Review: Political Lessons from Unionisation Fights

THF

77 Political lessons from unionisation fights This pamphlet is more than a record of the 6-month strikes for union recognition fought out by TGWU catering workers in Sheffield, Oxford and Birmingham from the autumn of 1976 until August last year. In placing those struggles firmly within the context of deepening collabor- ation between the labour leadership and the employers, it draws immediate connections with both Grunwick and Desoutters recognition strikes, and raises questions which extend far beyond the fight for basic union rights.

The whole industry is a combination of prestigious rated respectability and pay and working condit five ions which compete with the lowest and worst there is to be found. The problems are legion. Tied accommodation, deliberate recruitment of immigrant workers and the constant threat of the withdrawl of work permits, and a high proportion of 'traditionally' low paid women workers, combine to make effective union organisation difficult.

It is within this section of the working class that unionisation has dramatically increased in the last few years, forced on by mounting inflation and unemployment.

A major part of these new union members have turned towards the TGWU-the country's biggest union which has Page 25

Bu ses ng ›y nearly flar t, like sc lany Forte and Linte is only the begir ght bitter ealisi membur ship ility to mobil of a million more, those 1 in Lodge Hote ining of a solut ition of the cl from control e its strength since 1974. iew recruits i l Is quickly learnt ion. For the majc nasm which separ of their organisat in support. r.Ist that irity ates ions one GWU full-time official who had for formally taken his distance from the extreme the union. Alan Law was, in effect, the one- committee at Birmingham's THF Night Out, al only bureaucrat to tegin to implement uni blacking THF owned establishments along mass picketing. His demagogic statements papers established him as the 'champion' of cause. Hou joini it bi the andi OU uni the ab IS many years right wing in person-strike- id proved the on policy of with regular to the news- the workers' le of leac pamphlet. Im the one successful je, writes in the foreword: "Throughout the disputes, it was very clear that the union bureaucracy was not fighting for their members. The will of the membership was overruled by Jack Jones in what is supposed to be the most democratic union in the country. The policy of the trade union bureaucratic leader- ship was always one of accomodation with the management of THF at national level. They were not prepared to fight against the victimisation of their shop stewards, but on the contrary worked towards the demoralization of their members in dispute to facilitate a sell out which they CO se this itly thi stewar central oughout iSSI the lership which runs Jo Tosti, reinstated strike at the Linton ut the pamphlet rakes the telling point: The place to launch a campaign was not the capitalist press but throughout the Transport and General Workers Union. If Alan Law was really serious about taking on the THF empire and defeating it he had to mobilise the full force of the union on a national scale. He proved unable to do this because it would have involved him in a struggle against Jack Jones and the national leadership of the TGWU: aaainst the union's bureaucratic apparatus of which he is himself a part". Predictably, Law was soon to call avour of ACAS talks as a preparation he strike and a management buy-off.

Strikes which leave the participants the workplaces without single union met tionably, very hard to present as anyt comprehensive defeats, and in many he black winding dowi succeeueu moomy wint This analysis is cr letermined and power prepared for U leadership tell appointed t offices pr ling the eleme their parasi med by employer confrontati 1 Jack Jones me-servers it pathetically principles of nice depends. the svents. faced by in Trust Houses Forte .. it had provoked, n Smith Square to the Regional and ncapable even of he orgarisation on unemployed nter are, unc hing other ways the jues than

THF

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›roperly he TGW assor struggles are no exception. But at the same time tney become a part if the history of the working class in t areas and some blows have been struck against the fe which conspired to bring those defeats about. Within e industry. vith the fight for improved wages gaining mor Dıstrict lefenc chich yved ntary existe Just as with licy on which i when begur plies and services. Unlike Grantham and Murray, Jo mpted by John Gouriet and NAF su ounding this action arose f No that NAFF were disinteres eedoms of the likes of Geor threatened by the exploited these middle class, anti-uni que books and lawyers. mass campaigr of local an‹ the strikers vas the vis (many thins point the scenes. was NAFF inuustrial arm, Help, run py ly Birdwood, ..hich set up ti sen provocat early May ak the Randolptis picket lin dred trade unionists and students responded to oppose this move and faced the picket-busting rol Group. A total of 39 were arrested.

The real bankruptev of the union ior tse Ever For dept hen nd, suppo behin It bre hut

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the TU victory in even and A turned, ted lim 'EX and way over was was Grunwick, clearly seen the blackinq the to of a not need be Fit e 'legal complica ron within the union ted bystanders. When- ge Ward or Sir Charles labour on which they in fanatics :ach for ible e nucl in ial press pu pression of closer conr blicity their ection ascist in to Three the call Special tum, the cracy is in and fighti weakness pamphlet theme of betr the sharpest cr ng capacity of of leadershi concludes: ayals and sell-outs of the bur intrast to the courage, self-sacr the workers themselves. It is which must be overcome ler ial fice this the the The is o mea repl and the "In e point only very dispute tre task for beyond which the union leadership capable of defe management is to find leadership will not go. nding the working class rich will fight with all ers, and which will be ne that has no sucn point, wi ns possible to defend the work aced if it does not do so.

"As the hotel workers view the betrayals at Grunwick Desoutters, as they see official after official reaching limit of action they are prepared to sanction, the hotel workers must see is not an isolated of leadership as d crisis remains the today " clearly that wnat nappened in tneir strikes story of individual betrayals. It is a crisis eep as the class struggle itself. Solving that most important task of the working class Pat eff the ectively exposed fight back into demand for At each cI the union l ut across ac: were forced 1 Transport F sabota! nation i bet ien stri of de lity we tly ker ice ays fres only through the continual turning of the union. Every avenue was explored support raised at every possible oppor ucial point "talks' and 'negotiations' eaders and management would conven- tion being carried out. Eventually the stage an occupation of Jack Jones' which completely confirmed that suppor 1g acti in was being Page 26 and ater LO lou Je lly. se icularly important lesson was the drawing

L STRIKES; LESSON.

UNIONISATION

red by the Hotel and Catering National Action Committee Price 30p plus 10p p&p rom WSL, 31, Dartmouth London NW5 1HR. irect from the Committee Scala St _ondon W1P 1l