10th October 2004
Lee Barnes LLB ( Hons ) writes about the plans for putting workers back in control of the union movement.
After the historic victory by the trainer Driver Jay Lee in the employment tribunal this week we can exclusively reveal the plans that Mr.Lee has to bring democracy back to the ASLEF union itself. Once the union have re-admitted him back into membership of the union within the next month he will then apply to stand as an candidate for election as an ASLEF official.
After the recent series of scandals within the union including financial scandals and a violent assault on a female ASLEF member by a senior ASLEF official Martin Samways, Mr.Lee has been asked by dozens of members of ASLEF to stand as an ‘ Anti-Corruption Candidate ‘ in the forthcoming union elections. He hopes that he may even have enough support within the union to stand for the post of General Secretary of the union itself.
With over 150 members of ASLEF already BNP members, and hundreds if not thousands more of them active supporters of the BNP, the tidal wave of disenchantment with the current leadership may swiftly propel him to the job of General Secretary itself.
At least five other drivers have also stated their intention to form a ‘ Democratic Unionist’ bloc within the union in alliance with Mr.Lee to promote a ‘pro-driver agenda’ for the 21st Century and end the politicisation of ASLEF that has taken place in recent years.
Mr. Lee has asked me , as his legal representative , to reveal the policies that will transform ASLEF as a union that Britain can be proud of instead of its current state as an liability to the members.
A) Rest day working will not be abolished and all drivers will have the right to decide for themselves what days, and for how long, they wish to work. Unions should represent the interests of the drivers, not impose rules that limit their right to work as they wish.
B) Mr. Lee intends to set up an Anglo-Saxon and Celtic Train Drivers Association so that white Anglo-Saxon and Celtic train drivers have the same rights as black and asian train drivers in ASLEF. Equal rights should apply to all members irrespective of race or ethnic background.
C) Independent auditors will be hired to undertake an full investigation and audit into the accounts of the union. Any discrepancies will be reported to the police.
D) He will stop the intended sale of 9 Arkwright Road and leave the union headquarters in the hands of the members.
E) He will remove the antiquated ‘ socialist ‘ clause in the union rule book that limits the right of the union membership to be a member of any political party they wish to be a member of or campaign for. The union should represent the interests of the members at work and not fund political parties that discriminate against workers on the grounds of their political opinions – such as the Labour Party does.
F) He will cease all donations from the ASLEF union to far left terrorist groups such as the Anti-Nazi League and Unite Against Fascism. The funding of far left extremists groups that are involved in violence has nothing to do with defending the interests of union members. The use of union funds to subsidise terrorism against BNP members by the Anti-Nazi League thugs will be banned.
G) He will withdraw the union from the political fund that currently supports the Labour Party and ballot the members as to which party they as individuals wish to donate too and then send that money to those parties.
These are radical plans to overhaul the moribund ASLEF union and drag it into the 21st Century and save it from political and economic extinction. The days when the union leadership could use the union for their own political agendas is coming to end. Democracy is coming home to ASLEF and jay lee will be leading the ‘ Freedom Revolution ‘ from within.
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