New workers' party needed urgently

This morning Labour is blaming the voters for failing to be inspired by their brand of austerity over the Tories'.

Labour AMs and councillors in Wales will now spend the next 5 years - if their feebleness in opposition allows the government to limp on that long - repeating their current mantra "there's nothing that we can do" as they continue to make Tory cuts.

Labour leads the Welsh Government and half of all councils as well but their attitude that there is nothing they can do except parcel out Tory cuts means that they have failed to use these positions to defend working class people and working class communities.

Welsh Labour MP Chris Bryant is quoted by the BBC as saying that elections are won on the centre ground but Labour loses when the left is disunited. Well perhaps Labour should stop posing as a left party and clear the road for real lefts, socialists and trade unionists to actually fight the Tories instead of trying to compete with them on their own ground as Labour does now with their 'me too-ism' on making cuts.

In the end Labour achieved a double-whammy of failing to compete with the Tories on their ground and alienating large swathes of working class people and trade unionists as well.

It is clear that Labour's adoption of austerity-lite effectively disenfranchises millions of working class people who have no politicians representing our interests. Will the biggest trade unions now draw the conclusion that they need to act to secure political representation for their members by creating a new party, which can build on the pioneering work of TUSC?

For TUSC supporters nothing changes with this result we will continue to fight as hard for the policies that we fought the election on. We will be fighting in our workplaces and trade unions for the raising of the minimum wage to £10/hour and end to zero hour contracts. We will be fighting in our communities to end all cuts. We will continue to raise the idea of socialism - organising society for people's needs and not the profits of a few.

TUSC is not just for elections. If you want to fight back against this Tory government that Labour's failures have saddled with, then get in touch.

TUSC would implement unions' anti-austerity policies

As interesting and enjoyable as promoting TUSC at various hustings events has been, speaking at Swansea Trades Council's May Day Rally was altogether different because I was speaking as a trade unionist to other trade unionists.

Trades Council delegates had agreed the theme 'opposing austerity'. TUSC prides itself as being the 100% anti-austerity party contesting this election.

Austerity is a lie to hide the transfer of wealth from the majority in society to the wealthiest at the top because while most of us have got poorer, illustrated by the increase in children living in households in poverty, the richest have got richer. The Forbes Rich List last week showed that the 1,000 wealthiest individuals in the UK have more than doubled their wealth in the last decade.

So how do we end austerity? Perhaps the single most significant immediate change that could be made would be to unshackle the trade unions so that we can defend ourselves and our communities from the relentless assault on jobs, wages and services. 13 years of majority Labour Government left in place anti-union laws which are among the most restrictive in any 'democracy' in the world; in some respects Labour even added to them! Trade unionists demand that the anti-trade union laws are abolished. So does TUSC.

TUSC supports unreservedly trade union policies to raise working class people out of the misery that 5 years of Con-Dem government has inflicted. Trade unions estimate that the real value of our wages has fallen by up to 20% during this government for the rich and by the rich.

TUSC therefore supports the demand, overwhelmingly agreed at the last TUC, to immediately raise the minimum wage to £10/hour. This would end the effective subsidising of the bosses to pay poverty wages, which leave workers having to claim benefits to get by. It's been estimated that supermarkets, including giants like Tesco are effectively subsidised to the tune of £11billion a year because that's how much in working benefits their low-paid workers have to claim. TUSC also supports trade union demands to end zero hours contracts and abolish discriminatory youth rates.

It is trade union policy to demand that services like the railways, the postal service, utilities, energy companies and the banks are all brought into common ownership. TUSC enthusiastically supports these demands; if nationalised and democratically organised (including by the workers in the industry), these services could be planned to meet people's needs rather then protect the profits of shareholders, as is the case now.

Everything outlined above is trade union policy aimed at ending austerity but there is only one party contesting this election that enthusiastically endorses all of it and that's TUSC.

Over 75% of TUSC candidates are active trade unionists. Whatever coalition of continued austerity forms the next government we will be continuing to fight  for the same policies with our trade unions, in our workplaces and communities.

If you're a trade unionist fighting austerity then doesn't it make sense to vote, on May 7, for political representatives fighting for the same things?

Will the party your union funds support TUC policy?

This weekend all across the world, workers will be celebrating May Day. The Swansea Trades Council takes place in Castle Square at 12.00 mid-day, today ( Saturday 2 May).

Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) candidates will be joining in those celebrations and demanding:

• A minimum wage of £10/hour, with no discriminatory youth rates!
• An end to zero-hours contracts!
• Unshackle the trade unions - repeal all the anti-trade union laws!
• Bring energy and other utilities into public ownership so that resources can be planned to meet people's needs and not for profit.
• Nationalise railways, postal services and the banks and finance houses under democratic public control.

All of these policies are TUC policy, voted for by delegates from all of our trade unions but the Labour Party, which too many of our unions continue to pour money into, doesn't back any of them.

TUSC is the only party that stands unreservedly on trade union policies. As you celebrate May Day this weekend, unless you're an RMT member (RMT is affiliated to TUSC), ask: when will your union back the only party which has the same policies as you do?

TUSC why we support demand for £10/hour minimum wage

Not only does the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition support the demand for £10/hour minimum wage but our representatives and supporters actively campaign for it, and not just at elections either.

£10/hour represents the minimum that's needed for a genuine living wage. Even the current official 'Living Wage' is only enough to get by on if it is supplemented by working benefits. Poverty wages are the reason why the majority of people claiming benefits are in work.

When wages are any less than £10/hour then the Government is effectively subsidising low-paying employers with our taxes and resources that could be used for our services. Supermarkets, which include some of the biggest, wealthiest businesses on our high streets (or retail parks anyway - they're killing town centres) are subsidised to the tune of £11 billion a year to pay poverty wages to the workers that generate their profits.

Why should we subsidise these giant corporations to pay poverty wages? With smaller businesses who genuinely couldn't afford to pay that much, there could be a case for the state helping them to pay (after all we subsidise them now by paying low paid workers benefits). But that would only happen if they opened their books to trade union scrutiny to prove that they really couldn't afford it. They would also have to prove that they pay their taxes in full because many low-paying firms are also implicated in tax-dodging.

Of course even £10/hour won't lift workers out of poverty if they are not guaranteed enough hours to earn a wage to put food on the table. That is why TUSC also demands zero-hours and other super-exploitative contracts are abolished along with minimum wage exceptions, like discriminatory youth rates.

All of this is TUC policy since the last Trades Union Congress but the Labour Party, which many trade unions continue.to pour money into, will only promise to raise the minimum wage to £8/hour in 5 years' time. Even their promise to end zero hours contracts are hedged around with small print.

There is only one party contesting this election that is proud to stand on TUC policy and that's TUSC.

TUSC supporters and representatives campaign to raise the minimum wage with other trade unionists and will continue to do so whatever the result of this election. The picture accompanying this post shows us supporting the Bakers' Union, BFAWU, and other trade unionists, calling on workers to join a union and fight for £10/hour on a global day of action (15 April) for trade union rights in the fast food industry.

If you're a trade unionist who thinks the party your union funds should fight for trade union policies or if you're a low-paid worker who supports our demand for £10/hour then get involved with TUSC and help us to fight  for £10 now and beyond the election.

Ronnie Job
TUSC Candidate, Swansea West