The 'Labour' Party

Gordon Brown and the Transport Secretary Lord Adonis have come out today in condemnation of the proposed BA strike by Unite union members. The action would take place for 3 days from March 20^th and for 4 days from March 27^th, with BA announcing that they would run 70% of flights if necessary. The Tories have come out and condemned the action (surprise), with Eric Pickles foaming at the mouth and risking a coronary with this remark:

How can you talk about protecting jobs and beating the recession when you are so reliant on this increasingly militant union that is intent on bringing a British company to its knees?

Astute observers will remember Pickles from his stellar defense of expenses in Question Time.

An injunction has already been slapped on the union back in the dying days of ‘09, on highly spurious grounds. Brown has stated that should the strike go forward it would be ‘unjustified and deplorable.’ I am not so quick to condemn the actions of the strikers. All they are doing is attempting to secure their livelihoods with the only means that are open to them. Brown and the Labour Government do not have the best record when it comes to protecting the working class. They are not fighting in labour’s corner, and never have done. Let’s take a look at just a handful of industrial situations that Labour have come running to the forefront over.

Lindsy 2009

In January, 800 walked out of the refinery due to IREM introducing Italian and Portuguese workers in order to undermine a national agreement on pay and conditions. This led to further wildcat strikes in other parts of the country, such as the Grangemouth Refinery in Scotland. The dispute continued into June, when 700 construction staff were axed. 1,200 walked out spontaneously in defence of pay and conditions and eventually, 3,000 workers across the country went on strike in an impressive show of solidarity.

Brown saw what needed to be done, and without further delay declared that...

‘(the wild cat strikes)...are not defensible.’

Ah.

Vestas 2009

Here was the only wind-turbine manufacturing plant within the British Isles, a prime example of the ‘green economy’ that Labour were keen to push. In July ‘09, Vestas announced it would close its British operations, resulting in over 500 job losses in the Isle of Wight. Taking inspiration from Lindsey, the workers occupied the plant and demanded nationalisation in order to secure employment for their community. The Labour solution was to try and get Siemens to buy it, even offering £1.1 million to sweeten the deal. Why is it that we are paying a private company when it would be far simpler to just nationalise the plant?

Cadbury 2010

Not so much a dispute as a demolition. The American food giant Kraft took over Cadbury plc in February 2010. Not only was this the loss of a national institution, the Unite union predicted that 30,000 jobs would be put at risk as a result of this takeover. Always living up to expectations, Kraft subsequently announced 400 redundancies at a Bristol plant, with cuts on the way. Not only did Labour and Brown do nothing to stop the massacre, they actively encouraged it. When the takeover was announced, it was discovered that the Royal Bank of Scotland, a part-nationalised bank actually funded the deal to the tune of £630 million. This is at best negligence and at worse a declaration of war on the working class.

Looking through the records, if I were the BA workers at this point, I’d take Brown’s brow-beating as an incentive to carry on further action; it is the only chance they’ve got. I realise that there are those in the Labour party at present who are genuinely committed to the working class and will fight every attack on its conditions. All I will say is this: leave. Get out of the Labour Party, you are wasted on it. Hurry it's death along so we can get a real alternative in power.