Chris Kitchen
Chris Kitchen(born 23 June 1966) is a British trade union leader who has held the position of General Secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) since 2007.
Morning Star conference: Fightback
With Prof. Lydia Hayes, Lord John Hendy KC, Andrew Murray, Sarah Woolley, Jeremy Corbyn, Chris Kitchen, Fiona Edwards, Ian Lavery MP, Ben Chacko, Sevim Dagdelen, Helen O'Connor, Alex Gordon, Pete Lazenby, Rebecca Long-Bailey MP, John Rees, Kate Hudson, Sam Browse, Hugh Lanning, Tom Greenwood, Terry Renshaw, Erkan Ersoy, Matt Willgress, Heather Wood.
Ukraine delegation
A delegation of solidarity from the left in the UK was underway in Ukraine, February 20/21... 2022. The delegation met with activists of the Sotsialny Rukh, Human Rights Activists from East Ukraine, and the Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine.
"Labour, Plaid Cymru and trade union delegation arrives in Kyiv on a fact-finding visit to hear the voices of Ukrainian workers, LGBTQ+ people, ethnic minorities and human rights defenders.
A delegation arrives in Kyiv today, led by two members of the Welsh Senedd: Michael Antoniw MS and Adam Price MS, leader of Plaid Cymru.
The aim of the delegation, which includes prominent UK trade union leaders, academics and journalists, is to do what no politicians visiting the country have so far done: to express direct, cross-border solidarity from the UK working class to the Ukrainian working class.
With the threat of war rising, there is a concerted campaign of disinformation against Ukraine in the West, some of it aimed at influencing the progressive movements who have traditionally, and correctly, opposed Western military adventures in the Middle East.
To separate truth from propaganda, the delegation will hear evidence from workers from the Donbas in the East of Ukraine, independent trade unions and progressive civil society groups in Kyiv, as well as MPs, academics and territorial defence units training to resist aggression.
The delegation also includes ASLEF general secretary Mick Whelan, NUM general secretary Chris Kitchen, former Labour MEP Julie Ward, left-wing journalist Paul Mason, and Greenwich University economist Yuliya Yurchenko.
Mr Antoniw said:
‘In too many of the discussions about the situation in Ukraine it is the people themselves who are being bypassed. We want to listen to what the Ukrainian people say and to show our solidarity with them. We stand by them and their right to determine their own future and to defend their country from Russian aggression and imperialism.’
Mr Price said:
The more the Ukrainian people are threatened by Russian aggression and imperialism the more urgent it becomes for socialists, democrats and internationalists to stand shoulder to shoulder in solidarity with them – in defence of their right to national self determination and in defiance of Putin’s warmongering. They shall not pass! вони не пройдуть"
The visit is significant because all the participants are activists in the anti-war left in Britain, and in the case of Mr Antoniw and Mr Mason have participated actively in the Labour left under Jeremy Corbyn.
The group intends to report back to grassroots organisations in Britain, countering the disinformation campaign being waged by the Kremlin. The initiative has been organised in a personal capacity by all concerned.
The presence of two leading Welsh lawmakers reflects the historic ties between Wales and Ukraine, going back to the foundation of Donetsk by Welsh migrants in the 19th century, and the presence of a Ukrainian diaspora in today’s former mining communities.[1]
NUM
Nicky Wilson, Wayne Thomas, Chris Kitchen, Chris Skidmore, Keith Hartshorne.
Morning Star Management Committee
2021 Morning Star Management Committee in solidarity with Indian farmers. Dominic MacAskill, Jimmy Macintyre, Ben Chacko, Jackie Simpkins, Keith Stoddart, Jamshid Ahmadi, David Morgan, Bob Oram, Chris Kitchen, Rosie Eagleson, Joan Heath, Carolyn Jones, Andy Chaffer, Nisar Ahmed.
Defend Democracy in Bolivia
Defend Democracy in Bolivia was an October 2020 letter circulated by Friends of Bolivia.
MPs and Lords from the Labour Party, SNP and Sinn Fein, as well as nine trade union leaders and solidarity activists across the UK, sign a letter in support of Bolivian democracy ahead of this weekend's election.
Despite all of this, the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) is ahead in the polls ahead of the presidential election due to be held on October 18th, after numerous delays.
There are fears that these elections will not be free or fair and that right-wing, anti-democratic forces will once again seek to deny Bolivians their wish to build a progressive and democratic country.
We, the undersigned, therefore express our support for all those struggling for democracy, human rights, equality and social progress in Bolivia.
Signatories included Chris Kitchen, General Secretary, NUM.