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Tell it how it is

New Labour's plan to impose by law the Bain agenda of job cuts, flexible working and low wages on firefighters is the road to dictatorship. So it's high time the FBU and other union leaders stopped ignoring reality, drew some conclusions and acted accordingly. The indisputable facts are:

• The key force in this dispute is New Labour, which has politicised the dispute by blocking a deal
• Progress is not possible without defeating this anti-union, authoritarian government
• At stake is the very existence of the FBU as an effective force
• The employers accept the government's Bain agenda 100%, making a negotiated settlement impossible
• The FBU wants a service based on community needs; the government is driven by cost cutting and higher productivity
• New Labour is a ruthless, business-driven regime as shown in the plan to seize Iraq's oil for the major corporations
• Prescott's plan to impose pay and conditions on firefighters is a challenge to all public sector unions

The fire service is special. But in the world of global corporations driven only by the bottom line, there is no room for human beings who want to protect the safety of others. That is why New Labour hates the FBU and what it stands for and why millions in turn despise the Blair government.

The FBU leadership should tell it how it is and work out a fresh strategy if firefighters are not to be left in the dark as to how to win this struggle. Defeating New Labour involves working for an alternative to replace this government. We have to take the future into our own hands politically and in every other way.

FBU leaders should recall their union conference and recommend:

• A call on other unions to stand shoulder to shoulder with the firefighters in strike action, whether this breaks the law or not
• An end to the FBU's affiliation to New Labour, urging other unions to do the same
• Rejection of any Anglo-American invasion and occupation of Iraq
• A labour movement conference to build an alternative to the New Labour government to represent community interests not profit

That's the best possible way to answer the challenge laid down by New Labour and inspire others into action.

Movement for a Socialist Future
January 29, 2003

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