SWP Research

What does the SWP do?

Build the movement

Whether in opposition to war, racism or privatisation, we have thrown ourselves into building the biggest mobilisations possible. The last few years have shown how the actions of ordinary people through strikes, protests and everyday resistance provide hope for transforming our world. We believe the greater this movement, the greater the chance of putting an end to the global dominance of capitalism and war.

Keep it broad

Long manifestos don’t win such struggles — practical unity does. We fight alongside anybody or any organisation that wants to build the movement. The anti-war movement has gained its strength from its unity and breadth. That’s why we fight to main the principles unity of all the coalitions and campaigns with which we are involved. We respect people with ideas that are different from ours. So, while we seek to persuade people of our revolutionary ideas, we resist moves to narrow the movement to those who are already part of the radical left.

Keep it radical

We believe the anti-war movement is stronger because of the anti-imperialism at its core. The movement for global justice is stronger for its anti-capitalism and stronger still when it links to working class resistance. We strive to be the anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist voice of the movements we build. We want to win fellow activists to these ideas. Millions of people are already drawing the connections between the war on Iraq, the occupation of Palestine, the bleeding dry of the global south, attacks on working people in Britain and the global rule of profit. We seek to deepen that process.

Fight to win

At the beginning of the 21st century humanity faces poverty, war and environmental destruction. In the SWP we believe we have to seize the opportunity to put an end to the barbarity of capitalism and fight to create a different kind of society. There has rarely been a better or a more necessary time to show that another world is possible.

Is Royal Mail breaking the law to try and beat the strike?by Simon BasketterThe scabbing operation by Royal Mail was under growing pressure this week.Right to Work campaign supporters were set to protest at the scab mail centre set up by post bosses in Dartford, Kent, on Wednesday morning.And the CWU union plans to launch legal action to stop Royal Mail using agency staff to break the strikes.The bosses are attempting to hire 30,000 temporary workers, which the CWU argues is a breach of the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Business Regulations 2003.The relevant section of the Act states that, “...an employment business may not supply a temporary worker to a hirer to replace an individual taking part in an official strike or any other official industrial dispute.“In addition, an employment business must not introduce or supply a work-seeker to do the work of someone who has been transferred by the hirer to perform the duties of the person on strike or taking industrial action.”In other words, you can’t hire agency workers to break a strike. Supplying scab labour is a criminal offence.The GMB union has set up a “scab hotline” for people to report agencies supplying workers to replace workers on strike, on 020 8971 4217.The legal firm Blake Lapthorn is offering advice to employment agencies on “legitimate ways in which recruiters can help employers at a time of industrial unrest”.As well as making sure agencies don’t fall foul of the law, the company asks, “Is it even possible that future historians, politicians and members of the public will come to recognise recruiters as the people who helped keep vital public services going during the great strikes of 2010–2015?“We suspect in fact that it will be convenient for everyone publicly to blame the recruiters for stirring up industrial unrest, and recruiters may need to have good PR lined up.“In any event we believe many recruiters will find profitable supply opportunities.”
http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=19425

Millionaire boss vs post strikers: Which side are you on?by Yuri PrasadRoyal Mail boss Adam Crozier gets £3,044,000 a year as he attacks jobs and the union while most postal workers, who are striking to defend the service, earn £18,538 a yearBattle lines are drawn in the fight for Royal Mail—and it’s time to take sides.In one corner sit the bullying Royal Mail bosses, the media, and the government. They want to smash the postal workers’ union, wreck services, and privatise the post.In the other corner are postal workers and their union allies. They are fighting to defend jobs and working conditions, and to keep the post public.Despite the daily barrage of hostile news stories it’s postal workers who are winning the battle for public support.An opinion poll for the BBC last week showed that 50 percent of those asked sympathised with the union, while only 25 percent backed management.Support for the strikers is concentrated among working class people, with 59 percent of those classified as “unskilled” backing the union, and only 16 percent siding with the bosses.The sympathy demonstrated in the poll is important—but for postal workers to win it must be turned into solidarity.Union leaders should be encouraging pickets, meetings and collections. They will only do this if put under pressure.Everyone needs to throw themselves into supporting the strikes this week. Strikers must be inundated with solidarity.
http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=19425