On Thursday the 15th, Exeter Socialist Students took to the high street, not to take advantage of the recession bargains, but to campaign on behalf of Robbie Segal, Socialist Party activist and USDAW presidential candidate. Robbie’s campaign follows her recent bid for general secretary of the union, where she won 40% of the vote, despite a fierce counter-campaign led by the union’s pro-New Labour right wing.Her latest campaign for president carries with it the task of reclaiming the retail worker’s union and making a genuine stand for their wages and conditions, increasingly under threat as the recession bites. Supermarket workers in particular have long been unrepresented, as union bureaucrats back non-strike agreements, and managers try to keep any dispute ‘in house’. The recent collapse of Woolworth’s is testament to the need for a militant leadership that can stem the tide of redundancies among vulnerable young workers, already on the pitiful youth rate, and their seigniors who are often supplementing family income in the face of savage living expenses.
Mixed responses were received from members of staff. Generally, younger workers were impressed to hear that a fighting alternative existed, but as expected many knew very little about trade unionism. This illustrates the impact that ‘casual labour’ has had on the spirit of young workers, who are now most at risk of loosing their jobs. What was also striking was the genuine fear among staff in certain workplaces, where unionizing clearly had tight restrictions. This was the case in both Boots and M&S. On the whole however, our patient and open approach was well received by shop floor staff, and impressed the few shop stewards available for discussion.
Exeter Socialist Students is presently building for a public meeting on the topic of unemployment. This is linked to the recently launched Youth Fight For Jobs campaign, which is now taking priority.
Report by RE, Exeter Socialist Party and Socialist Students
