Jerry Hicks

Saturday 7 May 7 Supporters Conference became the launch of the ‘Grass Roots Left’.

The conference was convened to discuss the most recent ‘Unite’ elections, those of General Secretary, in which Jerry Hicks [coming 2nd] got 52,527 votes, and that of ‘Unites’ National Executive Committee [NEC] where our 7 candidates got an impressive combined vote of 23,100. Following a superb debate a proposition was put to the vote: “This meeting is in favour of setting up a Grass Roots Left organisation, currently operating in Unite but which can be extended to other appropriate unions.” This was overwhelmingly agreed.

However, owing to the fact that there were many supporters who had wanted to be at the conference but were not able to attend, the meeting decided to:

Elect an interim Chair [Jerry Hicks], Secretary, Treasure and National Committee whilst, deferring the adoption of a constitution and to hold a recall meeting in 6 months.

Jerry Hicks said “This is an excellent beginning in the fight for a bottom up, member led, member controlled opposition currently in Unite, but also across other unions where appropriate”.

He added, “The disconnected, disengaged and disaffected millions are precisely those who should be part of the Grass Roots Left to fight for everyone’s future and against the cuts of this vicious Con-Dem government”.

The need for this has never been greater and the gap between the Union and it’s members never wider. With the most shocking example being that a massive 92% of members did not take part in the vote to elect ‘Unites’ NEC. Yet remarkably, little has been said or written about this horrendous situation.

In contrast to the ‘surrender’ slogan of the TUC, many trade union leaders and the Labour Party leadership of ‘cut’s, yes but not so fast and not so deep’. We [Grass Roots Left] say, It’s not a crisis of our making so we why should we be made to pay with our jobs, pay, pensions and services.

• A Union cannot be a truly democratic union without the election of all officials.
• Elected by the members, not appointed by the General Secretary or a panel.
• Confronting anti-union and other unjust laws in the UK and EU.
• For a fighting union, not just a campaigning one.
• Independent of the union’s machine and free from the involvement of appointed full time officials.