Posted by Billy Hayes

Trident: the establishment has a delusional approach to our role in the world

Scrap-TridentThe CWU is proud to be affiliated to CND. We regard the struggle for a nuclear free world as essential for humanity’s survival. Your work gives us hope that we can secure our common future.

Now, this year at the TUC, the CWU moved composite motion 2 on the economy. The general line of the composite was hostility to the government austerity programme. The CWU believes that the alternative is for investment in the economy by the government not cuts. We believe that expanding the economy is the best way to get out of stagnation or recession. Obviously we want jobs from this, but we are discriminating. Continue reading →

Dangers of the Collins review

Defend the Link full colourJust two years away from the General Election, the priorities of the Labour Party ought to be obvious. These surely need to be to strengthen our campaign against the Coalition government’s failing policies; sharpen our alternatives in anticipation of government; and preparing our internal organisation for the elections in 2014 and 2015. Yet for some reason, we’re plunging into an internal conflict over a central element of our Constitution. Continue reading →

Forty years of CLPD – a cause for celebration

This article first appeared in the CLPD’s Campaign Bulletin 40th Anniversary issue which was published last week, and can be downloaded here.

The Campaign for Labour Party Democracy’s fortieth anniversary is indeed cause for celebration. Our campaign has registered a number of important successes in its existence. Yet surely its importance really lies in its future. For CLPD continues to offer socialists in the Party a route to effective politics.

CLPD understands that socialist policies are tied to the promotion of Party democracy. Membership activity and involvement in all areas of the Party produces better and more effective policies. That is a strategy and appreciation which has worked for these past decades, and will work for many years ahead. Continue reading →

The changing relationship between Labour and the trade unions

Tony Blair once said that the split between the Liberals and Labour had been a historic mistake that had allowed the Conservatives to dominate twentieth-century Britain.  The logic behind this position was that a merger with the Liberals was  still necessary, and this in turn required a split from the affiliated trade unions. This, baldly put, was the famous ‘project’. Continue reading →

Postal workers support students because their struggle is right

Billy Hayes, General Secretay of the Communication Workers Union (CWU), was due to speak to a London rally organised by the National Union of Students (NUS) and the University and College Union on 9th December 2010. Because of crowds and road closures Billy could not reach the rally.

This is what he would have said…

I bring you greetings on behalf of 220,000 CWU members in the finance services, postal and telecommunications industries. We support your struggle because higher education should be a right not a privilege. The Government is reducing the higher education resource budget by 40% up to 2014-15. This is a terrible blow to the educational prospects of millions of young people. Economic recovery will not come by reducing living standards, slashing public services, or by cutting education. Continue reading →