Union- The state of workplace union reps organisation in Britain today

Finally we can consider the potential for rebuilding the strength of workplace union reps’ organisation. In 2007 a National Shop Stewards Network was initiated by the RMT with the aim of attempting to revitalise the unions at the grassroots and building a fighting trade union movement. Lively national conferences of hundreds of workplace reps/activists, and a number of regional meetings, have been held, and there has been limited support generated for disputes. But the problem such an initiative has faced is that unlike the massive expansion of the shop stewards’ movement in the 1970s which was based on rising trade union struggle and political radicalisation, the current relatively low level of strike activity inevitably places a material limitation on what can be achieved. Thus the two crucial basic, albeit often ignored, ingredients for the rebuilding of a strong workplace union reps’ movement are struggle and politics.

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