Major trade unions refuse to back motion condemning Ukraine invasion
Mick Lynch’s RMT union fails to back TUC motion condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as firefighters’ union votes against as it blasts ‘imperialist interests’ arming Ukraine’s ‘far-right’
Major trade unions have refused to support a motion condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Both the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) and the Fire Brigades Union failed to back a vote to censure Vladimir Putin’s military assault.
The unions declined to support yesterday’s motion at the TUC Congress in Liverpool despite it being passed with the support of other major unions.
The motion stated that the TUC Congress ‘unequivocally condemns Russia’s illegal, aggressive invasion of Ukraine’.
But the RMT, headed by Mick Lynch, abstained on the vote. And the FBU voted against the motion as they blasted ‘imperialist interests’ on ‘both sides’ of the conflict.
The FBU also expressed concerns about arming Ukraine’s ‘far right’.
The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers ( RMT ), headed by Mick Lynch (pictured), and the Fire Brigades Union failed to back a vote to censure Russia’s invasion
FBU representative Jamie Newell spoke against the motion, titled Composite 21, because he claimed it was ‘one of UK military intervention’
The motion, which was passed with the support of other unions, stated that the TUC Congress ‘unequivocally condemns’ Vladimir Putin’s ‘illegal, aggressive invasion of Ukraine’
Speaking at the conference in Liverpool, FBU representative Jamie Newell branded Russia’s invasion a ‘crime pursued for the narrow interest of the Putin regime’ and said his union condemned it.
But he spoke against the motion, titled Composite 21, because he claimed it was ‘one of UK military intervention’ and ‘predicated on the expansion of UK arms sales’.
‘The original motion and the undertones of this composite is one of UK military intervention,’ Mr Newell told the conference.
‘We are proud of our history of internationalism and we oppose this composite.
‘The space for workers to debate this is being shut down.’
He added: ‘We do not believe the escalation of war offers anything to the working class in Russia and Ukraine.
‘Whilst the motion mentions opposition to imperialism and imperialist interests, they exist in both sides of this conflict.
‘Anyone who reviews the military interventions of the past 20 years must recognise that – you only have to look at Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya.
‘Those wars have turned their worlds into a never-ending spiral of conflict, destroying societies and victims later being blamed for becoming refugees.
‘During this year’s congress, we’ve heard about the rise of the far right – these elements exist in both Russia and Ukraine.
‘We oppose these groups and we do not support arming them now only for them to become a threat in the future.’
Mr Newell claimed the passing of the motion would ‘only serve to line us up with a Tory Government who is waging class warfare against our people – we do not trust our Government at home and we do not trust them abroad’.
‘Common interests of Ukrainian and Russian people are not served by our country providing military and practical aid,’ he continued.
‘Remember that a bayonet is a weapon with a worker at both ends.’
The RMT did not comment on yesterday’s vote but a spokesman pointed to the union’s continued condemnation of Putin’s invasion and their call for the immediate withdrawal of Russia troops from Ukraine.
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