Union elections

Workers' Liberty member Patrick Murphy is standing for Deputy General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, in a ballot running from 6-26 January. Patrick is standing for a radically different vision of how the union should be run, one where the union is controlled from the workplace. He is calling for workplace branches to form part of the NUT structure, and for one union for all school workers. Teachers are facing the worst attacks in a generation, and the leadership of the NUT has not led a campaign that was serious in making the government back down. Patrick calls for positive...

I am standing for Deputy General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) against incumbent Kevin Courtney and right-winger Ian Grayson. I stand for a radically different way of running the union, for a union that is organised from the bottom up not just one that has “left wing” leaders at the top. Power in the workplace We can only improve the lives of members if the Union is strong at work. I want to see workplace branches recognised and given democratic power in the Union. Union power comes from workers collectively organising at a workplace level, being able to challenge...

Mick Cash has won the election for General Secretary of the rail union RMT by a large margin, with nearly 9,000 votes to the 4,000 of his nearest rival, Alan Pottage. John Leach, supported by Workers’ Liberty, came fourth, with 1,428 votes. Steve Hedley won 1,885 votes, and Alex Gordon won 1,176. The election turnout was low, around 20%. Although Cash’s election material used militant rhetoric, his record is far more moderate. Cash has a more cautious and conciliatory attitude to industrial strategy than his predecessor Bob Crow. It will be a step backwards if his leadership makes it harder...

A yes/no debate on the Unison election, 1995

T&G Election outcome (1995) Download PDF

Inside the unions Download PDF

The individual members’ ballot in the election for the new General Secretary of the Rail, Maritime, and Transport workers’ union (RMT) begins on Monday 21 July, after a period of branch nominations. RMT members face serious industrial and political challenges. Significant staffing cuts are threatened in the railway industry, the union’s largest industrial sector, as bosses implement the recommendations of the McNulty Report, commissioned by Labour and completed by the Tories. Some train companies are pushing for “driver-only-operation”, scrapping the guard grade altogether, and companies like...

Despite leftie-bashing by the Times newspaper, with the help of former General Secretary Fred Jarvis, a sizeable minority of National Union of Teachers members voted for LANAC NUT General Secretary candidate Martin Powell-Davies. Martin, who stood on a platform calling for escalated and co-ordinated industrial action against Gove’s measures, gained 27% of the vote against incumbent Christine Blower. The result was declared on 25 June. The lack of union publicity about the election was reflected in the very poor 13% turnout. It cannot have been helped by the union repeatedly marching members up...

Workers’ Liberty members in the Rail, Maritime and Transport workers union (RMT) are backing John Leach in the election for General Secretary. John is standing on a platform of democracy and equality, committing to put women, black, LGBT, and disabled members’ struggles at the heart of the union, and emphasising the importance of member leadership. The other candidates are Mick Cash, Steve Hedley, Alex Gordon and Alan Pottage. Voting will be from 21 July to 22 September. • Read more about John’s campaign here