1974-1978: the Social Contract [print version]
Heightened class struggle in the early 1970s was neutered by a Labour government and trade union establishment working in tandem…
Unions
Unions
Some honest thinking, at last
The TUC congress met in Brighton from 18 to 20 October. Much of the agenda was routine and predictable, but some unions are thinking honestly and hard about the future of their industries and of Britain.
1974–78: the Social Contract, trade unions and the Labour government
27 October 2022
Struggles erupted in the early 1970s, notably the engineering union’s destruction of the 1971 Industrial Relations Act and the miners’ fight over pay. The new Labour government preached class conciliation in exchange for moderation of wages.
RMT digs in for long battle [print version]
The rail disputes are now nearly six months old, and railway workers and their unions – led by RMT – are now resigned to a long-drawn-out campaign...
1926: the General Strike
Given the siren calls for similar action often heard now, it’s vital to recognise what actually happened the last time a general strike was held…
The state of the trade union movement
The state of the trade union movement
Tuesday 6 September 2022 19:00
Pay fights are breaking out across the country, but are our unions up to the challenges facing workers in Britain? Are they strong enough, or clear enough? And if not, what is to be done?
Email info@cpbml.org.uk for an invitation.
Trade Unions - Membership drops
Bad news on trade union membership: the proportion of the workforce belonging to a union is at its lowest level since the current method of calculation began in 1995.
Oppose the government attack on rail unions
24 May 2022
The government plans laws to make rail strikes illegal unless minimum staff levels are maintained. This aims to make industrial action ineffective – and will not stop with rail workers.
Inflation and pay
28 November 2021
Inflation is at its highest in a decade and prices continue to rise. Trade unions are beginning to respond, but there’s opportunity for doing more.
Strike wave greets COP26 [updated]
Road closures and police cordons reminded people in Glasgow of the reality of hosting the city’s biggest ever gathering, the COP26 climate conference.
Teachers win reinstatement battle
11 May 2021
Louise Lewis, the suspended National Education Union rep at North Huddersfield Trust School, has finally been reinstated after a seven-month battle by her fellow union members.
Full backing for rail strikes
Four separate days of strike action have been solidly supported by RMT members who work as conductors and ticket examiners for ScotRail...
1941: Seven against the state
During World War Two, the government prosecuted seven workers because they defended their union convenor. It did not turn out how they expected…
BT staff yes to action vote
Communications Workers Union BT Group membership responded to a consultative ballot on industrial action in defence of job security and terms and conditions with a huge 97.9 per cent yes vote.
Seizing the future for Britain's workers
The dominance of finance capital has dragged Britain deep into debt, even before Covid-19. Rebuilding the economy after the ravages of the pandemic will require a completely different approach…
Looking forward
At the University of Glasgow the university and the union have reached a joint agreement about coping with the new situation.
Student nurses - call to scrap tuition fees
Unions representing nurses, midwives and allied healthcare professionals are calling on the government to improve support during their training.
Union reps take responsibility to keep ambulances running
Media descriptions of “health heroes” often stops at doctors and nurses. At the front of the front line, though, are the ambulance services.
Unison reps take responsibility to keep ambulance services running
14 April 2020
London’s ambulance service has been under heavy strain. But it has not buckled. Key to its resilience has been the acceptance of responsibility by the main trade union, Unison.
Workers demand safety in Scotland
30 March 2020
Unions are rapidly reaching agreements to protect workers and maintain vital services in the face of the coronavirus epidemic.
Labour: a corpse in need of burial, not resuscitation
10 January 2020
The Labour Party is a walking corpse. And unless the established trade unions change tack, they will follow it to irrelevance. The time is ripe for de-coupling trade unions from the Labour Party.
Collectivism and trade unions - the future?
Workers magazine talks to young person just starting out as a union rep for Unite in a large, prestigious manufacturing company based in Britain but with facilities in more than 50 countries.
RMT union member "no platformed" for supporting Brexit
1 September 2019
A pro-Brexit RMT activist has been “no-platformed” by two prominent journalists, who are among the darlings of so-called "left" EU supporters.
Stop shutting down debate
In an atmosphere similar to McCarthyism, a trade union officer has been hounded out of office after expressing support for Brexit.
Protest at Scottish budget
Members of several unions gathered at the Scottish Parliament on 12 December to protest against that day’s annual budget announcement from the minority SNP administration.
TUC opposed in closet call for second referendum
13 September 2018
Instead of calling for – effectively – a second referendum, TUC unions should follow the RMT’s lead and assert their own sovereignty against the employers.
TUC: drifting away from the working class
Britain’s trade unions will meet this year in Manchester, where the TUC was founded at the city’s Mechanics Institute 150 years ago. But there’s little to celebrate…
UCU leadership schemes for second referendum
3 July 2018
Despite a recent annual congress with no motion on a second Brexit referendum, academics’ union leader Sally Hunt has started a consultation on the question.
Trade unions – past, and future
As our working class fought to survive, organisation began locally and grew organically, not relying on outside help…
British trade unions: early origins
The British working class was the first proletariat in the world to emerge out of the land. It had to make a stand or go under…