10. The struggle for socialism

THE STRUGGLE over the new technology has already started. But that does not mean that it is going to take the form of one huge confrontation, that will last a few weeks or a few months and then be over.

Just as the new technology will take many years to reach all industries, so there will not be just one confrontation, but flare up after flare up.

Many individual battles will be lost, particularly at first, when workers are not fully aware of the scale of the threat.

But the very fact that the new technology is going to revolutionise the working lives of so many people means that over time it can lead to many more workers being involved in struggles.

The way such struggles are going to develop can be seen from what has happened in certain industries already.

In Post Office telecommunications socialists first started warning about the effect of technical change ten years ago. For a long time theirs were voices in the wilderness. Yet over time, as workers began to see the new technology having an impact, these warnings began to be taken seriously.

The result was that from October 1977 to August 1978 the POEU completely banned new equipment, and in the summer of 1978 staged strikes, a total overtime ban and a work-to-rule – the first sustained industrial action in the 96 year history of the union.

The journalists’ union has traditionally been the least militant of the printing industry unions. When, four or five years ago a minority of militants began talking about the threat of new technology, again no one took them very seriously (there were even other militants who found it all a bit boring).

But reality soon started catching up with people, and at the 1978 NUJ conference a policy was passed on the new technology which, although far from perfect, was better than in any other print union.

We can expect a similar pattern in other unions. At the 1978 conference of the biggest civil service union, the CPSA, the hall was half empty during the debate on new technology. That is unlikely to be the case the next time it is discussed.

Socialists inside the trade union movement generally have to start a new campaign of propaganda about the dangers associated with the introduction of new technology. This will involve:

The organisation by rank and file groups inside each union and industry of meetings explaining the impact of the new technology on that particular industry. Experience shows that union members will come to these who do not usually attend rank and file meetings.
The drawing up of resolutions on the new technology for union conferences. The sorts of demands such resolutions should contain are those at the beginning of our section The Way Forward – but they will need to be expanded so as to relate to the particular conditions of particular industries.

The resolutions should be used not merely to launch a debate at conferences, but more importantly to campaign throughout the membership so as to familiarise them with the issues and to argue with them how to fight in every factory and office.
The development in each industry, factory and office of individuals and groups of rank and file activists who know precisely what the effect of the new technology is going to be in that particular industry, factory or office.
The production of rank and file pamphlets and leaflets that get information on how to fight across to the widest possible number of union members.
The organisation through local union branches or stewards committees (or if that is not possible through rank and file groups) of special meetings on the new technology, separate from routine (and usually boring) branch meetings, where many members who normally would not attend branches can learn about the issues.
The coordination of the efforts of activists in different industries and. unions that are hit by the same technological changes, with a view to campaigning for joint union action to control these changes.

<< Last Chapter | Next Chapter >>

Top of the page

Last updated on 7 March 2010