At the Communications Workers’ Union (CWU) virtual Special General Conference on 7-9 November, motions passed on the “New Deal For Workers” (published by Labour when Andy McDonald was shadow minister) called for a mobilisation in the Spring of 2022 for a New Deal demonstration with other unions. There was also confirmation from the leadership that the CWU would remain a stand-alone union (rather than merging into a bigger general union).
There has been no national discussion of General Conference business (i.e. what affects the whole union, not the industrial policies of differing sectors, post, telecoms, and financial services) since the pandemic began in 2020, apart from a virtual Rules Revision that took place before the National Executive Committee (NEC) elections earlier this year and allowed for extra seats for equality representatives on the NEC.
There is due to be an in person CWU Annual Conference in April 2022 (pandemic permitting). Calling this Conference six months before that is an indication of the need that the Union leadership felt to show a clear direction for the future now.
Key themes of the Conference included the relationship with the Labour Party, developing recruitment and organising, and supporting policies that arise from the industrial experiences of the membership.
On the first day the leadership’s motion on maintaining affiliation to the Labour Party (but putting greater energy into local and regional activity) was overwhelmingly supported, roughly nine to one. A motion that called for stopping of national funding to the Labour Party from Kingston branch was roundly defeated. The vast majority of delegates who spoke in the debate made clear that they thought the political work of the Union and the link with the Labour Party were important.
The discussion on recruitment and organisation led to open criticism from telecoms branches of the betrayal of the Telecoms Executive on the Count Me In Campaign in BT, with speakers asking how we can promote recruitment when the Union has failed to fight compulsory redundancies or stick out for a consolidated pay rise this year.
In the policy discussions on the last day of Conference, a comprehensive motion on campaigning on the public ownership of the telecoms industry was passed, with support from the NEC. This emphasised the importance of this long-standing policy after the experience of the necessity of remote working and virtual access during the pandemic.
It also reaffirmed the commitment that the Union obtained from the Labour Party in the 2019 general election campaign for public ownership and control of broadband provision in the UK.
