The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-04-21
CONTINUED from last issue.l

/ a
~ ed on trade union unity:
The correctness of the policy of
the Fifth Congress in the question of
trade union unity is substantiated by
facts. These facts are: The result
of the British trade union delegations
visit to Russia, the session and the
resolution of the Amsterdam execu-
tive, the decision of the general coun-
Gil of the British trade unions to con-
vene a joint conference with the Rus
sian trade unions, for the purpose
of clearing the difficulties; and the
relations of the Observation-Disclosures
racy to the bourgeoisie.
THERE are two oppositions in the
4 Amsterdam International; a defin-
tie revolutionary wing, definitely or
ganized and with a clear theology,
and second, indefinite opposition
with no clear theology, which how
ever, reflects the discomfort of the,
masses. t
After the Ruhr catastrophe, even
/ the Amsterdamers recognized the nee
essity for new methods in the labor
movement. A large number of trade
union centers are carrying on fight
against the left opposition. The re-
solution of the Amsterdam executive
has satisfied no one hence the new
conference.
THE fundamental factor of the unity
L problem is the question whether
the fight against the Soviet Union
shall be continued or not.
In the guise of the unity question,
there is to be found the basic ques-
! ton of old and new relations to the
Russian revolution. The difficulties
of the unity campaign are as follows:
In the trade unions there never was
unity; they were always divided ac-
cording to political, religious, national
and racial points of view. 1t is a
question of winning over not only the
masses organized in red or yellow
trade unions, but also those masses
which are organized elsewhere or not
organized at all. ts
THE systematic sabotage of the
L unity movement by the Amster-
damers must be broken.
The social democrats theoretically
oppose every attempt at unity, and
they reject all such proposals.
In Yugo-Slavia the social democrats
have replied that the unity of the
political parties must be established
first.
In France, the Amsterdamers de-
nand the dissolution Of the revolu-
| tionary trade union fractions. Unity
can be established solely on the basis
Of the class struggle The bitter OPP
position of the Amsterdamers to the
unity campaign is. explained by the
fact that the social democrats reject
the class struggle seN
ITHE speaker then points to five es-
L sential deviations in our cam
paign: In the first place, an organiza-
] tional conservatism; secondly, the
idea that the unity campaign was only
a maneuver; thirdly, the idea of an
unconditional unity; fourthly, the
tendency to weaken. our struggle
against the social democracy; and
filthy, the view that we simply enter
the reformist trade unions.
UNCONVENTIONAL conservatism
~ aims exclusively at the destruc-
ton Of the reformist trade unions and
neglects the chief factors altogether.
The view that the unity campaign is
a maneuver is false. We want unity,
because unity is the primary condition
for a successful class struggle. In
spite of unity, our theological fight
against the social democracy must go
on. Unconditional unity is NONSENSE
cal, for in every country there are al
ready various conditions. The unity
campaign is a matter of long strug-
gle which may last some years. The
reformists demand that the r. l. L. u.
be dissolved, but this cannot now be
accepted, since unity has not yet been
established.
1.-THE speaker enumerates various
- types of countries: Russia, with a
unified trade union movement; coun-
tries with a revolutionary minority;
countries where the reformist major
ity can only be sustained with the
aid OF the police; countries whose
trade unions belong to no trade union
international at all; countries in
which we have a majority.
The speaker then proceeds to de-
scribe the trade union unity campaign
in various countries In England there
is a unified, well-organized minority
movement. 1t is our task to support
and to strengthen this minority. in
order to steer the whole trade union
movement to the left. The decentral-
lied state Of the British trade unions
is very detrimental to the move
ment; II shall therefore, be our task
to advocate trade union Capitalization.
| TN Germany there exists an extreme
centralism the local organizations
/ have no fraodona ~ rnovon,opf ond