Roger Fox, Branch President d 14th Feb 2008

Despite the high levels to which scientific and technological knowledge has advanced, the day has yet to arrive when every human being living on planet Earth has access to to the material and spiritual resources needed to live a healthy, happy, fulfilling and creative life. When that day comes, the mass misery caused by blind market forces and the colossal waste of life and resources caused by destructive wars will be a thing of the past.
Comrade Roger Fox was one of many who were convinced that the only force which can transform society toward this end is the global proletariat, not only through consciousness of its own exploitation but conscious of its historical role. Conscious that is of its power when united and organised to change things.
And Roger was one who took upon himself the task of changing consciousness by challenging fatalistic ideas and by organizing for the tasks ahead. The primary task he assigned for himself was that of building a thoroughly democratic branch in a union nominally formed to organize unemployed and beneficiaries along with casualised and low paid workers. His clear understanding was that beneficiaries are members of the working class, that their interests and those of employed workers are identical, and therefore we should stand together, march tpgether and organize together in the struggle.
He also clearly undertood that to achieve ultimate victory it was essential for the ordinary membership of unions to exercise democratic direction over theofficials. In seeking to do this in practice he encounteredresistance and hostility from the bureaucray, and this placed him under considerable personal stress. Despite the risk that in retrospect this may have placed his very life, he persisted in this struggle with dogged determination.

When the task is finally accomplished of building fully democratic unions capable of transforming society, Comrade Roger will be remembered and honoured for having placed himself right at the forefront of that struggle.