====================================================================== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. ======================================================================
Einde O'Callaghan: > Just to clarify: The affiliated trade unions have 50% > (i.e., half) of the delegates at Labour Party Conferences. > How these are selected varies from union to union, but > most British trade unions do have some semblance of > democracy. On a local level affiliated trade unions are I don't know what the situation is with the British trade union movement democracy, but I would just like to comment the "some semblance of democracy" stuff I think I saw in another message here as well. Based on my experience in the Finnish Metal Workers Union (MWU), it is wishful thinking to pretend that the membership doesn't participate because there is no "real" democracy. No doubt participation could be easier, but somehow I'm a bit tired of this rhetoric that the workers would participate if only the leaders were not pissing them in the eye all the time and doing their best to hold the workers down or something. Forgive me for putting it as sharply as this, it's just to make the point.. An example: a few years ago the MWU leadership (social democrats, or SDs) was pushing for a massive merger, where the 165 000 member MWU was to be abolished and merged with several other unions to form a union of 300 000 members. The SDs didn't have the 3/4 majority in the MWU council to abolish the union (a precondition for the merger), so they agreed to a membership vote - after all, why not: The hoped-for positive outcome for the leadership's initiative was their only way to pressure the left-wingers to accept the merger. If they lose the vote, it doesn't matter, they would've lost anyway, but if they win it, then they have a weapon against the lefts. The leftwingers seized the moment because they've (we've) always wanted a membership vote, mostly on collective agreements, and now there was one on offer. So of course. Last spring the vote was implemented. Every member got mailed a letter with the ticket, and they had to check one of the boxes, do you support MWU participation in the new industrial union, yes or no. With the ticket there was a pre-paid return envelope, so you just had to put the checked ticket in it and put it in the mailbox. Absolutely no cost for you. That's all. Whatever you might say about how the question was formulated (e.g. nothing on abolishing the MWU), in my very humble opinion taking part in the vote was not a question of unnecessary hurdles put in the way, or other difficulties. How much more easier can it be? The participation rate was a pathetic 25% (normally in union elections the rate is around 50%), and of them a bit over half supported the leadership. The leftwingers had counted on member participation based on their healthy suspicion of what the leadership is up to.. but they miscalculated. In the decisive council meeting the leftwingers voted against the merger despite having originally agreed to respect the membership vote (because they had thought that of course they'd vote against the leadership now that they get the chance). It's beside the point that the leftwingers still did the right in voting against the merger; the point is they had counted on membership activity, and it failed. MWU council members are workers from the bench (= no union functionaries). Everybody votes with the party of course, but they have to face the heat from the shop floor for what they vote for - in case the shop floor is interested, that is. I'm afraid they're not so interested as we often hope, and the SDs don't need so many dirty tricks to keep the membership down.. You don't need to hold down a person who's not trying to go anywhere. I think the picture the "they don't participate because there's no real democracy" formulation paints is a bit too rosy.. Joonas Laine MWU branch 49 -- jjonas @ nic.fi ________________________________________________ Send list submissions to: [email protected] Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
