Brendan Kelly of the RMT discusses what union activists can do to help in the fight for a socialist Labour government.
Many on the Left in the RMT are disappointed that the emergency motions to the AGM of our union calling for support for the Labour4Clause4 campaign could not be debated and voted on.
The very recent SGM [Special General Meeting], although narrowly deciding not to re-affiliate the RMT to the Labour Party at this time, did strongly support a significant turn towards supporting and campaigning for Labour to win the next election.
The SGM statement also encouraged RMT activists to get into the party and fight for socialist ideas and policies. A great way to facilitate this is by using the Labour4Clause4 campaign, which calls for the Labour Party to move in a socialist direction.
The campaign to get Clause 4 reinstated is about putting the beating socialist heart back into the Labour Party. Bringing back Clause 4 would make a huge and bold statement that socialism is now the clear direction of travel and that the New Labour love affair with the capitalist market is behind us for good. We say: good riddance to bad rubbish.
The importance of Clause 4 is that it recognises that it is not enough to get a socialist government into power – we have to fight for socialism in every workplace to ensure a decent future for the whole of society.
The alternative is that capitalism remains, dooming our children’s grandchildren to fight the same struggles that we are now. We can’t allow that to happen.
So we need to actively campaign in the RMT, other trade unions, and = of course – in the Labour Party at all levels to have Clause 4 reinstated. This means a discussion in every union and party branch about what Clause 4 means – and about the meaning of socialism.
This campaign represents a great opportunity to educate this generation of trade union and Labour activists about what socialism really is and what a socialist society run in the interest of the many could achieve.
We must make the next government a socialist Corbyn government, armed with Clause 4 and radical socialist policies for real change.
So what can you do to help build this campaign in the RMT?
- Pass the model motion.
- Call on the RMT NEC to agree to affiliate our union to the Labour4Clause4 campaign, throughout RMT branches and regional councils across the country.
- Invite campaign speakers to talk about the campaign and what socialism is.
- Affiliate locally and give financial support to the campaign.
- And support the online campaign petition to the Labour Party leadership.
