REPORT OF THE CNWP OFFICERS MEETING JULY 13

 

1) Present: Dave Nellist, Hannah Sell, Pete McLaren, Fiona Pashazadeh

Apologies Glen Kelly; Jeremy Dewar; Kevin Kelly; RogerBannister

 

2) Minutes of lastCNWP Officers and Steering Committee meetings

It was agreedresolutions and amendments received in advance of meetings would beminuted.

It was reported that anumber of local/regional CNWP launch meetings had taken place, with attendancesof 30 60. It was agreed we shouldorganise for Freshers Week, ISR to be asked to draft a leaflet for Officers tocomment upon and approve. It was further reported that 2254 had now signed the Declaration, 45 of whom were TU NECmembers, and 495 were SP members.

3) TradeUnions Conferences report

Hannah Sell reportedthat the CNWP had organised fringe meetings at 13 different Trade Unionnational conferences. Although meetingswere not massive, those attending represented a broad level of interest, withmuch anger at decisions to retain links with the Labour Party. The RMT Conference had agreed to broaden theprocess it had started in January and to organise further nationalconferences, Regional and Branch meetings, inviting sympathetic trade unions,trades councils, progressive trade unionists, community and politicalactivists. The RMT also agreed todevelop a national shop stewards movement, take part in joint campaign activityin a united front against capitalism, and to support the development of a newsocialist political organisation, extending the work already progressing inScotland and Wales to the rest of Britain.

Dave Nellist reportedthat he was preparing a letter to go to the 45 Trade Union NEC members whosupported the CNWP.

It was agreed we needto find out the closing dates for resolutions for next years TU conferencesand try to get the issue of a new party onto each agenda. At the very least, we needed to persuade TUsto organise a debate about whether we need a new party.

4) Respect Trade Union Conference November 11

Hannah Sell had writtento Respect asking for CNWP involvement in the conference. John Rees had replied explaining the natureof the conference and the trade union support for it, including from the RMTand PCS. He confirmed that a speakerfrom the CNWP would be taken in the discussion on political representation, andthat CNWP participation would be welcomed at the conference, but he would notgo any further, pointing out that the conference was much broader than justpolitical representation. The letter madeit clear the conference was to build support for Respect, and it was clearRespect were anxious to be close to the Labour left. It was suggested that we should intervene inthe conference, and formally request a platform speaker. This was agreed, and Hannahwould copy her request to Mark Serwotka to gain his support.

5) Campaigning on NHS issues

It was agreed that theCNWP should involve itself in anti health cuts campaigns, including the UNISONlobby of Parliament planned for the autumn.It would be a crunch year for NHS budgets, and workers were fightingback, one example being the 65% vote for industrial action by Unison inWolverhampton. It was agreed we shouldproduce a CNWP NHS leaflet, and Dave Nellist agreed to draft it, with a letteron one side.

6) Press

Pete McLaren referredto the three Press Releases issued since the Steering Committee on Education,the CNWPs 2,000th supporter, and the vote for disaffiliation withinUnison. He was finding it difficult topersuade the establishment media to take up our points, and felt we would getmore opportunities when we changed from being a campaign to some sort ofparty. Dave Nellist suggested we try tomake contact with an influential political analysts in each newspaper. It was agreed that Pete McLaren, on behalf ofthe CNWP, would take out an annual subscription to the Morning Star On Line inSeptember, at a cost of to the CNWP of 60.It was also agreed Pete woulddraft a Media Release on the Cash for Honours row

7) Finance

Fiona Pashazadehreported a deficit of 1,849, much the same as in May. We had received 3,958, 2,015 being fromticket sales for the Launch Conference, 1,600 in collections and donations,and 300 from affiliations. We had spent5,787, 3,200 on leaflets and posters and 2,000 on room hire. Although Fionasuggested we needed to raise money, she felt the debt was manageable andreflected a year of hard work. It wasagreed to target getting rid of the deficit by the next CNWP Conference nextyear. Hannah Sell and Pete McLarenagreed to investigate organising a Fund Raising Social and Raffle. It was also agreed to produce a pamphletabout the CNWP for next years TU conferences which could be offered for sale,and to produce a bi-monthly email Newsletter and use it to commit declarationsignatories to make further financial as well as political contributions. Fiona agreed to draft. Dave Nellist suggested we draw up a list ofpossible CNWP donors.

8) Next Steering Committee Meeting.

It was agreed the nextSteering Committee would be held on Sunday 24 September at the MechanicsInstitute in Manchester to coincide with the Labour Party Conference, with partof the meeting open to the public as a CNWP Public Meeting. The media would be invited. There would also be a meeting to promote theCNWP on Saturday September 23 immediately following the STWC Demo. An A5 leaflet would be produced to advertiseboth meetings. The Officers would discussissues in the interim by email. It wasagreed to use the Morning star toadvertise key meetings like these if the costs were not too high.

9) AOB

It was agreed to see ifleft papers, like Red Pepper, would circulate a CNWP leaflet, and to organise aCNWP fringe meeting at the TUC conference in Brighton on September 11

 

Pete McLaren

CNWP Press Officer

SA National Secretary

16/07/06