In his latest column, TUC Secretary Tom Morrison shares his thoughts on the way the area's trade unions work together for a common goal...


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Work being done between joint trade unions Unison, Unite and the GMB at West Dunbartonshire Council is an example that should be followed in other workplaces where more than one union organises.

At council headquarters in Church Street, Dumbarton, gone are the days when unions attempt to poach members off one another, with each claiming their union is better than the others.

It is now recognised that they need to unite against the real enemy – namely those forces who attack members' jobs, wages, terms and conditions and undermine the vital services that members provide to the community.

Along with Clydebank TUC, these union branches acknowledge the importance of class unity and developing a working-class consciousness among their members and the community they serve and are part of.

Efforts are required that fight politically through grassroot community campaigns which link up with the unions to articulate community demands for public services.

This is what is happening in West Dunbartonshire, with regular meetings between trade unions and community activists taking place.

With the Labour Party in retreat from the Corbyn era manifesto commitments at local, Scottish and British levels, this battle needs to be waged and led by the organised working class through the trade union movement.

Developing a working-class political consciousness locally and beyond is necessary if people are ever going to challenge the big business control and power which dominate our lives.

We need to deepen this understanding and build support for an alternative economic and political strategy of which Corbyn’s Labour was just a start.

Looking at local online forums, one can see the frustration of many people within the democratic deficit. None of the major parties are challenging the rich and the powerful, none are taking on the big corporations that are robbing us blind.

To help promote a class understanding, there is a forthcoming showing in Dumbarton of the film 'Oh Jeremy Corbyn! The Big Lie', which exposes how Corbyn was undermined by the forces of reaction from within and outside the Labour party.

There have been attempts to ban this film by the right wing, including by some elements of the trade union movement who say the issues it deals with are internal Labour Party issues.

It is difficult to take these claims seriously, as Labour was founded by the trade unions and has claimed to be the political arm of the trade union movement.

The Dumbarton showing is oversubscribed but a Clydebank film night will hopefully take place also.

Watch this space.