Editorial
Another round of trade union conferences is over. More than a year after the election of Blair's new Labour government it is clear that this government has done nothing to meet the needs of the millions of trade unionists that voted for it in May 1997.
Instead it has cuddled up to the bosses - whether in driving through further restrictions on public spending with all the associated implications for pay, conditions and jobs and services or in pushing further for a flexible labour market. Privatisations go steaming ahead whether under the guise of Private Finance Initiatives or 'Best Value'.
And on the two key issues on which the trade union leaders staked so much - recognition and the minimum wage - what has been served up is a mess of pottage.
The trade union conferences have been a mixed bag. The bureaucrats certainly did not get everything their own way on a series of key debates. Even where they won key votes much of the discussion from conference rostrums demonstrated that for activists the honeymoon with the government is certainly over.
But criticism alone is not sufficient.
Union organisation on the ground - and morale in the workplace - was severely battered by the long night of Tory rule. Confidence and combativity can't be rebuilt over night.
Beyond this even among militants there is a vacuum of perspectives. A whole layer of shop stewards don't remember the last Labour government. Rebuilding confidence in the current situation is not straightforward.
Industrial action remains at a low ebb, despite important actions in a series of long standing disputes and important new ones.
The leaderships of a growing number of unions, not confident of their continued hold on the reins of power as the bosses' offensive bites deeper and forces their members to contemplate action, have launched or stepped up vicious witch-hunts.
Under the guise of assualts on the far left, they seek to stymie the ability of any union members to act or organise independently of the official union bureaucracy, and especially to make it harder for them take effective action to defend jobs, conditions and services.
In this context effective campaigning is paramount. The anti-union laws are the central obstacle to militant action. Blair's recognition package is not only an insult to trade unionists . As he so proudly trumpets, it leaves Britain with the most unregulated labour market in the advanced capitalist world.
And it is quite clear that without a substantial campaign of mass action to force further changes that is all that is on offer from New Labour. This is what we were all told we must behave for during the years of Tory rule.
This is why the development of the United Campaign to Repeal the Anti-union Laws is such a significant initiative. After a shaky start the recent recall conference took important steps forward on the question of structure - making participation from a broader layer possible, whether or not they were able to win support from their national union.
Support for the campaign needs to be built at every level of the Labour movement. The decision to make the London May Day demonstration a national event focused on the demand the laws are repealed deserves the backing of every trade union branch in the country.
Resolutions will not be enough - detailed plans will need to be laid to get the maximum numbers involved and down top London. That is why the development of the United Campaign at a regional level will be key.
United Campaign to Repeal the Anti-Trade Union Laws c/o John Hendy PO Box 17556 London EC2Y 8PA or Lol Duffy, Liverpool City Unison, Victoria St, Liverpool L2 6QL
The United Campaign, together with the Welfare State Network, is organising a march from Birmingham to Blackpoool to Labour Party Conference.
Leaving Birmingham on September 19, it focuses on the twin themes of defence of the welfare state and repeal of the anti-union laws. The march will link up with the demonstration called by UCLH UNISON on the eve of conference. Get your organisation to sponsor a marcher for £150.