Steve Nally and Unjum Mirza are to be officially announced as the “socialist challenge” in Lambeth for the upcoming election.
On Tuesday March 24 the two trade union activists will launch themselves as prospective parliamentary candidates (PPC) for the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) outside Lambeth Town Hall.
Nally, PPC for Dulwich and West Norwood, works in special needs education and is a member of union GMB and the Socialist Party.
Nally said: “I’ve lived in Lambeth all my life and in that time have seen it go from a community with good resources to a place where the local Labour council is managing the rapid decline of what we have left.
“Labour no longer fights for working-class folk, and has accepted the ‘Con-Dem’ Government’s policy of endless austerity and cuts.”
Mirza, PPC for Streatham, works on the London Underground and is a member of train drivers’ union Aslef.
The launch will take place at 7pm on Tuesday 24 March outside Lambeth Town Hall.
They will be joined at the event by former Lambeth rebel Labour councillor Kingsley Abrams, who fell out with the party over its support for cuts and is now standing as a PPC for the TUSC in Bermondsey and Old Southwark.
[…] number for a group that has so far attracted little coverage beyond hyper-local blogs, like the Brixton Blog and, indeed, 50for15, local newspapers such as the Kilburn Times, and far-left publications like […]
To TUSC: Where is the reference to ‘socialism’ in their challenge? Definition please!
To Lambeth Resident: What has a driver’s salary got to do with their socialist credentials or lack thereof? Is there a ceiling on what a worker can earn after which they cannot be considered a socialist? Anyway, neither candidate has shown what their socialist credentials are as of yet.
TUSC stands for the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition – it is a coalition of left-wing parties, individuals and the RMT trade union along with other leading trade unionists. It seeks to implement socialist policies, such as protecting our NHS, refusing to carry out cuts to public services, renationalising the transport network, a minimum wage of £10/hr now, with no exemptions. See http://www.tusc.org.uk for more details.
Remind me what is the starting salary of a train driver on the Underground? I understand that this year it will be nearing £50,000. Now that is what I call a socialist challenge!
That would be the effect of the RMT’s militant trade unionism, then, which has improved wages on the Underground. We stand for decent wages for all workers and taxing the rich – reclaiming the £120bn lost every year through tax avoidance and evasion would be a good start and could improve living standards for millions. TUSC stands for a £10/hr minimum wage, to lift workers out of poverty.