their jobs. But the union cannot rely on the good will of some big corporation to step in and buy up failing businesses. Against a backdrop of the deepest capitalist crisis since the 1930s and the most savage cuts since the 1980s, we need our union to be at the forefront of the fightback!

Threats of job-losses and pay cuts must be met with robust industrial action, including work-to-rule, strikes and even occupations. Disgracefully, the occupiers at the Vestas wind-turbine factory received no official support from Unite.

And what of the Labour Party? Back in opposition, it is now holding its own leadership election. With the one socialist rank-and-file candidate, John McDonnell, kept of the ballot paper, we see the farcical spectacle of several New Labour figures promising to 'renew' the party. Well, we must hold them to their word! Whoever wins this contest, we demand the next Labour government nationalise any plant or factory threatened with closure, under the democratic control and management of its workers!

Only one candidate in this general secretary election bothered to visit the threatened Vestas factory. Only one candidate stood with the construction workers striking to defend jobs at Lindsey Oil Refinery. Only one candidate has vowed to support union members whenever they take industrial action, even when it breaks the Tory anti-union laws. That candidate is Jerry Hicks.

If elected, Jerry has promised:

• To only take the average wage of a skilled worker. No more six-figure salaries for union officials!

• To fight for the repeal of all anti-union laws, and to support workers who defy them.

• To fight for the creation of a million green jobs, the first 3,000 of which go to blacklisted construction workers. The capitalists won't give us this - only a democratically-planned socialist economy will!

• To fund only those Labour candidates, MPs and councillors who support our policies! No more blank cheques to New Labour! Only by implementing a socialist programme can Labour defend the interests of working people!