The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-08-15
British Textile Labor Militant
By Fred Ellis

MA ~4H ~~ - -sA- w. W. -
six months, due to the fear of the
officials of the pressure of the
workers. The reactionary leader
ship of the cotton unions follow.
the leadership of the TUG, and are
worshippers of industrial peace"
and Mondism. Wherever possible,
they expel the militant members
of the unions.
The cotton workers themselves
have displayed their militancy time
and time again and in spite of
their reactionary leaders, refused
to accept a reduction in wages.
The Labor Party now in power,
of course, follows the same line as
the areactionary cotton union lead
ers. Until the very last minute
Macdonald and Bondfield were
pleading and begging in confer
ences with the union leaders and
the employers, to try to prevent
the struggle. Macdonald promised
the employers to speed up the COM
ing parliamentary Investigation"
Of wages, hours, production, etc.,
in order to stop the strike. The
Labor Government issued reams of
statements about good will" and
the cooperation of the bosses and
the workers" for the good of the
entire industry" and to "heal the
sick industry" Macdonald worked
overtime at his job of carrying out
capitalist naturalization for the en-
ployers.
But he has hard job. Three
major industries, Cotton, Coal and
Wool, are in a bad way from the
same cause, inability to compete
with America and other countries
successfully as before the world war,
increased production and decreased
consumption and resistance of the
masses of the workers, led by the
left wing, to capitalist attacks on
their wages, hours, and conditions,
and to increased unemployment.
In the present struggle, the
Minority Movement presents the
fighting, class struggle program of
the masses of the strikers. One
of the demands of the Minority
Movement is for a Textile Workers
International. They state, "The
fight of the Lancashire Cotton
Workers cannot now be viewed as
something confined within the
shores of England. With the
growth of the cotton textile indus
try in India, Japan and China and
the big mass struggles of textile
workers in all parts of the world
New Bedford, Passaic, and Gas
tonia in America, LODI in Poland,
Germany and France) it is vitality
important to build up an all-inclusive
Textile Workers international"
For a successful struggle 1t is
necessary for the textile workers Of
all countries to unite and raise the
standard of living of the workers of
the eastern countries, the Southern
United States, ETC., "cheap labor
yorking under slave conditions which
is being used as weapon against
the workers of other countries. This
is all the more necessary in view of
the justification and installation of
bigger machinery. This new ma
chinery in England alone will dis
place and dis-employ 100000
workers.
In the present struggle in Eng
land, the Minority Movement de-
mands-the eight hour day, five
day week, six hour day for young
workers, guaranteed minimum
wage, abolition Of r:oce work with
no reduction in net wages, equal
pay for equal work, united resis.
lance against further encroach.
ments on the workers living stan.
dards, abolition of overtime, nc
speeding up, or worsening of con.
ditions, protection of mill workers
reputation of all forms of COLA
boration with employers; cam
paign for 100 per cent organiza.
ton of unorganized workers, ex.
posure of the present discredited
leadership, one union for the in
dustry, regular monthly meetings Of
the union, organization of all young
workers, and fight for a Textile
international that shall embrace all
textile trade unions The world over