Photo: Jonathan Warren

NUJ vice president Pete Murray says the Labour party has “lost its will to fight” and only united action from the unions and others can defend jobs and defeat the far right.

Speaking on behalf of the NUJ at the Jobs, Education, Peace rally in Brighton on Sunday, Pete contrasted the protesters out on the streets in the sunshine with those shut up inside the Labour party conference centre opposite.

To loud cheers, he said we were the ones making basic labour demands, with “an agenda for working class people”.

“There are some very simple and stark differences between us and them,” Pete added. “They are planning to cut jobs; we are talking about how to save them.

“They are talking about how to win the war in Afghanistan; we are saying stop the war. They are talking about debating with the BNP; we say destroy the BNP.”

He said the only war worth fighting is the war against poverty – and workers like those who took action at Visteon, Vestas and Prisme, and the student occupiers, have the ideas about how to win it.

“The NUJ is proud to be here joining those who are willing to fight, to challenge this whirlpool of despondency,” Pete said. “We’re the optimists - Labour has lost its will to fight.

“It spends more on buying bullets than building homes. More on bankers’ bonuses than unemployed workers. And it cares more about profit than justice.”

Pointing towards the conference centre, he added: “If they feel guilty being in there, they should come out here and find their hearts again and fight for a society based on peace not profit, need not greed.”

The rally was called by lecturers and teachers union UCU and organised with the the NUJ, NUT, PCS, RMT, the CWU, and the anti-war movement.

UCU Tower Hamlets college branch secretary Richard McEwan thanked fellow trade unionists for the support and solidarity they received during their four-week strike, which had ended in victory just days before. He said they had raised more than £20,000 for their hardship fund.

Labour MPs Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell both spoke out against the current government’s policies, including plans to slash public spending.

John said: “The lesson from Vestas, Visteon and Tower Hamlets is that we can win if we fight back.”

Posted by Rich Simcox

Tags: industrial action, Jeremy Corbyn, job cuts, John McDonnell, NUJ, Pete Murray, protest