BRITAIN’S communists have urged the labour movement to focus on militant campaigning to win a new deal for workers following this week’s TUC Congress.

Communist Party trade union organiser Andy Bain praised the efforts of unions and delegates in Brighton this week to focus more on austerity, public services and manufacturing.

However Mr Bain highlighted the TUC’s failure to campaign for the ambitious new deal package of economic policies agreed 12 months ago.

“The renewed commitment to this radical project must now be backed up with action,” he told the Communist Party’s political committee on Wednesday evening.

Britain’s Communists proposed that the drive should begin immediately for a massive new deal day of action on May 1, International Workers’ Day, next year.

The CP political committee urged unions to co-operate closely in pursuit of two key new deal objectives.

First, in the re-establishment of collective bargaining across key sectors of the economy, along the lines suggested by the Institute for Employment Rights.

And second, in recruitment drives in workplaces blighted by low pay, precarious employment and the super-exploitation of young and migrant workers.      

On Brexit, Mr Bain said that removing a no-deal option from the British government’s negotiating position also removed an incentive for EU representatives to take legitimate concerns about the single market “backstop” and a huge divorce bill seriously.

And he criticised the “absurd” notion that a Labour government should negotiate a new Withdrawal Agreement with the EU and then campaign against it in a second referendum.

Mr Bain warned: “If the anti-Brexit extremists in Labour’s ranks get their way, they will not only betray the party’s pledge to honour the people’s votes in June 2016 and 2017 — they will also risk driving away millions of long-time Labour voters while making the party a laughing-stock.”