Doug Lorimer
On July 2, 50 representatives and activists from an array of left groups, workers' unions and social movements, met in Auckland and founded a Workers Charter movement.
"The voice of working people isn't reflected in the agendas of political parties", said Mike Treen, a prominent union and social activist in Auckland, who chaired the meeting. "Ordinary people are taxed heavily, but the rich are not. Poverty hasn't been tackled."
In an opening address, Grant Morgan, secretary of the Socialist Worker group, told the meeting how "corporate imperialism" is inflicting barbaric wars, ecological catastrophes and mass misery on global humanity.
"Our objective must be grassroots liberation from corporate imperialism", he declared. "But that's not what you hear from NZ Labour. Their leaders have adopted corporate values."
The Greens want to go into coalition with Labour, following the same course which led to the collapse of the Alliance, said Morgan.
While the Maori Party is a mass break from Labour, Morgan argued it will attract only a section of workers. And, after the election, arguments will break out about whether the Maori Party should promote grassroots liberation or be a respectable opposition within capitalism.
The last few months have seen the first general workers' fight-back since 1991, Morgan noted.
"While the flashpoint is low pay, workers are sick of being the invisible people. That mood could be seen when our series of Unity leaflets hit the spot with workers. The time is right for a Workers Charter that leads into a mass workers' alternative to corporate politics."
Morgan gave his personal views on what a Workers Charter project might look like, favouring a five or six point statement of key demands which would unite all workers, such as a living wage for 40 hours, free education and ending legal bans on the right to strike.
The charter could be taken out to workers as a petition, he suggested. He proposed a Workers Charter conference on the Labour Day weekend at the end of October.
"A big mobilisation around the charter will lead towards a mass workers' party, a detailed Workers Manifesto and a broad left paper", Morgan argued.
Morgan was followed by Matt McCarten, secretary of Unite Workers Union, who spoke about new trends inside the working class. "It's obvious to unionists that something is happening. On greenfield sites where Unite is organising, 75% or more workers are joining our union, especially the young."
McCarten explained that 400 McDonald's employees had joined Unite in four days of organising, while 1200 employees at KFC and Starbucks had been joined up to Unite.
"When we go onto sites, workers are asking us — when do we go on strike?" said McCarten. "More and more, we're meeting a straight class war response from bosses. They're saying — if you don't like it, you can leave."
Any left movement without a mass working-class base is doomed to failure, he declared. "But you can't present the class with a ready-made program and expect them to sign up en masse."
So the Workers Charter must be based around "demands that speak to workers — not a finished manifesto", McCarten concluded.
After discussion and a whiteboard brainstorming session, McCarten put forward these "end game" strategy proposals:
- The Workers Charter movement must stand with workers' struggles.
- It must be independent of the Labour Party.
- It must become a mass workers' party in the not-too-distant future.
The meeting decided to set up a steering committee for the Workers Charter movement. The committee will propose and circulate ideas for the charter.
It also endorsed the proposal to hold a Workers Charter conference on Labour Day weekend.
[This report was based on information in Unity magazine. For more information, contact Grant morgan at <gcm@actrix.gen.nz>.]
From Green Left Weekly, July 13, 2005.
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