Bob Crow: Partisan of the Working Class

Bob Crow with Sean Garland at the Jim Connell festival in May 2010

Interview with Bob Crow from LookLeft

Tragic news from London of the death of the RMT general secretary Bob Crow at the age of 52. Bob Crow was an inspirational union leader, a determined defender of public services, and an unabashed communist. He was an incredibly effective leader of the RMT, growing the union, and achieving a great deal for its members. But his defence of standards in public transport was about much more than the interests of his members. It was not just about public safety. It was also about his vision of society and public responsibility. It was a consequence of his socialism. His opposition to the neo-liberal agenda of the EU saw Crow help form the No2EU campaign. He was never someone trapped in a simply trade union consciousness: he understood that the struggle for workers’ rights and a better society was an economic and a political one, that needed waged on all fronts.

The enemies of the working class knew the value of Bob Crow, resulting in a consistent campaign of vilification, led by the Daily Mail. Only yesterday, he was asked to defend his salary on BBC Radio, and happily did so. His members knew his value to the union, just as the Tories did.

Bob Crow took a keen interest in progressive causes across the globe, and especially in Ireland. He and the RMT opposed the extradition of Sean Garland, actively supported the Jim Connell festival in Meath, and recently co-sponsored the publication of John Callow’s James Connolly and the Re-Conquest of Ireland. We in The Workers’ Party will never forget the support given by Bob Crow and the RMT.

His own description of Connolly stands as a memorial to Bob Crow.

a leader of enormous integrity, bravery and vision