J. T. Murphy was one of the most important worker-intellectual figures of early twentieth-century British labor history. Using completely new and previously unpublished material (from the British Communist Party�2s archives and the Russian Centre for the Preservation and Study of Recent History in Moscow), this book not only tells the fascinating story of Murphy�2s political trajectory, but also provides a critical re-examination of the historical and social significance of the early British revolutionary movement in which he played such a prominent role. "Darlington adeptly details the formation and intricacies of Murphy�2s political thought... and rightly acknowledges Murphy�2s contribution to the British Labour movement."--Labour History Review
As trade union membership over the last two decades has stagnated or declined, serious questions have been raised about the adequacy of present union organizing strategies, particularly those that advocate ‘social partnership’ with employers. Yet the alternative pathway to the quest for union revitalization adopted by Britain’s National Union of Rail Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) – involving the rejection of accommodative forms of unionism in favor of collective resistance and strike mobilization, alongside a politically engaged form of left-wing trade unionism - has been much neglected by academics and practitioners alike, despite appearing to be more successful in terms of leveraging significant collective bargaining gains, the recruitment of thousands of new members and the reinvigoration of union organization. So why exactly are the national railway and London Underground networks so strike-prone, and to what extent is union militancy related to left-wing political activism? How should we assess the RMT’s adversarial approach relative to other unions in Britain, America, and elsewhere? What lessons does it hold in terms of current debates among industrial relations academics and practitioners about the efficacy of different union organizing strategies and the limits and potential for union revitalization? In attempting to answer these questions, this book explores the relationship between union organizing, mobilization, and revitalization through the unique case study of Britain’s RMT – and drawing wider conclusions for unions around the globe. Analyzing in detail the RMT’s distinct organizing initiative aimed at recruiting new members and building the strength of the organization, Darlington re-evaluates the relationship between union militancy and left-wing political leadership. He also provides evidence to suggest the RMT’s strike mobilization and membership campaign approaches have been critical to the revitalization of the union in recent years. Finally, the book draws broader illuminating conclusions about the linkages between organizing, mobilizing, and revitalization with relevance to current global debates among industrial relations academics.
During the first two decades of the twentieth century, amidst an extraordinary international upsurge in strike action, the ideas of revolutionary syndicalism developed into a major influence within the world wide trade union movement. Committed to destroying capitalism through direct industrial action and revolutionary trade union struggle, the movement raised fundamental questions about the need for new and democratic forms of power through which workers could collectively manage industry and society. This study provides an all-embracing comparative analysis of the dynamics and trajectory of the syndicalist movement in six specific countries: France, Spain, Italy, America, Britain and Ireland. This is achieved through an examination of the philosophy of syndicalism and the varied forms that syndicalist organisations assumed; the distinctive economic, social and political context in which they emerged; the extent to which syndicalism influenced wider politics; and the reasons for its subsequent demise. The volume also provides the first ever systematic examination of the relationship between syndicalism and communism, focusing on the ideological and political conversion to communism undertaken by some of the syndicalist movement's leading figures and the degree of synthesis between the two traditions within the new communist parties that emerged in the early 1920s.
Providing a detailed study of trade union organization and activity in the workplace, this analysis focuses on the shop steward. It is based on case studies of shop stewards' organization during three decades of radical change in employment relations within three Merseyside manufacturing plants: food (Birds Eye), printing (Bemrose) and the motor industry (Ford). The work examines the relationships between shop stewards and management, members and full-time union officials, and addresses contemporary debates about the nature of workplace unionism.
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