DURING Thatcher's government hundreds of thousands of workers have gone into battle, only to be stabbed in the back by trade union leaders. And not just by right wingers like Terry Duffy.
The actions of transport workers' leader Alex Kitson in British "lefts" cannot always be trusted. In the recent cords sel-out many someone like Ron Todd, who used to be a Ford worker himself, could force an horrific productivity deal on his members, original overwhelming vote for strike action to oppose the deal.
Employers How is it that leaders of organisations formed to defend workers against bosses end up deSocialist Challenge 4 February 1982 Leyland shows that militants wondered how despite their ing.
page. 14 fying the interests and wishes of their members?
Fundamentally, it is because ine trade union Icaders have their own interests which are otten counterposed to those of the mass of their members. This social layer is known as the bureaucracy.
Trade unions need to employ full time organisers and negotiators. But, as Solidarity in Poland has shown, such a need doesn't by itself, create a bureaucracy. Indeed, in the first flush of the formation of the mass general unions at the end of the last century, these unions had many similarities with Solidarity.
They were responsive to the needs of their members, were led by dedicated militants and had constitutions which gave tremendous control by the membership over their full time officials. The activities of these unions frightened the life out of the bosses.
But the bosses soon understand how to create a new moderate breed of leaders with whom they could "negotiate. were encouraged to receive wage increases and perks which gave them a high standard of livterests of the capitalist system.
Salaries overthrown.
bosses can Union leader:
Of course, union leaders were not crudely bribed. Many, who started off with the best in would justity opposition demands of their members through the sometimes correct need to put the interests of the organisation as a whole above that of the action of a small section of the union.
This occurred in Solidarity, when the national leaders sometimes prevented the uncoordinated outbreak of local strikes.
However, the permanent separation of the top officials from the general needs and inmembers WACH TACSC cauers have ween doie to sausty ten own material interests within the framework of the Today, union leaders enjoy a standard of living beyond that of most workers. Len Mur. ray, one of the lowest paid, has a salary of over counts, union cars, fees for tve appearance. they have expense ac and lectures to bosses organisations. They receive salaries for being on government advisory bodies on the boards of nationalised industries, or even on the boards of private companies. They have a lot to lose if capitalism is In a period of capitalist expansion, the allow certain concessions workers. In over one hundred years of their exhave been responsible dramatically raising the material and cultural level of the working class. This has given the bask this mass of workers control. terests of the working class rooting out of the bureaucracy. or gone around unions tremendous prestige. The union leaders glory. They embody the achievements of the unions in the eyes of the Despite their integration into the state and government, even right wing leaders sometimes have to sanction strike action in order to keep Union leaders can't always keep control by directly sabotaging struggles. From time to ume bureaucrats come forward who under. stand that the best way to preserve the control of the burcaucracy to place themselves at the head of a militant upsurge, and thereby control This was the story of Hugh Scanlon and Jack Jones. But their subsequent careers showed that they were just as capable as the right wing of blatantly selling out struggles. Their 'militant' past made this job that much easier.
As the crisis in Britain intensifies, the room for concession diminishes. More and more, the choice is whether the role of unions is to police the working class in the interests of the bosses, or dedicate themscives to promoting the inTo act in the interests of workers in today's conditions means breaking with the capitalist system. But for unions to become instruments for socialist change would require the complete Many thousands of workers have recently gone through bitter experience of how trade union bureaucrats act on behalf of the bosses But, at present, such workers are in a minority For the majority, the leaders still enjoy a cer tain prestige. These leaders cannot be ignored
said that the fight to save
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LABOUR BUREAUCRACY?