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acne an a a Nel han Vol. 1 No. 39/40 Price Sixpence Oct. 3rd 1962
Anyone who doubts that the British working class will fight back against an attack on their living standards has been confounded by the railway strike. The sufden and 'unexpected! decision has confirmed the prognosis advanced many times in these columns that trade union bureaucrats will under pressures on the or€ side from their own rank and file, and on the other from ‘unreasonable! behaviour by capitalists or their representatives, be forced to initiate struggles. These struggles will be, of course, half-hearted and havé*their aim not so much the defence of workers! standards but the social position of the trade union bureaucrats, This can be seen very clearly in relation to the railwéyman's strike. The emphasis time and time again in statements has been concerned with the 'lack of consultation', Marples! 'insolence' and the 'ignoring of union advice’. Whilst we recognise this and explain it, we mst be on the guard against an underestimation of the profound mesming of such things as the railwaymen's strike and the consequent possibilities opened to the growth of the left.
An official strike of the calibre of the railweymen's is qualitatively different from an 'unofficial' one. Not merely does it bring into action many more people but it brings them into action on a different basis. An ‘unofficial! strike is in a certain way a defeat in itself, a recognition of the fact that the rank and file have lost control of their organisatione An unoffidal' brings into action, generally speaking, only those sections which gre already militant, whereas the official strike brings into action and, to certain extent, radicalises workers at all levels, The railwaymen's strike will have brought thousands of wokors, especially the young, for the first time into the arena of the class strugzle. What is more by its very nature it is much easier to mobilise solidavity from other sections of the workers for such a strike. Another important feature of the railwaymen's strike is the fact that it is a political strike, directed at the Tory Government for political reasons.
It is necessary to understand these basic features of the strike in order to work out a correct strategy in relation to this and many other similar struggles that will take place in the next period. Naturally, marxists will want to influence ths tactics of such struggles andi oppose ty all means the half-hear— tedness of the T.U. leaders. But they will do this only to the extent that they can convince the workers involved of their seriousness, and anyway to make ones main activity in such struggles a denunciation of the leadership is sterile and will not be understood by the workers. The first and foremost duty in these struggles is fight for the maximum unity of the working class and for solidarity action by all sections of the movement. This will be done not by issuing highflown declarations but by taking the workers organisations as they are and fighting for action which is both feasible and acceptable to the majority of the rank and file. This will vary from town to town, and from sector to sector, but the ction which was taken in Nottingham is a very good example of what can and should be done. This kind of action, which represents the first step of a process, with all its limitations can have many effects, The railwaymen will remember who was on their side and will listen far more readily in the future to the left. On the other hand, such activities change the 'image' of the Labour Party and will attract into its ranks militants who will be natural allies of the existing left.
It is clear that the Tory Government have decided upon a strategy of ‘sticking it out' in relation to the railways. This almost certainly will be followed by a 'tough' policy in other fields. Wo one thinks that the Tories want to provoke industrial struggle at this stage but them are various pressures which make it very difficult for them to got out of such difficulties by making concessions, The tough bargaining on the Common Market and the reliance of the Government on international financial agencies come to mind. ‘intry into the Common Market will accelerate rationalisation and bring many 'railway workshop! situations. We can, therefore, look forward to many strikes. Marxists mst intervene skilfully without 2ither isolating themselves by making 'ultra-left! and sterile phrase-mongering declarations, or failing to use the struggles to criticise the trade-union bureaucracy. Above all the whole process makes it much easier to popularise a socialist solution to the problems of Britains economy.