Firstly, I apologise if you receive more than one copy of this notice. Given the circumstances, I am sending this invitation through multiple channels, which may result in some duplication.
Labour’s ongoing austerity measures and support for war – in fact, a shared agenda across all the establishment parties – have led to a sharp decline in Labour’s support among trade union activists and the broader working class. Without a genuine alternative to these policies, Reform UK threatens to become the main electoral beneficiary. And as the 100,000-strong demonstration in London in September demonstrated, the far right is growing more confident on the streets.
On Monday, 21st July, I brought together over 1,000 trade union representatives and branch activists to campaign for a new party rooted in working-class organisations and communities. That national meeting was a great success, and since then, separate meetings have been held for activists in nine different trade unions, with more planned, and campaigns have been developed (see here for meeting reports).
Model motions advocating trade union initiatives have been widely discussed in branch meetings. Those meetings have promoted the idea that invitations to union executives be extended to the Independent Alliance of MPs, which includes Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana, for discussions on joint work. Several union executives now have motions before them calling for an audit of their parliamentary groups. In Wales and in Scotland, conferences are planned in October to build support for a working-class challenge in the Welsh Senedd and Scottish Parliament elections next May.
Not a straight road
However, in mid-September, tensions at the top of the new party launched by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana erupted. The establishment media rushed to talk of splits, predicting the hundreds of thousands who had signed up in July for a new party would be “still politically homeless”. Given these events, it is even more urgent for trade union organisations to discuss and propose measures for developing this new party with trade unionists and trade unions at its heart. We must ensure that the current opportunities are not wasted.
It’s time for a trade union-led reset.
Recall meeting – Trade Unionists for a New Party
Monday, 13th October, 6:30 pm on Zoom – register at https://bit.ly/ReconvenedTU4NewParty
Please register and share the link across your union networks. And in the coming days, I’ll send you details of social media posts promoting the 13th October meeting. It would be great if you could like and also share them for me.
In solidarity,
Dave Nellist
(former Labour MP and now Chair of TUSC)