We have been sent this motion. Please feel free to use or adapt for your Constituency Labour Party or union branch.
We are already seeing hundreds of thousands of job cuts in the fall-out from the pandemic. This will soon develop into an unprecedented avalanche, with terrible social consequences, hitting young, BME and women workers hardest.
The labour movement needs an aggressive campaign to defend jobs, and radical policies to create new ones that are public, socially useful and have decent wages, terms and conditions.
We call on the whole party and its leadership to vocally campaign for:
• Extension and strengthening of the furlough and self-employed support schemes, given the serious risk of a second wave of Covid-19.
• A shorter working week with no loss of pay to help create jobs. Shift to a standard working week of four days or 32 hours.
• Major expansion of directly-employed public-sector jobs in health, social care and other public services. A major council house-building program.
• Taking the manufacturing and aviation giants declaring job cuts into public ownership, and reorganise their equipment and workforce skills towards green and socially useful production as part of a radical Green New Deal.
• Taking the banking and financial sector into public ownership and democratic control to restart and reorganise the economy and fund an expansion of jobs, services, etc.
Now, in the face of multiple crises, radicalism and boldness are necessary. The kind of demands contained here are actually the bare minimum for the working class to defend itself against a looming social catastrophe.
Let us know what you think? Write a reply? theclarionmag@gmail.com