Remembering Comrade Joyce Foster, founding member of our party
One of many unsung heroes of our movement – those workers whose commitment never falters no matter the ups and downs of our movement.
Comrade Joyce Foster passed away on 28 August 2023 and was laid to rest on 5 October.
Joyce was a member of the Socialist Labour Party (SLP) Yorkshire regional committee in 2004 and along with the rest of that committee and several key executive committee members was expelled. The expelled, along with the class-conscious members of the SLP who resigned, formed the Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist) on 3 July 2004.
Joyce was a member until her death, although her physical and mental health had for some years deteriorated to the point where she could no longer play any active part in the struggle.
Joyce tolerated no “religious foolery”, as she termed it, and fought against any division of workers within their organisations, whether in her union or the SLP. Opposing black, women’s and youth committees alike, her standpoint was “Members are bloody members, with the same rights!”
Joyce had been a bus conductor in Leeds for many years and after her retirement moved into the Wakefield district, where she played a regular active role in the CPGB-ML branch there. Full of character and commitment, she was a joy to work alongside and she will be dearly missed.
