the Activist

Issue 61
ADM 2016 Special

Bulletin of Socialist Party members in

Stop the Supermarket Bosses
Making Us Pay for Their Mistakes
Tesco CEO Dave Lewis, who
received 4.1 million in his first
six months as boss in 2015, was
grilled by Channel 4 news on 14
An Activist fringe meeting
April for cutting workers'
6pm, Sunday 24th April
p r emi um s an d a tt ac ki ng
pensions. He tried to defend the
Britannia Room, Ruskin Hotel, Albert Rd, FY1 4PW
cuts by calling them
Speakers: Amy Murphy (USDAW EC) &
equalisation
and
a
Iain Dalton (Leeds PT branch)
harmonisation of terms and
- both speaking in a personal capacity
conditions, but was forced to
admit that many workers would
be worse off.
now only be available between
What is the Activist?
midnight and 6am. And
He was reminded that Tesco overtime previously paid at time
Possibly you are one of those
workers in Ireland were -and-a-half or double time will
reading the Activist for the first
prepared to take strike action now be at the normal single
time - welcome! The Activist is an
over pay cuts. A day later that rate, which will affect the
e-newsletter and blog produced
became reality as Mandate trade majority of Tesco workers who roughly bi-monthly to act as a veunion members working for are on part-time contracts and hicle to discuss the pressing issues
Te sco in Irela nd voted low pay and who rely on facing retail workers and put foremphatically 99% for industrial overtime to pay the bills.
ward a fighting strategy to take
action after a turnout of 85%.
these issues forward.
Similar attacks on premiums in
Tesco, like in the UK, is the exchange for basic pay In recent issues weve discussed
largest private sector employer increases have also taken place the attacks on premium payments
in Ireland with 14,500 staff in in Coop and Morrisons.
and Sunday trading, as well as
149 stores. Management at the
reported how our sister union in
company are threatening to cut Now though, Usdaw, a third of Ireland has been fighting for workwages for staff employed before whose members are in Tesco ers in Dunnes Stores and Tescos.
1996 by up to 35% on 16 May and who are committed to We also have a lively letters page
2016.
fighting for a living wage, have so that rank and file activists can
been characteristically quiet and contribute their views.
In the UK, many of Tescos lacking in fight over the issue. A
310,000 workers will have vote on pay deals should be The Activist is produced by the
overtime, weekend and night- restored to Tesco workers and Socialist Party, who welcomed the
shift bonuses cut as part of new industrial action discussed by election of Jeremy Corbyn as Lacontracts. Staff who receive the union as has been done at bour leader, but are critical of the
double time for working mass meetings in Ireland, so bulk of MPs and councillors who
Sundays and bank holidays will that the strength of the 160,000 seek to undermine him. Our pages
have their pay slashed to time- Usdaw members in Tesco is are open to all in our union and
and-a-half. Premiums currently used to fight against low pay movement who want to see a
fighting union and real gains for
available for those working and attacks on conditions.
retail and distribution workers.
between 10pm and 6am will

Boosting profits at our expense Fight to Defend Premium Payments

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Bulletin of Socialist Party members in USDAW

Usdaw and the EU referendum

Delegates to ADM will be debating
a document from the Executive
Council setting out the leaderships
case for remaining part of the EU.
This contrasts sharply with the position of Usdaw in the 1975 referendum, where Usdaw, along with a
majority of the Labour Party, campaigned to leave the then EEC.
Document suggests that Usdaw
changed its mind as a result of the
Social Chapter ushered in by then
EU president Jaques Delors. Yet
the Social Chapter is in reality fairly
weak - Tory governments for years
opted out of implementing it altogether, and even when Blair implemented it key parts such as the
Working Time Directive were not

Activists Guide to ADM

The Activist believes yet again
there are a good number of very
positive propositions and amendments on the interim agenda for
ADM. Propositions on the trade union bill, company taxation (and the
amendment), rail fares and union
reps all deserve support. The
propositions on premium payments
and vote on pay review speak to
members frustration with recent
pay reviews, especially in Tesco
where members dont get to vote
on this.
As last year, the question of supporting the TUC demand for a 10
an hour minimum wage is on the
agenda, after it was withdrawn
from the agenda last year.
Given the Usdaw delegation voted
to support this demand at the TUC
congress in 2014, and Jeremy Corbyns public support for such a call,
it would be a travesty if Usdaw set
itself against this demand.

fully implemented, and that are

other aspects such as TUPE are
disregarded by employers, as
Tesco drivers in Doncaster found
out to their cost a few years ago.

statement on that subject makes

no mention of following the call
supported at the TUC to support
any union finding itself outside the
law in resisting it.

The reality is such concessions as

the Social Chapter have been
wrested out of the governments in
Europe by workers struggles. It
was the weakness and inability to
lead such struggles of many trade
union leaders, compounded by the
defeat of the miners in 1984-85,
which saw British union leaders
turn to the EU as their salvation.

In reality the EU is a series of treaties to allow European capitalists to

create the biggest market possible
to maximise their profits. Any leftled government coming to power in
Britain would be impeded by the
EU from carrying out popular policies like renationalising the railways, as the Tsipras government
was waterboarded to drop its fight
against austerity in Greece.

This is reflected in the question of

the governments new anti-union The EU bosses club should be relaws. Instead of leading a serious jected, a Europe in workers interstruggle against the TU bill, the EC ests will not come through it.
Whilst the question of Trident nuclear weapons may seem removed
from the day to day experiences of
retail and distribution workers, but
the billions of pounds that will be
spent on this rather than public
services will have a major impact
on our lives. It would be far better
to employ the skilled workers maintaining Trident into socially useful
production, supply the NHS for example. The Activist urges all delegates to strongly support the
propositions opposing Trident renewal, particularly the East Cornwall proposition.

Although the proposals to deregulate (and by doing so extend)

Sunday Trading were defeated in
Parliament, propositions have
made it to the agenda paper.
Whilst the amendment by Leeds PT
helpfully tries to suggest
how
branches can constructively engage
to convince local councils of our
view on this or indeed other issues.
However, the amendment suggesting the deletion of the word
publicly by Northern Morrisons,
would completely undermine the
point of the resolution, which
would be to build pressure on the
Tory government to have ditched
Unfortunately, the North West their proposals and any future
Tesco Retail No4 proposition on ones.
university fees is a much
weaker proposition than the
one passed at the 2013 ADM
which supported free education for all. Hopefully those 10th annual conference takes place on
moving the proposition will Saturday 2nd July, Conway Hall 25 Red
realise this and withdraw it,
Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL
but otherwise it should be
11am-4.30am
voted down.
See www.shopstewards.net for info

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