Britain’s Allies In The Unions
Socialist Republic1981Trade unions and workers' strugglesPrisoners and the hunger strikesTrade unions and workers' strugglesPrisoners and the hunger strikes
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We print here a contribution from @ trade union militant in the FWUL He lists his experiences emphasises the nod for anti-imperialists to organise inside and build a polrocal nfluesce yf ofa worker.
fer oreo cles eer pete jamie wy the rade unk feet oe ede cd Gol active, epost Ger fee deemed of the eee es he Hl Blocks and Armagh Thr are thee the opined trade ae Seren pond on the we fiers ees rt becouee there wae 2 Gee of sbrtantial muppori wl gros fexts bewel. This support was demon. eed repested|y during the hunger @rike. There were chores and walkOnt im all paris of the country as. the Sampaien for the five demands gained foment. Despite scant coverage © te media of incidents of industrial fete and based supgpestions that what eapporlexisted was-cither emotional of misguided, many trade Gils continwed te join the campaign on the streets and work etthin their individual unions INSIDE THE BRANCHES D mpport on the srects was at times mere dramatic and spectacular, the campaign within the unions was.oo fea cretpeticwAnd enerectic it had fo be. Readers who are familiar with trade union bureaucracy will apprecime how difficult it to. achieve any sibstantial change in an orpanisation which @ highly centralise? aod coomrvalive.
Heywever, it wild bean uver-simpliication of the problem to suggest that the only reason why the trade union movement failed to come wut m support od the posters was ite mherent rigidity and its conservative meniality SFWP BUILD OBSTACLES la the case of the H Bhock ‘Armagh campaign there were very powerful forces within the trade won move. mont itself which resisted the moves to support the prisoners, These elements, Se WP and their political oo thinkers, acting on an individual and group basis, exploited orery Opeortonicy and used every trick io the book to prevent pressure coming up from rank aru file workers, E Samy COR Lipeats:
Php =k Ps lie CS Slee Eo Soqce teh ae ET Te BSTVIGOTE THE proce FHWA all ESP ta ou ite sweenad a RA Panacea 4g HED papose.. dha,
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i trying to raise the H Block feeeger strike within the union. Meech of whet be has written wee je the ede oo