Scottish TUSC launches its election campaign

A packed room of eighty people attended the inspiring election launch conference of the Scottish Trade Union and Socialist Coalition in Glasgow on 28 February.

Present were candidates, agents, campaign organisers, community campaigners and socialists from across Scotland. Trade unionists from the RMT, PCS, Unite, EIS, UNISON, NUJ, UCU, Equity and the GMB took part.

Brian Smith, TUSC candidate for Glasgow South and Glasgow City Unison Branch Secretary (speaking in a personal capacity) opened and chaired the conference. Brian, who is a member of Socialist Party Scotland explained the importance of TUSC’s electoral challenge in May which will see the ideas of socialism and opposition to all austerity cuts being raised in at least ten Scottish constituencies and over one hundred across the UK.

Brian highlighted that many working class people were looking for an alternative to austerity mainstream politics, particularly after the seismic politicisation over the independence referendum last autumn. At this stage many look towards the SNP who have used the term “anti – austerity” in a populist fashion but have implemented cuts at Scottish government and local council level. Brian stated it was important TUSC stood in May to lay down the foundations of building a principled anti cuts alternative.

political corruption

The first speaker was Janice Godrich, National President of the PCS trade union (speaking in a personal capacity) and member of Socialist Party Scotland. Janice began by referencing the corruption scandal around cash for access, involving senior Tory Malcolm Rifkind and New Labour’s Jack Straw. These thieving politicians are already wealthy beyond the dreams of ordinary working people and are only interested in representing the elite. There is a link between the inhabitants of the leaderships of the main political parties and corporate boardrooms and the constant drive towards privatisation.

This political class, while enriching itself, seeks to impose unrelenting austerity on working and middle class people and demonising the poor and unemployed. The average household income has fallen by 8.5% and levels of addiction and mental health problems have rocketed since the last election in 2010. Also rocketing are corporate profits on the one side and personal debt on the other in Scotland the combined wealth of the richest 100 people rose by 16% in 2014 all this while Con Dem Chancellor Osborne’s austerity based targets for reducing the deficit have failed.

Janice made the point that all the likely winners of the election in May agree that austerity is the only game in town. Labour is committed to the Con Dem’s spending plans and continuing the war on benefit claimants, sowing divisions in society and privatisation. The PCS policy on measuring anti austerity credentials is clear; opposition to all cuts and privatisation. The SNP have implemented cuts and held down public sector workers pay. The SNP are at best austerity lite and their MP’s will not overturn austerity in Westminster despite the referendum representing a revolt against austerity.

Janice gave her personal support to the TUSC campaign and appealed for support for the PCS in its fight against the government’s attempts to break a fighting union organisationally and financially. She finished by calling for a co-ordinated industrial response to austerity by the trade union movement.

public ownership 

The conference then heard from Andrew Elliott, a member of the RMT Scottish committee and TUSC candidate for Glasgow Central. Andrew focused on the key demand in TUSC’s program for public ownership of the railway and transport system. The SNP Scottish government had an opportunity with the ending of the Scotrail franchise to bring the railways in Scotland back into public ownership but instead awarded the contract to the Dutch rail company. The East Coast Main line is also now being re privatised. Andrew stated the full support of the RMT trade union for TUSC and the importance of raising socialist ideas and the importance of bringing the new generation towards socialism.

Angela McCormick, TUSC candidate for Glasgow North, a EIS FE activist and member of the Socialist Workers Party, then spoke. Angela highlighted the changed situation in Scotland after the referendum with workers and young people looking for a political alternative. She also pointed to the importance of the anti – cuts battles, including those against the bedroom tax which in Scotland have been successful. In her workplace workers and students face the cuts program being imposed by the SNP government to FE colleges. Angela called for those present to support the demonstration in Glasgow on March 21 against racism and the far right which TUSC supports.

Philip Stott from the Scottish TUSC steering committee then outlined the proposed core platform policies in the Scottish TUSC manifesto. Philip echoed the points made by previous speakers about TUSC’s opposition to all austerity cuts. The core platform demands that the Scottish Government and Scottish local authorities refuse to pass on cuts from Westminster and instead set No Cuts budgets that defend jobs and public services in Scotland. Also actively seek to build a mass campaign of opposition to cuts and a return of the over £3 billion stolen from the Scottish Government budget by the Con-Dem coalition since 2010 to begin the task of reversing the effects of austerity.

He also highlighted that even SNP leader’s Nicola Sturgeons call for a 0.5% increase in public spending would leave 90% of the cuts in place. Philip also highlighted that the SNP government have a £445m budget underspend, even a small fraction of which could be used to mitigate horrific austerity measures such as benefit sanctions.

maximum powers

Philip stated that the participating organisations of Scottish TUSC – Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) trade union in Scotland, Socialist Party Scotland and the Socialist Workers Party – all supported a Yes vote in the 2014 independence referendum. In addition, leading trade unionists who support TUSC in Scotland also backed a Yes vote. The proposed core platform calls for the immediate transfer of the powers of Devo Max to the Scottish parliament: including full powers in areas such as the minimum wage, all welfare benefits and pensions, employment, corporation tax, anti-union legislation and powers over the economy, which would allow the Scottish parliament to bring key sectors of the economy into public ownership.

Other core TUSC policies including public ownership not privatisation, support for a £10 an hour living wage repeal of the anti -trade union laws, free education, end all benefit sanctions and international solidarity not war are outlined in the manifesto.

Philip concluded by highlighting that although TUSC’s votes in May are likely to be modest, given the contest between the SNP and Labour, TUSC standing now would build an even stronger anti cuts socialist challenge for the 2016 Scottish Parliament and 2017 Scottish local elections.

There then followed a lively discussion from the floor on the proposed core platform and the political situation with candidates and campaigners from Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Dundee, Glasgow and Renfrewshire speaking. Jim McFarlane, TUSC candidate for Dundee West and Socialist Party Scotland member, spoke on how the SNP controlled council are implementing £30 million of cuts.

There is huge anger over the planned closure of a local high school and support services with parents getting active in a campaign. Already in the local area people who joined the SNP after the referendum are disillusioned with their implementation of the cuts and have committed to supporting Jim’s campaign.

Jim stressed that this showed the importance of TUSC’s demand for No Cuts Budgets. This was echoed by Glasgow Unison convener Ian Leech, who is campaigning for TUSC in Glasgow South, and who pointed out that it was TUSC supporters who had been instrumental in getting the local austerity trade unions to demand a no cuts budget.

Also highlighted in the discussion was the importance of raising the demand for a £10 an hour living wage and combating racist ideas of right wing populist parties like UKIP.

There were also reports of the intense discussion taking place in unions like Unite and Unison over continued affiliation to the Labour party with TUSC supporters being prominent in calling for a break in the link for real working class representation and importantly the need to appeal to young people as TUSC stands for a living grant for students and real job creation rather than slave labour and zero hour contract schemes.

The proposed core platform was unanimously agreed.

campaigning response

The second discussion at the conference was focused on reports from local areas on the first few weeks of campaigning. Already there has been a very positive response to street stalls in Glasgow South, Glasgow North, Paisley and Renfrewshire North and Dundee West. TUSC banners are also present at every major political event and demonstration. TUSC has also received media coverage in the National newspaper and the Dundee and Glasgow local press.

The Scottish TUSC election campaign aims to reach over 600,000 households in the General Election. Thousand of pounds will be needed to ensure every home gets a leaflet outlining the case against cuts and for socialist policies. The enthusiasm of the conference at the weekend shows we are well on the way to achieving that goal.