Grass Roots Left.

Will be holding their Second

National conference
In the Conference room Of the

Comfort Inn
Station Street, B5 4DY.
Opposite New St Station

Birmingham City centre

Saturday 17th of November 2012, From 12 noon to 4pm.

This establishment is also a short walk from Snow Hill & Moor St stations. This meeting is open to members of UNITE the union, their families & friends. Fellow trade unionists who are supporters of the Grass Roots left initiative are also most welcome to attend. Refreshments are available from the hotel's bar on the ground floor.

www.grassrootsleft.org
Email: info@grassrootsleft.org Phone: 07792 966 910 Website: www.grassrootsleft.org

WE have seen only a fraction of the cuts to come first planned by Chancellor George Osborne in 2010the total is almost 600 billion, and that is without the readjustments necessitated by the shrinkage of the economy and tax take due to these deflationary policies. So far less than 15% has been implemented. What are the prospects of the official Labour movement leading a fightback against these vicious cuts? Even if Labour wins in 2015 it will continue these cuts without let-up. Shadow chancellor Ed Balls told the Guardian, The public want to know that we are going to be ruthless and disciplined in how we go about public spending. And at the Labour Conference, we cannot make any commitments now that the next Labour government will be able to reverse particular tax rises or spending cuts. And what are the intentions of the trade union and Labour council leaders, surely they will lead a fightback? They have no intention of doing so. Back at the first 500, 000-strong Grand Old Duke of York demo on 26 March 2011, just to make sure that he did not whip the troops into a revolutionary frenzy, McCluskey had Unites stewards sporting the Ed Miliband slogan cuts too far too fast on their hi viz vests. What are the mobilising marching chants appropriate to this inspiring idea; An injury to one is an injury to one and thats all, and thats all, cut some not all, cut some not all and, "cut their jobs, not our jobs, cut their jobs, not our jobs, do dah, dah do dah? Bureaucrats save their fiery speeches for the big occasion to hide their sell-outs when no one is on the streets. To begin the real fightback we must build a genuine rank and file movement in the trade unions, which fights ALL the sell-out bureaucrats by the united front method; with them where possible, without and against them where necessary. This is the task the Grass Roots Left has set itself. From the foregoing it

is clear that we must also bring that fight into the Labour party to being to prepare for the 85% cuts to come and the inevitable political consequences of a Labour government viciously attacking its core supporters as Ramsey McDonald did in 1931. Labour makes no promise to tax the rich, Balls has not even promised to reinstate the tokenistic 50p rate of tax. He was booed at the TUC promising to continuing the attack on the public sector. Given the dire consequences of the 15% cuts we have already seen the effect of the remaining 85% amount to the total destruction of the welfare state built up since 1945the NHS privatised and local councils no more than paymasters for privatised and decimated services. This will inevitably split the Labour party, despite the apparent weakness of the left there and in TUs right now. We must prepare for this by renewing the Labour movement, linking up with those within and outside the Labour party who want to fight. We begin with the core organised working class movement, the trade unions, and from there we must take the struggle into the Labour party. To do this we promote the principles and practices of the R+F in all our areas of work. These principles should include, a) Democratise the unions! b) elections of all union officials! c) Officials to be paid no more than the average skilled workers wage! d) Defiance of the anti-union laws! e) A steeply progressive wealth tax! f) Public works at TU rates of pay to give work to the unemployed! Grass Roots Left is a national group of Unite members and others that originated in Jerry Hicks challenge for General Secretary of Unite in December 2010. We fight against bureaucracy and for rank and file control of the union, challenging for all elected positions and fighting for independent strike action where possible.

Email: info@grassrootsleft.org Phone: 07792 966 910 Website: www.grassrootsleft.org