Matt McCarten, John Minto and Socialist Worker are hosting a "Workers Charter" meeting this Saturday in Auckland.
The Workers Charter Movement is the embryo of a new left wing political party, modelled on the successful British "Respect" coalition and the less successful Australian Socialist Alliance. It is also a co-ordinating body for militant union trade union activity. The "movement" publishes a "Workers Charter" newspaper.
It's on;
This Saturday, 7th October, starts 11am
Auckland Trades Hall
147 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn
ALL SUPPORTERS WELCOME
11 - 11.10am Welcome from chair (Daphne Lawless).
11.10am - 12.30pm - Workers Charter, a paper for the movement - introduced by John Minto (editorial) & Bronwyn Summers (financial).
1.30 - 3pm - Unions in the 21st century - intro by Laila Harre (NDU), Andrew Little (EPMU), Sue Bradford (Green MP), Mengzhu (Radical Youth) and Joe Carolan (unionist & socialist).
3.15 - 4pm - Human Rights for Workers campaign - introduced by Vaughan Gunson (unionist & socialist) and Eliana Darroch (Radical Youth).
4pm - 4.30 pm - Graham Matthews, Australian unionist.
4.30 - 4.45pm - election of expanded, national editorial board of Workers Charter paper.
4.45 - 5.30pm - Climaction Day (4 November) to build a campaign for
System Change, Not Climate Change. Speaker(s) to be confirmed.
Graham Matthews is a National Committee member of Australia's largest Marxist-Leninist organisation, the Democratic Socialist Perspective. He has also been in recent years, NSW and Victorian convenor for the Socialist Alliance.
Daphne Lawless, Vaughn Gunson and Joe Carolan are all members of NZ's largest Trotskyite group, Socialist Worker, which effecticely has sister party ties to the DSP and Socialist Alliance.
It is significant that Green MP Sue Bradford is supporting the meeting. When Bradford was in the Workers Communist League, her group had very close ties to the DSP's fore-runner, the Socialist Workers Party. Several of Bradford's Green colleagues including Keith Locke, Jeanette Fitzsimons and Russel Norman have had strong DSP connections.
It is also interesting that Laila Harre and Andrew little are speaking. Harre as head of the Socialist Party of Aotearoa dominated, NDU, (which heavily backs the Workers Charter) has a long history of involvement with the far left and is a close friend and business partner of the Green's Russel Norman.
Little, head of the Engineers Union, likes to portray himself as a moderate, so it is more surprising to see him openly associating with the hard left. As Little's union strongly supported the NDU's recent industrial battle with Progressive Enterprise, we may see more of Little mingling with the Marxists.
This is the most militant and broad gathering of union leaders and the Marxist-Leninist left for some years.
I predict, that buoyed by the recent Progressive Enterprises "lockout" and UNITE/Radical Youth's $12 minimum wage campaign, we are about to witness a new wave of militant unionism, supported by hard left political activity.
All those commies under one roof eh, Murray?
ReplyDeletedearest trevor,
ReplyDeletei am very surprised that whilst your left eye has been focused like an eagle on the supposed 'SUP/SPA' controlled NDU, your right eye has been a little lazy on noticing a new left emerge in the EPMU. Now, STF is not going to instruct the master in how to do his job. But this stregthens my thesis that at best your union crystal ball gazing relies on conjecture, and at worst on outdated ideas of who the real players are. I mean, the CPUSA, for Gods sakes- you should be worrying about the Green Party's Chretien in California!
A lot of EPMU members and officials played an admirable part in the Lockout, and I can tell you for a fact they are moving leftwards. Do you reckon there is a secret SUP/SPA cabal at work there? If I were you, I'd look elsewhere.
Looking forward to hearing your theories.
STV
Thanks STF. Always good to hear your point of view.
ReplyDeleteRe the Engineers Union. I have never regarded Andrew Little or his union in any way, moderate.
The EU, likes to "appear" moderate and responsible, but I have no doubt that you are right and the mask is about to slip.
Re California, I assume you mean Peter Camejo. I have some posts in the pipeline on that comrade and his influence.
I do have a bit more faith in the CPUSA than you do however. They had a lot of influence on the Democrats in the Clinton era and are currently busily recolonising the unions.
They'll have heaps of fun, if and when the Democrats get back.
While the SUP had major influence on the EU in Rex Jones' day, things have changed a bit. The EU is leaning hard left, I was just a bit surprised that Mr Little would be so blatant about it.
Some of what I do is conjecture as we are dealing with some pretty security concious organisations here, so it's good to have insiders like yourself to give me an alternative view.
Nice, Trevor, your friends at Redwatch must be very proud.
ReplyDeleteNo friends of mine at Redwatch Pablor.
ReplyDelete"There's never an air strike when you really need one."
ReplyDelete"All those commies under one roof eh, Murray?"
"Target rich environment, release of special munitions is a given."
Touch a nerve did I? At least spink, I finished primary school at the first go. You idiots wouldn't know liberty if it kicked you in the arse.
Someone's got no sense of humour then, Pablor?
ReplyDeleteNot about neo-fascists like those at Redwatch Trevor!
ReplyDeleteAt least we can agree that you will be first against the wall when the revolution comes! (a joke godammit)
hey radical youth wants at least $15 and ideally an end to our current economic system.
ReplyDeleteMurray fought and got shot at in order to give us the freedom to write with spellchecker off.
ReplyDeleteYo Trev reading your post makes me think you're a lot more optimistic about the state of NZ's left than many leftists are!
ReplyDeleteLOL Cameron. While I think the left is very much on the ascendant worldwide, in NZ it's pretty patchy.
ReplyDeleteSW is struggling but the WP is doing OK. SPA are dark horses.
I'm concerned about the Greens, who are commies but pretend to be something else and Labour's left.
What really bothers me though is the bureaucracy and the education system, which is riddled with PCism and neo-Marxism.
Other than that, everything's OK.
Though SW in Auckland seemed to have recruited out of both the Supersize campaign and the Lebanon War.
ReplyDelete"Having actually been shot at so dicks likes you can share your opinion freely..."
ReplyDeleteIf that's not trying to tell us that you served in some sort of war, Murray, then I don't know what it is. And by serving in war you are not "fighting", then what were you doing? Were you a nurse?