From a revolutionary point of viow the new year started well. The fact that the Post Office workers and other Civil Servants have stopped short of strike action should not blind us to the immonso importance, from a class point of view, of their. actions. Liko wise we should not miss the importance too, of the catholic goneral secretary of tho T.U.c. when he says that 'the only thing which will mako this Govornment reconsidor the wages pause is force.' Tho Post Offices “orkers Union is no left-wing organisation,it has a long record of class collaboration and has been a firm supporter of right wing policies within the labour movement. Yet, now its leadership threaten to ‘use others means if the work to rule does not yiuwld results'.
Undoubtably the disatisfaction of the membership of the unions operat ing the work to rule is a most important factor in bringing thoir leadership to take this action. This may indeed be the most important factor at this stage. But, as has been pointed out in these columns before, the Governments wage pause policy undermines the social position and role of the trade union bureaucracy, that is why they will initiate struggles. f[lowever, these struggles if left to the trade union bureaucracy will not have the objective of full victory for the workers domands, but thet of imposing upon the Government and sections of the employers a policy of full collaboration with the trade union bureaucrats. lMoreover the trade union buroaucrats will at a decisive moment whon the cxisting status quo is threatened in some way, always sell-out. Theroin lics the positive and negative features of the situation facing us today.
The fact that 1962 starts with an intensification of the class struggle and with a perspective of even greater conflicts in the first few months of the year, notwithstanding the fact that thoy are led at this stage by a troacherous leadership, lays the basis for a now mood of militancy amonist the workers and a rencwal of the workors organisations. jiven if burvaucratically led,these struggles will bring thousands of workers, especially the youth, into class action for the first time. Moreover, the very act of official industrial dA". wide scale will help to create an atmosphere for 211 kinds of struggles at all levels. On the other hand the character of the leadership means that victory in these struggles ‘will be achieved only in spito of them and not because of them. They could sell out a struggle simply because of a guarantse of greater 'consultation' and as soon as things 'gsot out of hand! from their point of viow they will call off the fight.
Our task remains, as always, that of laying the basis for the creation of a mass marxist current in the ‘working class and the construction of a marxist leadership on this foundation. “Ie must avcid isolating ourselves in a sectarian manner by making infantile criticisms of the tactics adopted by workers! organisations and at the same time we would be accomplices of the right wing if we did not subject them to revolutionary criticism i great responsibility lies upon the marxist left for the linking of the industrial struggles to a socialist consciousness and conditions are very ripe for such argumentation. We must link all the workers’ organisations, especially the Young Socialists, to the industrial struggle. Thus the basis could be laid for the Labour Partios, otc. being convertod into organs of struggle and at the same the industrial strugzles politicalised, 411 in all 1962 promises to be favourable for our endeavours in all these fields.