Solidarity Works

Labour Representation Committee

A statement from the LRC on the unofficial action over jobs

We applaud the victory achieved by the workers. We encourage all workers to fight to defend their right to work with decent pay and conditions, and pledge our solidarity to all workers in struggle.

It was feelings of insecurity, turning to anger and determination to resist that motivated the workers involved in the strikes at the energy companies around the country. No worker can feel safe in their jobs as the recession slips into a depression. People are inevitably fearful for their futures.

The Government has promoted the privatisation, contracting out, outsourcing, and offshoring, which have stripped away their basic protections at work, undermined their employment security, intensified their exploitation, cut their wages and forced them into debt dependency.

By taking action, the workers have succeeded in increasing direct labour jobs and resisted attempts to undermine terms and conditions.

The fight against racism and the BNP
In any dispute, the Left must engage with shaping the analysis and demands of the dispute, and to shape the media’s representation.

As this latest crisis of capitalism unfolds many more workers will be demanding the right to work and we must support them. If we don’t, the BNP will and they were on the ground seeking to exploit frustrations, in the same way they do over council housing. Gordon Brown’s racist statement “British jobs for British workers” was offensive and unworkable, and his cheap soundbite has stirred an unhealthy nationalistic sentiment that the Left must combat.

Fighting against the anti-trade union laws
New Labour has refused to abolish the anti-trade union laws. The LRC supported the Trade Union Freedom Bill, and must continue to campaign against the anti-union laws. However, at this time of crisis more than ever, we must encourage and support action to defend jobs and conditions.

We must also campaign against EU legislation and court rulings associated with the free market, which divide worker from worker. The LRC must continue to build the links of solidarity with European unions and Left parties to enable joint action to protect jobs, wages and conditions.

Unity in fighting the recession
As the recession forces more workers onto the dole queue, and to feel more insecure, industrial action alone will not be enough to protect jobs and living standards. The question of who will pay for this crisis is central. It is not about nationality, but about class. The working class should not pay for this crisis, it must be the bosses – and we should not let them divide us. The LRC along with the TUCG, the Convention of the Left, union broad lefts, the People’s Charter, and other campaigning vehicles as they emerge all have a critical role to play in mobilising and coordinating solidarity action in the face of this depression.