THE DODGY trade deal between the US and the EU would kill off campaigns to renationalise Royal Mail and BT, the Communication Workers’ Union heard yesterday.

In a debate on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), delegates noted with concern that Labour’s opposition to the proposed deal had so far been confined to the impact on the NHS.

Under TTIP, US investors who lose out on profits as a result of services being brought back under state control could sue the government and have their case presided over by corporate lawyers meeting in secret.

CWU senior assistant general secretary Tony Kearns said: “While we recognise we face a struggle to bring Royal Mail back to full public ownership, our efforts would be made infinitely more difficult if TTIP is brought in.

“It would mean it’s more important for Royal Mail to return payouts to shareholders than to maintain the universal service.

“It’s a dangerous precedent which would lead to disempowerment and further strengthening of corporate power and greed. It must be stopped.”

Birmingham delegate Clive Walder told the conference the involvement of Tory trade minister Lord Livingstone, a former BT chief, in pushing the deal “says something about the kind of people who run the businesses that our members work in.”

Midland delegate Ali Moussa said the barriers the architects of TTIP boasted they would remove “are often the most hard-won regulations that protect our labour rights.”

“It rules out the renationalisation of privatised companies,” he said.

He also branded the deal “undemocratic” for its secretive nature and evading the scrutiny of elected representatives and the general public.
Another delegate, Ryan Murphy, said: “Negotiations are being carried out behind closed doors.”

And addressing the Labour Party’s position on the issue, he said: “The only red line they’ve got on this is the NHS.”

He also highlighted the importance of popularising the issue and working against the perception that it was only of concern to “Guardian-reading trendies.”

The motion called for the union to campaign to win the Labour Party round to a stronger opposition to the deal.