Do not fund the war
Brandy | 03.03.2006 11:20 | Anti-militarism | Education
At No 16 and dropping it’s Bob Crowe’s Rail & Maritime Transport union with £248,000. At No. 14 it’s the electricians and engineers AEEU with £320,000, nipping the heels of construction workers’ UCATT at No 13 with £354,000.
THE TOP 10
At No 9 it’s print union GPMU with £544,000 donated to the Labour Party. Shopworkers’ USDAW is at No 7 with £2.1 million just behind the posties’ CWU at No 6 with £2.3 million, Transport & General Workers at No 5 with £2.5 million, general workers union GMB at No 4 with £3.5 million and at No 3, despite massive spending cuts and privatisation, its public service workers’ UNISON with £3.6 million of their low-paid members’ money. Lord Sainsbury holds on to the top spot but at No 2, with a whopping £3.8 million taken from its members wages, it’s financial and manufacturing workers’ union Amicus. Now that Amicus and the AEEU have merged we can no doubt look forward to even vaster donations to the Labour Party’s coffers.
That’s nearly £20,000,000 taken from trades unionists’ wages and gifted by just11 unions to New Labour. Many more unions also donate to the Labour Party. This is YOUR money.
Give New Labour nothing. Cut out the coupon below and send it to your work’s wages office. You can send a copy to your union’s HQ.
POLITICAL FUND EXEMPTION NOTICE
I hereby give notice that I object to contributing to the Political Fund of the union and am in consequence exempt, in the manner provided by Chapter 6 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (consolidation) Act 1992, from contributing to that fund.
Name....................................................................................................
Union Membership No.........................................................................
Address....................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................
Branch......................................................................................................
Signature......................................................... Date...........................
THE TOP 10
At No 9 it’s print union GPMU with £544,000 donated to the Labour Party. Shopworkers’ USDAW is at No 7 with £2.1 million just behind the posties’ CWU at No 6 with £2.3 million, Transport & General Workers at No 5 with £2.5 million, general workers union GMB at No 4 with £3.5 million and at No 3, despite massive spending cuts and privatisation, its public service workers’ UNISON with £3.6 million of their low-paid members’ money. Lord Sainsbury holds on to the top spot but at No 2, with a whopping £3.8 million taken from its members wages, it’s financial and manufacturing workers’ union Amicus. Now that Amicus and the AEEU have merged we can no doubt look forward to even vaster donations to the Labour Party’s coffers.
That’s nearly £20,000,000 taken from trades unionists’ wages and gifted by just11 unions to New Labour. Many more unions also donate to the Labour Party. This is YOUR money.
Give New Labour nothing. Cut out the coupon below and send it to your work’s wages office. You can send a copy to your union’s HQ.
POLITICAL FUND EXEMPTION NOTICE
I hereby give notice that I object to contributing to the Political Fund of the union and am in consequence exempt, in the manner provided by Chapter 6 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (consolidation) Act 1992, from contributing to that fund.
Name....................................................................................................
Union Membership No.........................................................................
Address....................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................
Branch......................................................................................................
Signature......................................................... Date...........................
Brandy
Comments
Hide the following 12 comments
Article badly informed... DON'T fill this in
03.03.2006 16:42
If you don't want your Political Fund money going to New Labour campaign to stop it happening... all the political funds have to be accountable to the members somehow.
Trade Unionist
I understand but taking pay of other people hard work is morally wrong
03.03.2006 18:04
Why do we let them happen?
No one can physically on their own, can create goods in a single year that would match anywhere near the sum money they are earning. The TU leaders/ NGO groups and others can only physically do that on the back of other people physical earning but those people receive less pay, in return for thanks.
A classic example of enforcing class division by salary earnings.
Such claims made by these big earners justify their pay by making an excuse, that organisations need the best people. To do that, they need the salary to match the completive employment market. I would argue since these organisations are working for the benefit of people's welfare, such jobs should be expected with a certain moral obligation for pay to reflect their real work value and set a positive example for their staff.
Also
Oh balls
03.03.2006 18:13
My mistake on the last point.
Never the less my points are Valid.
arghh
Save the world, join a TU and vote every 4 years.
03.03.2006 18:55
The political fund of Unions is needed for any political campaigning! Even an advert in the local paper in support of public services, or helping an anti-facist campaign, or something has to be paid for out of the political fund.
then, What do TUnionists pay their subs for?
and,
if you don't want your Political Fund money going to New Labor campaign to stop it happening... all the political funds have to be accountable to the members somehow.
Trade Unionist, If you had any idea how TU's work you would not talk such niave crap, or maybe you are a new laborite? all members of TU's can refuse to pay to the political fund.
The problem with the old guard trade unionists is that they worked for years to elect a labor government and when they got one it was worse than the tories!! Be honest you've been had, you let multimillionaires get to the helm of your ship and they sold you out and you are all too fuckin' proud to admit it.
What happened to the promise to repeal the anti TU legislation? lets not forget that founding principle of public ownership? and thats just off the top of my ed
lets face it the only union that does owt about public service, and with fuck all success, is unison and they're new labor through & through at senior level or managers or SWP in the offices.
C h V
Pay no tax, do no work, revolt or shut up
03.03.2006 19:57
Ethical foriegn policy = Iraqi genocide
End to tory sleaze = Direct mafia links to 10 Downing Street
Danny
What Unions can and can't pay for from general subs
04.03.2006 10:55
> then, What do TUnionists pay their subs for?
For what all Unions do well, individual representation in the workplace; and what some do well, collective representation in the work place. Campaigns directly and specifically related to their workplace can also be paid for from general subs.
>> if you don't want your Political Fund money going to New Labor campaign to stop it happening... all the political funds have to be accountable to the members somehow.
> Trade Unionist, If you had any idea how TU's work you would not talk such niave crap, or maybe you are a new laborite? all members of TU's can refuse to pay to the political fund.
Refuse to pay the political fund and you remove all opportunity for your Union to campaign on stuff I'm pretty sure we both agree it should. Well, should you wish to pull your finger out and actually take part in it instead of moaning about the SWP holding all the officer positions (it's only because no other fucker puts themselves up for it... most Unions are crying out for people to volunteer to be officers).
Trade Unionist
Save the world, join a TU and vote every 4 years.
05.03.2006 10:22
I note you have not responded to my point about millionaires running the TU Movement at a national level or Managers at a local, Millionaires and managers can be members of unions if they wish, but not where there is an obvious conflict of interest.
As for the SWP I consider them to be just like you beloved labor party, to be a corrupt group that will not represent those who they claim to once they have acquired power.
I have once or twice pulled my finger out, having been a regional officer, and held branch officer posts for over 20 years, worked tirelessly for the miners, dockers and print workers and my own colleagues, been imprisoned and dismissed more than once for TU activities, and my considered opinion is that you should NOT pay political fund contributions.
In justification of this I need offer no more than the fact that such funds go towards the labor party, yet the labor party have not even repealed the anti TU legislation introduced by the tories!
Do you really need more than that?
But of course maybe you have examples of the good use these funds have been put to?
ChV
Decent spending, pulled to account & idealists
05.03.2006 13:11
Correct I ignored it as another discussion not specifically about if you pay into the Political Fund. It is a discussion where you need to clarify if you believe that you should be a member of a Trade Union or not - no question about paying into the fund if you aren't a member. If you are a member it is a discussion about what you do want to do with the Union and your fellow workes.
> As for the SWP I consider them to be just like you beloved labor party, to be a corrupt group that will not represent those who they claim to once they have acquired power.
I agree
> In justification of this I need offer no more than the fact that such funds go towards the labor party, yet the labor party have not even repealed the anti TU legislation introduced by the tories! Do you really need more than that? But of course maybe you have examples of the good use these funds have been put to?
Sure... the Unison General Political Fund gives money to organisations including Liberty, the Committee for the Administration of Justice (in Northern Ireland), the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom, the Institute of Employment Rights, the Stephen Lawrence campaign, the Respect Festival, the Durham Miner’s Gala and the Bevan Foundation (in Wales). Best bit about the funding for charities is it isn't restricted by charity law.
The GPF is also accessible to service groups, self-organised groups, branches and regions which want to run their own campaigns. These are often against PFI, outsourcing and other forms of privatisation or in support of anti-racist initiatives.
Opting out of the Political Fund completely because some of your money is going to New Labour isn't the answer. The RMT's funding is falling as the article says... expelled from New Labour and now only supporting MPs directly who support RMT policy - not ideal but getting better. The FBUs leadership were given a kicking from their members over funding for a party that was abusing them.
Better to mobilise people to campaign for more direct control over the political fund then open out and make it impossible for Unions to do anything outside casework in the workplace. You never know it might make some of your fellow workers more aware politically of the relationship between the leaders they are voting for and the Labour party.
Trade Unionist
Chv - trade unionist
06.03.2006 00:10
Danny
IMistas - Fake Post Alert
06.03.2006 21:27
If any of the IM volunteers want to publish the IP addresses of that Danny against mine to prove the point, I have no objection as I have fairly good security. Also, if I ever say anything that causes the cops to hassle IM , just pass them straight onto me, I have no objections.
Danny
comment to danny
08.03.2006 08:31
vol
vol
08.03.2006 09:23
Anyone who has access to an IM server can check IP addresses of posts as they arrive whether they are logged or not but that's an internal security matter I won't comment on here.
I think it should be pointed out to everyone that while IM don't log IP addresses of folk who post here, the same can't be said of your ISP. This information is supposedly aimed at terrorists but we all know about the number of peaceful protestors who are stopped under terrorist legislation.
Danny