The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-08-22

the unions ROUND the COuleTeHCo tdUlo
and remove the grievances by i'm
proved conditions of labor.
The Minority Movement Arises.
This rapid changing Of position, Of
stroke and counter stroke is leading
us quickly to exceedingly important
developments. The formal accept
ance of the demands from the left
wing Of the movement has its limits.
To accept them may mean for a time
that the central authorities in the
Trades Union Movement has sue
ceeded in driving the left wing to new
positions. But acceptance has also
its obligations. And the limits of
their policy are nearly reached. This
is made clear in the replies of Bram-
ley concerning the unofficial strikes.
Here he is brought UP against the
actual struggles Of the workers
against the bosses and has to call to
the employers for help. So long as
the demands of the left were within
the limits of propaganda and inter-un-
ion relations he had scope for maneu-
vering. Now he must appeal for
goodwill" where there is none. The
failure of the bosses to come to his
aid simply intensifies and strength
ems the position of the left wing in
the unions who are insisting on a fight
ing policy and organizing their agita-
ton in the development of what has
become known as the Minority Move
ment.
This movement is the result Of the
initiative of the Communist Party.
Starting with the most important in
dustries, such as mining, engineering
and transport, the party propagated
the idea Of organizing the union To-
calls on the basis of immediate de-
mands such as improvement in wages,
shorter working hours, naturalization
Of certain industries, etc. In the min
ing industry the campaign has been
particularly successful and the Party
can say without hesitation that the
election Of A. J. Cook to the secretary
ship of the Miners Federation of
Great Britain is directly due to its in
itiative thru the Miners Minority
Movement. The measure OF our
progress in the Engineering unions is
indicated in the success Of Comrade
Tom Mann in the recent ballot in the
Engineering Union for Parliamentary
candidates. Mann topped the poll.
But more significant still is the de
!, velopment of shop committees in the
railway workshops which led to The
recent unofficial strike. For more
than two years the men working in
these workshops have been the vic.
tins of the inter-union wrangling be-
tween the craft unions and the Ma
tional Union of Railwaymen. The
l'Communist Party declared that the
only possible means Of combating
this state of affairs was to create
workshop committees and use them
as a driving force against the union
lbureacracy. The strike came before
1.-THE workshop committee organization
had spread thruout the country. From
this point of view the strike may be
deemed premature. But with this
point of view we are not particularly
concerned. True the strike was de.
feated, but it has given an impetus
to thu campaign for the shop commit
tees and exposed the leaders Of the
unions as treacherous reformists.
What answer can the General Coun'
Gil of the Trades Union Congress or
the trades union bureaucracy give to
this new development. 1t is useless
to accuse the Minority Movement OF
the aim to smash the trades unions
for they are continually campaigning
for new leaders and slowly getting
them. 1t is useless also for them to
reply that they have put the demands
OF the Minority Movement on their
program, for the demand of this move
ment is to fight for the program as
we'll as to propagate it. A number OF
leaders are already affected by this
new development and are sensitive to
any accusations against their willing
ness to fight. The coming Minority
Conference to be held in August OF
this year will be Of immense impor.
lance and will indicate how far we
have got in the Development of this
oppositional movement. 1t proposes
on the basis of a common program OF
action to unite all the minorities into
one big Minority Movement. If 1t is
successful in this task the fight be.
tween the left and the right is
likely to become hotter and hotter
within a comparatively short period
and affect the Labor Party pro
foundly.
The Labor Party LEFT"
Immediately after the last general
election and the formality OF the
Labor Government things pointed tc
the formation Of a left wing in the
Labor Party out OF the Scottish mem
bers of parliament from the Glasgow
I. l.. p. This project was scuttled
L..