At last week’s TUC congress, Corbyn gave a speech on the battle to remove the Tories. Labour’s strategy will be “the biggest people-powered campaign we’ve ever seen”. On a bold class programme, Labour can win a general election.
This year’s meeting of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) took place last week in Brighton. The highlight was Jeremy Corbyn’s bold speech to delegates, in which he outlined the battle ahead in booting this rotten Tory government out.
Corbyn started by praising outgoing TUC president Mark Serwotka, who he described as “one of the most dedicated and one of the bravest trade union leaders we’ve ever had”.
The Labour leader then went on to outline the situation workers now face:
“We have witnessed a deliberate, decades-long transfer of power away from working people. The consequences are stark for all workers, whether members of a trade union or not. Pay is lower than it was a decade ago in real terms.”
Corbyn then described the chaos and shenanigans at Westminster:
“Today parliament stands empty, shut down by a prime minister running away from scrutiny. We mustn’t mistake the drama at Westminster for what real politics is about.
“What truly matters to people isn’t resignations, defections and late night votes in parliament. What truly matters is the reality of their everyday lives – in their community, on the streets, at their workplace.
“Real politics for me isn’t about the parliamentary knockabout with all its baffling language and procedures. Real politics is about giving power to people who don’t have a lot of money and don’t have friends in high places so they can take control of their own lives.”
This is correct. It raises clearly the need for Labour to fight against the Tories on the basis of bold socialist policies that will unite and enthuse workers.
Campaign
With a general election on the horizon, Corbyn added:
“We’re ready to unleash the biggest people-powered campaign we’ve ever seen…
“Labour is on the side of the people in the real battle against the born-to-rule establishment that Johnson represents. We stand for the interests of the many – the overwhelming majority who do the work and pay their taxes – not the few at the top… who hoard the wealth and dodge their taxes.”
Corbyn went on to outline a raft of measures aimed at reversing the Tory anti-trade union laws and giving extensive new rights to workers on the shop floor.
This is the way to fight against Boris and his Conservative clique – by appealing to workers on an independent class programme; not by trying to cuddle up to the Lib Dems, as the Blairites propose.
The TUC also gave its backing to the climate strikes taking place this week, on Friday 20 September. However, the original (and already quite mild) call in the UCU motion for 30 minute lunch-break strikes was watered down even further to now call for “workday campaign action”. This as meaningless as it sounds.
Nevertheless, the call for solidarity is an important milestone. The task now is to use this to build for worker involvement and organisation around the climate strikes and other activities going forward.
Speaking at the TUC today, Jeremy Corbyn said “In the next few weeks, the establishment will come after us with all they’ve got because they know we are not afraid to take them on.”
“We are creating a society of hope”.
Bring it on ✊ #ChangeIsComingpic.twitter.com/wlOeak1h01
— Corbyn for PM (@CorbynASAP) September 10, 2019
Action
Congress also agreed to build for a union day of action – although unfortunately not until 1 May 2020. With the Tories in a deep crisis and the prospect of a Corbyn-led government within our grasp, it is clear that we need major mobilisation of the whole labour movement without delay.
Only in this way can we cut through the Westminster games and ensure that the voice of the organised working class is heard in towns and cities across the country. Indeed, Mark Serwotka opened the Congress by calling for a national demonstration as soon as possible.
By and large, however, the TUC stuck to its line of committing to no real concrete action, but instead making moral appeals. There was little mention in any of the motions passed about nationalisation. The call for a one-day general strike, meanwhile, seems to have been forgotten about.
The fighting talk shown by the CWU in moving its emergency motion over the upcoming strike ballot demonstrates what is needed from the TUC. The TUC’s role should be that of general staff for the trade union movement. But to act as such in the struggles ahead, the TUC needs to provide militant leadership and campaign for clear socialist policies.
