Rail union breaks with Labour
The link between Britain’s biggest rail union and the Labour Party has been broken after more than 100 years.
It follows the Rail, Maritime and Transport union’s decision on Friday to continue to allow branches to affiliate to other political parties.
The union rejected an ultimatum from Labour to stop supporting the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP).
The RMT was disaffiliated from Labour at noon on Saturday. Their link dates back to 1899.
In its original guise as the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, the RMT helped found what is now the Labour Party.
The union’s general secretary Bob Crow said that he was very sad about the move and that the RMT never wanted to be expelled by the Labour Party.
He added: “As far as we’re concerned our members (in Scotland) took a democratic decision.”
“I don’t think it’s right for anyone to tell us what to do.”
Mr Crow said that the RMT never had an opportunity to put its case in a disciplinary hearing before it effectively left the Labour Party at midday on Saturday.
He said: “We got a noon deadline. We don’t accept threats from an employer and we’re not going to accept one from the Labour Party.
“If a branch wants to take the decision to affiliate with the Scottish Socialist Party, that’s their right.”
Asked if other unions would follow in the RMT’s wake, Mr Crow replied: “What other unions do is up to them.
“We wouldn’t get involved in their affairs and we wouldn’t expect them to interfere with ours.”
Majority vote
Labour Party chairman Ian McCartney told BBC News Mr Crow had long ago decided to cut ties to Labour.
He said: “It’s a complete nonsense. He knew what he was doing but he didn’t have the guts to tell his members.”
Mr McCartney said other union leaders were begging Mr Crow not to continue the feud.
He added: “Tens of thousands of his members will be angry about the way in which this has happened.”
However, SSP leader Tommy Sheridan said the decision “ushered in a new era of development in socialist politics”.
He said: “For over 100 years trade unionists have supported socialist policies but New Labour’s big business agenda is the enemy of socialist politics and more and more trade unionists are willing to admit this reality.
“The Scottish Socialist Party is a young party and small in comparison to Labour but we must not forget that Labour started life as a small party as well.”
Vote
He appealed for other trade unionists to switch to the SSP.
The dispute began last year when the RMT, unhappy with some of Labour’s policies, allowed five of its branches in Scotland to affiliate to the SSP.
Two more branches and the Scottish Regional Council now also want to switch affiliation.
At a conference on Friday, RMT delegates voted by 42-8 to uphold the decision.
The Fire Brigades Union is also expected to come under pressure to leave Labour, while a branch of the Communication Workers’ Union representing 4,500 Scots is also expected to affiliate to the SSP.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/scotland/3467637.stm
Published: 2004/02/07 18:50:05 GMT
Is this the start of the unions breaking away from the labour party? Y/N?
Flood.
By: Flood - 8th February 2004 at 21:43
Hmm. Can you see the cabinet gathering round for warm beer and corn beef sandwiches in the social club with the working man in his donkey jacket? A fine merlot and a choice of pa’tes with a few film directors, advertising executives and the other nouveau riche would be more like it…
‘Brother’ Flood.
By: HURRICANE 477 - 8th February 2004 at 21:31
Unfortunatley New labour doesn’t stand for socialism like the original party, the new party as Flood said are turning tory. New labour has been trying to distance itself from its history for years now, its about time that they made up their minds to who the hell they think that they should be representing. More unions will stop funding labour in my opinion, maybe this will be a wake up call for other unions and new labour!
By: Flood - 8th February 2004 at 18:21
Especially since the labour party now seems to hold the old tory values high – with the backing of the employers…
Flood.
By: duxfordhawk - 8th February 2004 at 18:18
I got a feeling RMT won’t be the only union to leave Labour as i see it the Labour party has not stood for the working public for years and a unions duty is too stand for its members,this may be a bad thing as if the unions owe no support to Labour they will not worry what effect striking could have on the Government and it be intresting to see what happens next.
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February 7, 2004 at 10:22 pm