Historical Materialism 2014: Reversing the decline
In the third of three articles, UNITE union activist Ian Allinson reports from four very useful sessions[i] learning from the North American Labour movement at this year’s Historical Materialism conference. Several speakers presented evidence of the serious decline in union membership density (the proportion of workers in a union), collective bargaining coverage (the proportion of […]
Historical Materialism 2014: Migration, the Labour Market and Social Reproduction
The second of three articles by UNITE union activist Ian Allinson, reporting from four very useful sessions[1] on learning the North American Labour movement at this year’s Historical Materialism conference. We’re all busy fighting to stop “blame the migrants” arguments from politicians from UKIP to Labour and from the press getting a hold in our […]
Historical Materialism 2014: Mobilise or organise
This year’s Historical Materialism conference included four[1] very useful sessions reflecting on the North American Labour movement. In the first of three articles, Unite activist Ian Allinson reports on discussions about alternative organising strategies. Workers in the North America face similar challenges to us in the UK, but generally worse: low and declining union density; […]
Review: Casualisation at work
Ian Allinson reviews the recent Labour Research Department guide for trade union reps. The rs21 magazine and web site have carried a number of articles exploring the efforts of casual workers to organise, including sparks, fast food workers, cinema workers, fractional workers in higher education and private sector care staff. There has also been debate […]
Anger, confidence, fear and hope in the workplace
Ian A discusses fear, anger, confidence and hope in the modern workplace. This article appears in the first edition of the rs21 magazine. Real wages down. Pension provision in tatters. A welfare system that is judgemental, cruel and inadequate. Public services privatised and decimated. And no end in sight to austerity and cuts. People are angry […]
Remaking the Working Class and its Power
Ian Allinson summarises the key ideas in this useful book about workers’ power. Forces of Labor, Workers’ Movements and Globalization since 1870 by Beverly J Silver (Cambridge University Press, 2003) Forces of Labor was greeted with positive reviews upon its release over a decade ago, but there has been little discussion of this brilliant book since, […]
Inoculation against bosses’ lies
Ian Allinson discusses how his workplace gained confidence through exposing their bosses’ lies In 2003 I went on strike for the first time. We wanted improved sick pay, increased pay and equal pay. There had been no strikes at my workplace for maybe 20 years. Some of us had supported other people’s strikes. None of […]
The upturn/downturn debate: an introduction
Ian A summarises a debate on the development of capitalism since 1968, and how this has impacted the working class and its struggles, in a attempt to address the question of what revolutionaries should do.
Unite halves affiliation to Labour
The move is a sign of the discontent within the unions caused by Labour’s failure to stand up for workers and a reaction to the attacks on the union links by the Labour leadership.
The revolutionary paper today
A website can work as “the central organ” for the party’s message and regenerating a culture of local leaflet production.
Reflections of an ‘oppositionist’
“At the end of April a number of us concluded that it would be irresponsible to sit back and do nothing while the party continued to disintegrate.”
#M2013: Eamonn McCann at the closing rally
Eamonn McCann, veteran of the civil rights movement in Northern Ireland and a leading member of the Irish SWP, set the closing rally of Marxism 2013 alight.
Notes on the balance of class forces
The decline in workplace organisation is more than falling membership.