“People at Work”: Lowell Conference on Industrial History

Abstract

power and gain control of a majority of delegate positions in the TUC. In analyzing independent trade unionists' shift away from labor strategies grounded in parlia mentary democracy and conventional relations between unions and political parties, Gopaul highlighted the precipitative role played by a series of unsuccess ful Guyanese court battles over antilabor government policies, during which initially favorable Court of Appeal decisions were revoked by act of parliament. In?s Murillo (Honduras, International Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in Honduras) built on this discussion by affirming the need to incorporate the national experiences of the popular classes into critiques of conventional understandings of democracy. In a brief discussion of the political economy of Honduras under both democratic and dictatorial governments, Murillo noted that the problem of widespread poverty has remained a constant. On the basis of escalating human rights violations and the growing militarization of Honduras since the reestablishment of formal democracy in 1980, Murillo further argued for a significant recasting of the democracy/dictatorship dichotomy. Alejandro Rojas (Canada, York University) further extended the reconceptualization of democracy by calling into question the model of socialist democracy advocated by trade union movements throughout Latin America. He noted that the goals of modernization, widespread urbanization, and technological progress that permeate the vision of future society articulated by the region's labor movements do not depart radically from the character of postindustrial capitalist society. While differences exist in class relations and in the exploitation of labor, consumptive and appropriative relations with nature are common to both projects. Summarizing his position, Rojas underscored the need to incorporate the struggle against private property relations with struggles against centralism, racism, sexism, and other modes of domination.