‘Hovis Bakers Win Strike in Wigan’
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Hovis was a good example of trade union effectiveness in fighting back against the bosses while Unite in Grangemouth is a good example of how cowardly union leaderships can become in defending jobs and conditions. Whatever happens in a class divided society there will be strikes as workers will be forced to take action to defend working conditions the problem however is how to develop a strategy that is a socialist strategy which seeks to faciliatate a critical working class consciouness. It's no use looking to the unions to develop a socialist strategy which mny on the left do.Glad that the SPGB does not fall into this trap.
Following is a discussion on the page titled: 'Hovis Bakers Win Strike in Wigan'.
Below is the discussion so far. Feel free to add your own comments!The UNITE union, in the Grangemouth dispute, are being accused of "bullying tactics, because some of it's members protested near the house of one of the bosses of INEOS. Cretinous Cameron is even calling on Labour to investigate this affair!INEOS wanted workers to take a pay cut,sign a no-strike agreement and agree to redundancies. Their "negotiation tactic", if you can call it that, was to tell workers, either agree to this or we will shut the plant. Citing the harsh economic climate, for the need to take this action. (Obviously the Bigwigs at INEOS either have not heard, or dont believe, the claims of Cameron and Osbourne that the UK is coming out of recession).Are the actions of INEOS bosses not bullying and blackmail? Should not Cameron call for INEOS to be investigated?It is yet another example, of the unfair playing field, that is Capitalist industrial relations. It is yet another reason Socialists, must stand outside of this arena and call for "The abolition of the Wages System and not be caught up in the Political Arena, with calling for more crumbs from our masters table. Steve Colborn.
steve colborn wrote:INEOS wanted workers to take a pay cut,sign a no-strike agreement and agree to redundancies. Steve Colborn.Sounds like the same old story to me. The perfect worker takes what the capitalist wishes to pay him/her, never takes industrial action and will fuck off when no longer profitable.
Pro-Capitalist political parties, Tory, Labour, Libdem etc etc, all, without exception tell us, the workers, they agree with the right to withdraw "our" labour, that is, until we decide to do just that. Then it is, "oh look at those selfish union shits, putting patients, victims of fires, schoolchildren etc etc, at risk, or beneath their own petty greed!The rub is, these creeps get away with it. More depressingly, they get ignorant members of the working-class to fall for this emotional, bullshitting crap!What about these two faced shits, admitting that it is they, by putting the profits of a few, before the interests of the majority, who are putting people at risk, and beneath the greed of a tiny minority? Steve Colborn.
I had an exchange on Libcom over Grangemouth, basically arguing that the union in the best interests of its members had to concede which did not go down well with the Left Communists who see every capitulation as proof that unions being anti-worker even if the outcome is suicidal and self destructive. I argued that it was not UNITE's role to fight on behalf of the whole of the class, because that was the job of a political socialist party to advance the industrial battle onto the political field. http://libcom.org/forums/news/grangemouth-refinery-shut-800-jobs-lost-23102013#comment-526809 I note Richard Seymore of the Lenin's Tomb blog writing in the Guardian also accepts the reality of the lack of power of the unions in regards to Grangemouth and aims his fire in the correct direction – against management not the union. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/09/ineos-unite-union-grangemouth-oil-refinery
The problem facing unions today is the lack of both working class militancy combined with the lack of a clear politicalperspective. I would agree with alanjjohnstone when he points out that at Grangemouth the unions should have led a militant fightback. Firstly I don't think the workers would have voted for strike action and secondly if the unions had led an occupation of the plant in favour of some sort of nationalisation the Condem government would not have nationalised it. The outcome would have been a serious defeat for the Grangemouth workers. Of course the conditions that were imposed on the workers are a disaster but an even bigger disaster would have been the workers loosing their jobs at least the workers can wait for a more propiatus time to fightback.Also the left does need to remember that the unions are not revolutionary organisations and never will be. They are there to negotiate wages and conditions. The importance is to have Marxist workers in as many workplaces as possible arguing and trying to convince them that capitalism is a failing destructive system and offers no future. There is also the need to try to recreate some sort of socialist culture within the working class and again unions will not do this.
Email received from General Secretary of the Bakers Union who was sent a copy of the article:
Quote:An excellent piece that sums up the situation fairly. The dispute clearly demonstrated what can be achieved when workers stick together against a brand name or indeed any employer.The dispute not only inspired confidence amongst those 210 brave workers, it also wakened the sleeping giant of the trade movement who rallied around to ensure that our members were not starved back to work. We also hope that this dispute will inspire others to take similar action in defence of their terms and conditions. Another really fantastic outcome, besides the obvious victory, has been the support that those members at Wigan have dedicated themselves to giving other workers in struggle. Long may it continue.RegardsRonnie Draper,General Secretary,Bakers Food & Allied Workers Union,Stanborough House,Great North Road,Welwyn Garden City,Hertfordshire, AL8 7TAWell worth re-posting on our blog with an appropriate picture. http://socialismoryourmoneyback.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-struggle-continues.html
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