Motion: Confront the far-right with working class politics

The following motion was originally passed by Bakerloo branch and then the London Transport Region:

 

CONFRONT THE FAR RIGHT WITH WORKING-CLASS POLITICS

This branch notes with alarm the ongoing upsurge in far-right street activity, particularly targeting refugees, immigrants, Muslims, and trans people.

The politics of this upsurge are aimed at dividing the working class. 

Meanwhile, the new Labour government risks stoking the far-right backlash by failing to take meaningful measures towards improving working-class living standards, whilst continually giving ground to the right on issues of immigration and trans rights.

This branch believes that the labour movement must confront the far right on the basis of a politics of working-class unity, including trans rights, migrants’ rights, and demands for radical social transformation on issues such as wages, housing, and services. 

This branch further believes that the culture of “outsourcing” campaigning activity to external bodies, often consisting of little more than providing a logo for a leaflet and a speaker for a rally, must be replaced with a culture of active mobilisation. Anti-racism is a union issue; our unions must organise counter-mobilisations against the far right directly, under our own banners, using the union’s central resources to mobilise members.

Such mobilisations must aim to directly confront the far right wherever possible, including taking mass action to obstruct their demonstrations.

This branch therefore resolves:

• To produce educational-campaigning material for reps and activists to use in workplaces, providing a working-class, trade-union alternative to the politics of the far right, based on advocacy of rights and equality for groups targeted by the far right, including migrants and trans people. 

• To call, via the highest level of the union possible, and in conjunction with other labour movement bodies, direct counter-mobilisation against the far right.

• To request that head office resources are allocated to mobilising RMT members to attend these actions, safely and as part of union contingents.

• To propose, via the Trades Councils to which our branch affiliates, that they call local meetings to discuss building a labour-movement-based campaign against racism and fascism.

• [For discussion at Regional Council: For London Transport Regional Council to work with other union regional committees and Trades Councils to call a London-wide meeting to discuss building a labour-movement-based campaign against racism and fascism.]