Campaign news

LRC - Get ready for the fight of our lives: come to LRC Conference!

14th October 2014

LRC - Get ready for the fight of our lives: come to LRC Conference!

In promising to continue with further painful austerity, sticking to Tory plans which mean slashing public spending, and maintaining wage freezes in the public sector and caps on benefits, the Labour leadership has done the party no favours whatsoever. The Tories have already made clear their intention to hammer the working poor if re-elected. Plus, with UKIP’s right-wing populism riding high against a backdrop of disenchantment with the Westminster political system, the outcome of next May’s election is highly uncertain. The LRC’s Annual Conference on Saturday 8 November at London’s Friends Meeting House, comes at a critical time.

But opportunities undoubtedly exist. The politicisation of Scottish society during the independence referendum shows that the desire for real change is widespread across working class communities, even if it can’t yet find expression at the electoral level. The energy and dynamism of social movements like the inspirational Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) or the direct action of environmental campaigners and anti-fracking protestors shows what can be achieved under our own steam.

Meanwhile the union demands to smash the pay freeze will not be going away, and the attempts to organise those in low paid and casualised sectors like cleaning or the fast food industry have shown new signs of union militancy on the march. The campaign against the utterly anti-democratic US-EU trade deal Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), a charter for corporate ‘rights’, likewise demonstrates a refusal to roll over before the interests of profit.

These campaigns and more will be represented at the Conference, as the LRC asks how can we develop such forces into a movement capable of breaking the pro-austerity consensus that exists in Westminster, forcing Labour to re-engage with its historic mission to stand up for the interests of working people. Can we begin to mobilise an effective fightback in our local communities, and reinvigorate a fighting trade union movement? What is the role of the LRC in building such a movement, and how do we raise our game to meet the challenges ahead? Don’t miss your chance to get involved and make this organisation fit for to wage the fight of our lives.

Speakers already confirmed include John McDonnell MP, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Matt Wrack (General Secretary, FBU), Maria Exall (CWU), Ian Hodson (National President, BFAWU) and Cllr Dean Kirk (Councillors against the Cuts)

LRC’s Annual Conference 2014 will take place on Saturday 8 November (10.00am, registration from 9.15am) at the Friends Meeting House, Euston Rd, London.

Full details here: l-r-c.org.uk/events/detail/lrc-annual-general-meeting-2014/

Background

By Ian Hodson It’s great news that a mainstream political party has recognised the importance of taking positive action to raise pay. Since 2008, politicians from all parties along with many in the media, have pushed the narrative that society will somehow improve by imposing austerity and blaming minority groups for the state of the country’s finances. Sadly, many have fallen for this deception and the ‘look over there’ politics that has rose to prominence since the Conservatives returned to power in 2010. [continue...]

Folkestone United – coming together to support migrants Bridget Chapman, Folkestone United, reports [continue...]

No Witch-Hunts In The GMB, Reinstate Keith Henderson (The Online Petition) Keith Henderson Essex LRC member and former Regional Organiser of the GMB Union was dismissed from the GMB last December, Keith has always believed that the real reason for his dismissal was because of his socialist beliefs and the manifestation of his beliefs. [continue...]

Please see our Labour Briefing Website here: LabourBriefing.org [continue...]

The LRC is supporting a broad alliance of campaign groups and trade unions against the proposals in the Welfare Reform Bill (currently before Parliament) and putting forward our alternative based on social justice and welfare for all. [continue...]

Across the country working people are losing their jobs and their homes. Meanwhile the bankers who plunged us into this crisis have been bailed out with billions of pounds of our money. It’s time to fight back. Their Crisis Not Ours! is the LRC’s campaign to bring together workers, pensioners, the unemployed, students, those facing repossession and all those suffering because of an economic crisis that has been imposed on us. The campaign is supporting the demands of the People’s Charter. [continue...]

Rail bosses are using the recession as an excuse to attack jobs and conditions and cut back on services and essential rail works, and hike rail fares - as LEAP research suggested they would. Thousands of jobs are being threatened or have been lost. At the same time rail fat cats are raking in big profits and bonuses on the back of the most expensive fares in Europe. Make no mistake: as the recession worsens so will the attack on rail workers and rail services. [continue...]

The campaign calling on the Government to abandon its plans for privatisation of Royal Mail. The Government has introduced the Postal Services Bill to part-privatise the Royal Mail. With our affiliate union CWU we are fighting to Keep the Post Public! [continue...]

The campaign to demand the Government funds improvements to all existing council housing, and to start building first class council homes to address housing need. For more information see Defend Council Housing website. [continue...]