I was very pleased to propose this resolution at RMT's AGM. I had written it as a response to the collapse in Labour's vote in the May 1 local elections, when Boris Johnson won the London Mayor's job for the Tories and Labour Councillors around the country had to clear their desks in the Town Hall. My branch, Stratford no.1, discussed and agreed it, and thus it found its way to the union's AGM as an emergency resolution.

Proposing it, I accused the Labour leadership of bringing the electoral disaster on themselves, through their betrayal of working-class people - privatising and cutting public services, attacking workers' rights, sucking up to big business and pursuing wars that hardly anyone supports. Voters wanted to punish Labour - but punishing Labour by voting Tory was like punishing your other half for drinking too much by running of with George Best (wuite liked that little quip).

The core issue is not this policy or that policy, but that the 'New Labour' project from its inception has been about driving the organised working class out of politics - leaving us choosing between candidates who serve the employers instead of us.

So our job as a union is to promote socialist politics and the very idea that the working class should have its own voice in politics. The resolution proposed doing three things towards this - holding a national conference on the crisis in working-class political representation; organising regional events along the same lines; and setting up and supporting local Workers' Represenation Committees. These committees would bring RMT branches together with other trade unions, trades councils, working-class community organisations and Labour Representation Committee branches, and would identify and promote election candidates who deserve our support.

RMT's rules say that branches can support Labour candidates, or - with the permission of the national Council of Executives - non-Labour candidates who are in line with our union's objectives. I think that means that they must be socialists. So, for example, the Hayes & Harlington Workers' Representation Committee (WRC) would no doubt identify Labour MP John McDonnell as a deserving candidate, whereas the Wrexham WRC could well support Dave Bithell, an RMT rep who stood and won a Council seat as an independent on a socialist platform.

I urged delegates to back the resolution because we must not just bemoan the loss of a political voice for working-class people, we must not allow ourselves to be left to pick between the limited choices available - we have to take the initiative.

The resolution was seconded by Gary Hassell, a delegate from Brighton, and several other delegates also spoke in favour. Bob Crow gave vocal support from the 'top tab;e', and the resolution was carried unanimously.

It is essential now that the union gets on and implements it. If you are interesting in setting up a Workers' Representation Committee in your area, e-mail me and let's talk about it.