Trade Unionism, Workplace, and Politics in Post-War Britain: And Inferences for Canada

Abstract

ISSUES OF SOCIAL are probably more important in Britain than in any other comparable society. The experience of class is sharpest at the workplace, where labour interests are usually represented by trade unions. Why then has trade unionism appeared to be so important in die post-war period, yet also largely ineffectual, in terms of creating fundamental changes in die economic and political position of labour? The growth of shop steward organization, with a doubling of die number of workplace representatives, was dramatic in the 1960s, and with sit-ins and workplace occupations challenging die rights of capital in die early 1970s, this high profile for trade unions continued. Trade unionism appeared to be squeezing profits and hastening capitalistic crisis; and it seemed to be organizationally capable of challenging company investment, location, and production policies. These developments suggested diat die contradictory nature of trade unionism, its opposition to and yet dependence upon capitalism, might create a kind of dual power in die workplace which eventually could replace capital's control with workers' control During diese decades workers' occupations and workers' alternative plans emerged to challenge die property rights and purposes of capitalist production. Although this clearly was a minority experience and practice it appeared nonetheless that a new, more challenging trade unionism was in die making.