Nearly two hundred and fifty trades unionists attended the Socialist Movement Trade Committee's (SMTUC) successful conference on 5 and 6 February.
Two plenaries featured workers in struggle from a range of industries. A campaigning document was presented to the conference which assessed the situation of the British trade unions today, and proposed the SMTUC's working priorities for the coming year.
Speakers from Sinn Fein, the Turkish Solidarity Campaign and International Workers' Aid for Bosnia addressed an internationalist evening rally along with a Parisian member of the CGT-led strike at Air France and Jaide De Barrieros from the Workers' Party in Brazil.
The conference passed a resolution outlining as campaign against the government's proposed public sector pay freeze, including synchronised action against the pay freeze, cuts and privatisation and opposition to attempts to trade jobs for pay.
The incoming steering committee has been asked by the conference to consider organising a major conference in defence of the welfare state, jointly with other campaigns, as the SMTUC's next major event.
The conference will make a radical input to the debate and put forward practical action to be taken.
The SMTUC also called for a general election as the Tory government is clearly discredBirmingham civil servants struck against Tories in November ited, and for a campaign for a vote to Labour at the election.
Broad Lefts will be approached by the SMTUC for a OFFICIAL PIC conference late in the year on organising socialists in the unions.