Building the Resistance: Socialists, Trade Unionists and the Crisis

Day school for SWP members and supporters. Register now by email michaelb@swp.org.uk

or call 020 78191175

With both Labour and the Tories committed to deep cuts in public spending and the cuts already starting working people
face an enormous attack. Over the last year we have seen a new spirit of resistance, with “wildcat” strikes in construction,
factory occupations at Visteon and Vestas and all out strikes at Leeds bins, Superdrug and Tower Hamlets College.
But the trade union bureacracy are still more than capable of holding back the struggle as we saw in the postal dispute and the anti union laws are a growing factor in every industrial dispute as we saw at British Airways.
In this situation socialists are faced with the task of building the
resistance to the attacks. This involves us fanning the flames of industrial militancy and fighting for the highest level
of rank and file activity while keying into the political issues that motivate activists, the defence of public services, anti racism, climate change and opposition to war.This event is open to SWP members and supporters who want to debate the strategy and tactics socialists need to adopt in the trade unions at this crucial moment.

Suggested Reading:

Marxism and trade union
struggle
Tony Cliff and Donny
Gluckstein

A history of communism
in Britain
Brian Pearce and Michael
Woodhouse

Engineers at war
Richard Croucher

In the balance: the class
struggle in Britain
Charlie Kimber, ISJ 122
http://www.isj.org.uk/?id=529

Will the sparks flare up?
Michael Bradley and
Charlie Kimber, ISJ 124
http://www.isj.org.uk/?id=579

The CP, the SWP and the
rank and file movement
Duncan Hallas
http://www.marxists.
org/archive/hallas/works/1977/02/cp-swprfm.htm