Campaign for a New Workers' Party

The Campaign For A New Workers' Party (CNWP) argues for the establishment of a new mass workers' party, involving trade union activists, socialists, anti-capitalist young people, and community, anti-war and environmental activists.

The CNWP was initiated by the Socialist Party and launched at the party's annual "Socialism" event in November 2005. There are now more than 3000 signatories to the campaign's [http://www.cnwp.org.uk/declaration.htm founding declaration] , many of whom are trade unionists. [ [http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/articles/3771 Building the Campaign for a New Workers' Party] - retrieved 14/02/08]

Just as the Socialist Alliance started in the early 1990s, in areas the CNWP is starting to start local electoral fronts based on uniting fightback campaigns. One such area is Huddersfield where the Save Huddersfield NHS has a CNWP supporter and SP member as a councillor.

CNWP Conference 2007

The second national conference of the campaign took place on 12 May 2007 at the University of London [http://www.cnwp.org.uk/conferencereport.htm] . Speakers included Chris Baugh (PCS Assistant Secretary) and Dave Nellist (Socialist Party councillor) as well as a video address from Ricky Tomlinson.

The conference discussed and debated the adoption of a charter and some of the issues likely to be central to the campaign. The 2008 conference is scheduled for Sunday 22 June. [ [http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/articles/3771 Building the Campaign for a New Workers' Party] - retrieved 14/02/08]

Founding Conference

The campaign was launched at a conference in London on 19th March 2006, chaired by former Labour MP and current Socialist Party councillor in Coventry Dave Nellist. The conference debated nine resolutions about the future shape of the campaign, and elected officers and a steering committee to take the campaign’s work forward. An overwhelming theme of the conference was that after what delegates saw as previous false starts in trying to establish a new party to represent working people – such as Arthur Scargill’s Socialist Labour Party – any new party would have to be democratic, open and inclusive. At this stage the delegates at the conference felt it should take a federal approach, to bring in as many supportive organisations and groups as possible, with no one group or individual dominating.

Over 300 of the delegates at the conference were active trade unionists, including many members of trade union national executive committees and leading representatives at all levels of the trade unions. The new campaign has a structure that allows trade unions to affiliate to it and over half of the new steering committee were elected by trade union commissions on the day.

Although this was an initial conference of the CNWP it agreed a number of immediate tasks aimed at popularising the idea of a new mass workers’ party amongst as wide a section of the working class as possible.

Campaign initiatives

* Actively supporting any initiatives towards the development of a new party. In particular encouraging those trade union and trade union leaders that no longer believe that New Labour can represent their interests to take active steps towards founding a new party.
* Reaffirming support for the declaration for a new workers’ party and aiming to have at least 5000 trade union, community and anti-war activists signed up by the end of 2006.
* Establishing affiliation to the CNWP. Affiliation for national organisations will be £50 and for local community, trade union and campaigning organisations £25. All national affiliated organisations with 100 or more members would have a seat on the steering committee.
* Getting CNWP speakers to address local community, trade union and campaigning organisations meetings.
* Organising a CNWP speaking tour in May which aims to develop local CNWP campaigns in those areas where they don’t yet exist.
* Organising CNWP fringe meetings at as many trade union conferences as possible.
* Giving support to genuine socialist and anti-cuts, anti-privatisation campaigns in the local elections.

National Officers

A number of people were elected as national officers at the conference. These included members of the Socialist Party, the Socialist Alliance (Provisional) and Workers Power.

The new officers of the campaign elected at the second conference were:

:Secretary - Roger Bannister (member of UNISON national executive – personal capacity):Chair - Dave Nellist (Socialist Party councillor, Coventry):Vice-Chair - Gerry Byrne:Vice-Chair - Jeremy Dewar:Vice-Chair - Clara Paillard:Press Officer - Pete McLaren:Treasurer - Greg Maughan:Trade Union Officer - Glenn Kelly (UNISON national executive – personal capacity):Trade Union Officer - Terry Pierce:Assistant Secretary - Hannah Sell:Community Officer - Mel Mills:Officer for Wales - Andrew Price:Youth Officer - Tracy Edwards [ [http://www.cnwp.org.uk/conferenceminutes.htm Campaign for a New Workers' Party conference minutes] - retrieved 15/08/07]

A larger steering committee was also elected, including representatives from major unions as well as representatives for youth and students.

External links

* [http://www.cnwp.org.uk/ Campaign for a new workers' party] official website.
* [http://www.indymedia.ie/article/73103 Campaign for a New Workers Party launched in England and Wales] . Declaration of the founding convention. Indymedia Ireland. Retrieved April 4, 2006.
* [http://www.socialistunitynetwork.co.uk/voices/cnwp01.htm "Campaign for a New Workers Party conference report"] . Jim Jepps. Socialist Unity Network. Retrieved April 4, 2006.

References