“With a new Labour Government promising a new deal for working people, this pamphlet is an important reminder of where power lies in our society.”
By Henry Fowler and Rob Poole
Last December, on a very wet December Manchester evening, we launched the first of our ‘Industrial Unionism’ pamphlet series, the famous Workers’ Committee by JT Murphy with our partners Manifesto Press.
This meeting featured an incredible lineup of speakers including Dr. Emma Runswick (BMA), Prof. Ralph Darlington and Strike Map co-founder Rob Poole, as we discussed what the strike wave meant for longer term worker organisation, and what the future looks like into this year, including the impact of the general election.
Our ‘Industrial Unionism’ series is part of our commitment through our reps, stewards and strike leaders network to provide resources and a space amongst peers to discuss the future of our movement. That is why we are republishing pamphlets and writings that are currently out of print, exploring the ideas behind ‘Industrial Unionism’, and what that looks like in a modern context of multiple unions per sector, and questions of how we organise in a post 2016 legislation landscape.
Despite the growth in industrial action and record levels of public support for unions over the last few years, in 2022 our movement lost 200,000 members, two thirds of them women in the private sector. In figures released recently reporting the year 2023, we only recruited 89,000 new members, meaning our movement is still in decline.
Discussing the renewal of our movement is vital and after selling over 1,000 copies of our first pamphlet, we are launching the second pamphlet of the series at the eve of Durham Miners’ Gala rally organised by the Institute of Employment Rights (IER) & Campaign For Trade Union Freedom, The Miners’ Next Step (MNS) by Noah Ablett (The Unofficial Reform Committee).
Historian Rob Turnbull describes the significance of the Miners’ Next Step in his foreword to our re-print “it is a seminal pamphlet in labour and trade union history, ranks alongside the Communist Manifesto in its revolutionary implications can not be underestimated, for its proposals represent a complete rupture with the cosy, consensual Lib- Lab politics, but also the Parliamentary Labour Party whose deference to the state and its institutions was already self-evident”.
With a new Labour Government promising a new deal for working people, this pamphlet is an important reminder of where power lies in our society, “the power to vote whether there shall or shall not be a strike, or upon an industrial strikes policy to be pursued by their union, will affect far more important issues to the workers life, than the political vote can touch.”
Alongside Rob’s foreword, our pamphlet will aim to bring these ideas to life in a modern context, including forwards from Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign, Lesbian and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM), exploring the historical importance of this text and its application today.
We want to thank all the amazing union branches, regions and individuals that have pre-ordered this pamphlet and made it possible to produce this pamphlet. We look forward to discussing the ideas contained in this document and hope you can join the exciting IER X CTUF rally at Elvet Methodist Church, Durham, starting 6pm.
- “A Good Deal for Working People? Workers’ Rights After The Election” – The Durham Miners Gala, Eve of Gala Rally takes place on July 12th, 6.30PM at the Elvet Methodist Church, Durham, DH1 3HL.
- You can find out more about Strike Map here, and follow Strike Map UK on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
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