Protest against the war on Gaza in Lightwaves – photo Iain Dalton
Hastily rearranged to be an indoor rally in the former Lightwaves Leisure Centre, even the worst of Storm Babet couldn’t put hundreds off from attending the rally to express their anger at the ongoing bombardment of Gaza by the IDF.
Iain Dalton, Socialist Party Yorkshire secretary
As people went inside all the 150 copies of the Socialist Party leaflet we had brought were snapped up by attendees.
Socialist Party members leafleting and selling the Socialist as people arrived – photo Iain Dalton
Whilst some Labour councillors attended the rally, the burning anger towards Keir Starmer and other Labour frontbenchers was clear from a number of speeches.
I spoke on behalf of the Socialist Party, with the biggest applause coming when I explained that at the root of the conflict was capitalism which is based on exploitation and divides workers against each other to maximise the wealth of a tiny elite. Only by replacing capitalism with a socialist society based on meeting the needs of all can this national conflict find a long-term solution.
A Palestinian woman came up to meet afterwards to thank me for speaking, whilst others bought copies of the Socialist to read more about what the Socialist Party has to say about how the war can be ended.
Socialist Party Yorkshire regional conference – photo Yorkshire SP
A very well attended regional conference was held in Sheffield 3rd June at the Broomhill Centre. The hosts were the Sheffield branches, who have had a fantastic growth in membership over recent years and looked after the conference with great facilities and food and beverages.
Paul Thomas, Wakefield Socialist Party
The start was a short video which gave a useful overview of activities across the region and provided a solid foundation to the lead off by General Secretary Hannah Sell on Perspectives for Britain. Hannah delivered a concise and lively overview of the situation Britain finds itself in.
This started with a short overview of the global impacts surrounding the UK, financial turmoil, climate crisis and rising military conflicts. Britain found themselves in a specially difficult conditions due to the weakness of British capitalism typified in the chaos of the Tory party no longer seen as safe pair of hands by the capitalists.
We are in the largest wave of union action doe some 30 years. This is at its early stages and there has been a great deal of learning from a low level. There is likely to be future waves which will be only stronger for the development. The Union struggles have raised the class continuous to its highest level in a generation.
It is clear the tories are hated, though Starmer is not loved though likely to win the next election. The prospect is for a very short honeymoon when things don’t get better under Labour.
This gives the Socialist Party a great opportunity to develop gain support, this is why party building is so important so we can influence ever more the direction of the class struggle.
The afternoon offered 3 workshops covering recruitment, supercharged stalls and TUSC. Each of these were well recieved and provided powerful tools for our working in the coming period. Beyond amazing appeals delivered over £1000 FF and increasing subs to support our ongoing efforts.
Lastly a great session lead by Iain Dalton on building the socialist party in Yorkshire. This gained input from all section within the region providing useful advice to help develop each area.
A fantastic engaged event delivering great learning and tools for all to take back into their branches.
Socialist Party members in West Yorkshire visited Unison picket lines at Wakefield Ambulance station, Richmond Hill Ambulance station in Leeds and Yorkshire Ambulance Service headquarters as they took their second round of 12 hour strike action on 23rd January.
Iain Dalton, Socialist Party Yorkshire secretary
Across the picket lines we visited there was a growing anger at the Tory government’s failure to grasp the crisis in the NHS and instead lurching from scandal to scandal. A photo of pickets in Maltby near Rotherham with a handmade banner saying “Rishi – we’ll belt up when you pay up” referring to the Sunak’s fine for not wearing his seat belt, was doing the rounds on WhatsApp whilst we were going round.
Meanwhile other pickets told us their horror stories of waiting times at hospitals, with one picket having just the last week done a 12 hour shift before having to wait an extra four hours at a hospital to hand over a patient. Others talked about hearing about a crew that arrived at a hospital in the morning only to hand over the patient in the evening!
Last time they were on strike, Unison’s action coincided with that of GMB, and some pickets expressed their disappointment it was only their union out this time (although GMB members did come out to visit picket lines on their breaks whilst we were there). There was optimism that with RCN nurses and GMB ambulance workers strikes coinciding on 6th February, all NHS workers could strike together in the near future.
Unite protesters campaign in support of Arrow XL workers outside an Aldi store in Castleford – photo Iain Dalton
Arrow XL workers have been taking strike action since 24th October following a below inflation pay offer from the company of just 5%, whilst inflation is running at 14.2%! Many Arrow XL workers receive only the minimum wage of £9.50 an hour.
Iain Dalton, Socialist Party Yorkshire secretary
Meanwhile the highest paid director at Arrow XL was paid £539,000 in 2001 – a 84% rise on the year before! Arrow XL is part of Logistics Group Holdings, ultimately owned by the billionaire Barclay brothers.
But rather than negotiate with their workforce, instead two of the strong workers have been victimised.
In response Unite launched its leverage campaign with a day of action hitting Aldi stores across the country. Whilst Arrow XL’s contract with Aldi ended last summer, Aldi still uses delivery companies in the same group as Arrow XL such as Yodel.
At the first of two protests outside Aldi stores in Castleford, shoppers were very supportive taking leaflets and asking about the dispute. Several shoppers told us that they were supporting us bear they had also been on strike for a event pay rise recently. One person even stopped to shake the hand of everyone taking part!
Unison pickets outside National Coal Mining Museum – photo Roger Bradley
Strike action returned for the first time since the miners strike to the National Coal Mining Museum for England at the former Caphouse Colliery in Middlestown near Wakefield between Wednesday 26th and Sunday 30th October.
Iain Dalton, Socialist Party Yorkshire secretary
Workers have been offered a below inflation pay rise of 4.2% plus 25p. Instead workers are calling for a flat rise of £2,000 each.
As one of the strikers pointed out to me when Socialist Party members visited the picket line on Friday, “4.2% of not much is still not much. If there’s not any more money then why can’t those running the museum give everyone including themselves a flat pay rise”.
Many of the workers are on just £10.35 an hour. Whilst some of the retired miners who work as guides can draw on their miners pensions to top up their income, other workers can’t.
Mick Griffiths speaks at Wakefield TUSC public meeting – photo Dave Byrom
Wakefield Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) held a successful public meeting on Thursday 13th October
Iain Dalton, Yorkshire Socialist Party secretary
Trevor Howard, a lay tutor for transport union RMT, said the Conservative government had been trying to block rail companies coming to a deal to resolve the strike. Trevor said the phenomenal sums of money currently being taken out of the rail network by private operators makes the case for public ownership.
Yasar Ahmed, a leader of the Wakefield Drivers Association, that has organised protests over the council’s controversial and draconian ‘Suitability and Convictions Policy’. Yasar explained how taxi drivers across West Yorkshire feel let down by by Labour councils – many say they can’t vote Labour.
But Yasar explained that the Conservatives are no option either. That is why he welcomed TUSC standing candidates in the local elections to give drivers and other workers a real choice.
The Socialist Party was represented by two speakers – Mick Griffiths and myself. We pointed to Labour’s retreat from policies that could make a real difference to the lives of working-class people under Kier Starmer.
It’s clear a political voice for these struggles by workers is necessary. We called on the trade union leaders – and MPs blocked from standing for Labour, such as Jeremy Corbyn and Sam Tarry – to take the initiative to launch a working-class election challenge.
In the absence of such a development, TUSC is encouraging workers and trade unionists to stand on a no-cuts basis in the council elections, and TUSC is seeking to prepare a coalition of the willing to stand the 100 general election candidates needed to secure a television broadcast.
Backing the RMT strike at Wakefield Kirkgate Network Rail depot – photo Yorkshire & Humber TUC
On Saturday 25th June, with less than 24 hours’ notice, many trade unionists, and even some Labour Party members of the local council, joined a Regional TUC event of solidarity with striking RMT workers. Arriving at the rally outside Kirkgate Rail Station and rail depot in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, they swelled the RMT picket into a crowd of about 50.
John Vasey, Wakefield & District Socialist Party
From the ranks a few speakers got up to express backing to not only the RMT strikers but also the Arriva bus drivers and staff’s picket (on indefinite strike) – sited only half-a-mile away from them.
Socialist Party member, Iain Dalton, spoke as a member of the retail and distribution union Usdaw. He pointed out that workers like rail workers, bus drivers, retail workers, teachers had wired through the pandemic and been praised as heroes but most would be getting pay offers way before inflation unless strike action forced employers to offer more.
Whilst Labour’s newly elected MP wasn’t present, some councillors did attend including those excluded from the by-election selection. One if those, Jack Hemingway spoke, who said no one from Labour should be afraid of visiting the picket lines and even thought Keir Starmer would do so. Others, from Labour, disbelieved the Blairite leader would ever give support to the strike, but gave theirs, nevertheless. A deeper understanding is obviously developing, that we are at a point where you must stand up and be counted.
Unite Arriva strikers outside the pay talks – photo Iain Dalton
Bus drivers, members of Unite the union, on strike in Yorkshire are continuing their action. Talks between Arriva management and the union failed to get a decent offer. The company offered just 15p-an-hour increase, and refused to backdate the offer to January when the pay claim should have been settled.
Iain Dalton, Socialist Party Yorkshire
Union negotiators rejected the offer, a decision backed up by mass meetings on the picket lines. This democratic organisation of the strike, with negotiators reporting back to meetings of their members, is a clear answer to Arriva’s nonsense about their ‘offers’ not being put to Unite members.
The strike remains solid across the five depots, with a huge mass mobilisation of strikers outside the talks in Wakefield. This unity of the workforce will become crucial if Arriva attempts to drag this dispute out.
A second front against Arriva could be opened up with the news of 1,800 Arriva North West workers being balloted by Unite for strike action. Like workers in Yorkshire, Arriva is offering below inflation rises of either 3% or 6%, with cuts to sick pay and Saturday premiums. As Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham said: “Arriva can fully afford to pay our members a fair rate of pay but it is choosing not to do so to boost its profits.”
It’s time our elected politicians showed which side they are on: are they with the bosses or with the workers?
It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Tory MPs for Dewsbury and Selby backing the bosses, but workers will have different expectations of Labour, a party Unite gives funding to.
Unfortunately, West Yorkshire mayor Tracy Brabin seems to be one of those unprepared to give her full support. At the beginning of the strike she issued an equivocal statement which implied the dispute was as much the fault of Arriva workers as the intransigent stance of management.
And after being elected on a pledge of bringing buses under public control, it’s been reported that this could not be until 2025 at the earliest, or as far away as 2027!
In the meantime, the mayor’s office is in an enhanced partnership with the bus operators, which are supposed to be restoring bus services cut during the pandemic. Arriva has spent this year making further cuts to services!
But at a time when Arriva is trying to resume some services during the strike (Arriva report having restarted 14 school bus routes), it is shocking that Brabin introduced a free bus service between Wakefield bus station and Pinderfields hospital. This service, covering a journey that would have been made by an Arriva service, is effectively a scab service funded by the mayor’s office.
We understand that this was introduced without consulting Unite, let alone being agreed by the union. An elected representative that genuinely wished to represent the interests of workers should be consulting on any decision affecting their sector with the union representing those workers. A mayor that stood with workers would use all their powers of office to exert pressure on Arriva to meet Unite members’ just claims.
Protesting for a living wage for cinema staff – photo Yorkshire & the Humber TUC
On the weekend of the release of the new Star Wars film, protests across Yorkshire took place in solidarity with striking cinema workers in the Picturehouse chain, who are currently engaged in a two-year long dispute to win a living wage.
Iain Dalton, Socialist Party West Yorkshire Organiser
The Picturehouse workers, members of BECTU, starting from the Ritzy cinema in London, have been taking action on a series of issues including union recognition and payment of the London Living Wage. Picturehouse had agreed to their demands, but since reneged on that pledge.
Socialist Party members took part in the protests outside the Wakefield Cineworld site and outside the White Rose Centre where the new Leeds Cineworld is based. A little over a dozen local trade unionists supported both events and received strong public support for the campaign.
Local residents and ex-mining families were outraged when news came through that Dewsbury Conservative Association was intending to have their annual dinner at the National Coal Mining Museum at the former Caphouse colliery in Overton near Wakefield.
Iain Dalton, Socialist Party West Yorkshire Organiser
It was planned for 10 March, just days after the anniversary of the end of the 1984-5 miners’ strike. Given the role of the Tory party under Thatcher in running down the mines and forcing the 1984-85 dispute in order to break the power of the miners – then the most combative and best organised union – many local people saw this as an insult to the whole point of a museum commemorating the industry.
But also, the last deep coal mine in Britain at Kellingley on the other side of Wakefield, closed by the Tory-led coalition, is a more recent reminder of the contempt the Tories hold the industry in. They are prepared to bring coal in from places such as China to fuel local power stations.
In a matter of days almost 2,000 people joined a Facebook group set up to protest the event and e-mail and ring the museum demanding they withdraw the event.
At first museum management put up a defiant statement that they would be going ahead as they had to be ‘politically neutral’! But just a day later they were forced to cancel the event after the catering company withdrew.
This is a victory for local working class communities and groups such as the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign which had planned to picket the dinner if it went ahead.
But it also raises questions around why the museum management thought accepting the booking was a good idea.
Wakefield & Pontefract Socialist Party 
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