Workers' Liberty

The state of the unions

The decline in union membership did slow in 1998. However it was the 18th year of successive decline in membership, which was 40% below its peak in 1979. There has been a fall from 39% of all employees in 1989 to 30% in 1998. Union membership at 7.8 million is now at its lowest level since 1945. The decline in union density (percentage of workers in a union in each industry) also slowed in 1998 (34.1% in 1989 to 26.9% in 1998). The number of workplaces with a recognised union has also dropped, in workplaces with over 25 employees 48.9% recognised a union in 1993, by 1998 that had dropped to 43.5%.

1. New Labour in power

New Labour's mantra about creating a 'wealthy economy' is one of their few strategic goals. They talk of a 'trickle down effect' but the idea that everyone will benefit from 'good times for capitalists' has never been sustainable. Only the rich get richer. An economic upturn will benefit some workers-and this may bring some welcome wage militancy. Overall our class faces only the guiding principles of wage slavery-get modern, be part of the team, knuckle down, shut up. For the working poor, poor pensioners and the jobless, life is getting worse. The inequality that New Labour's policies perpetuate permeates every area of social existence, causing only new areas of misery.

Implementing the decisions of the last AGM

1. Group building

Agreed at last AGM: regularise public meetings, monthly; regularise the production of publications and public sales.

Reclaim The Streets, etc., are not the new revolutionary vanguard, no-one is suggesting that we drop our class perspective to chase after the environmental movement. However, large numbers of youth are becoming, to one degree or another, politicised by actions like the June 18 and November 30 protests against capitalism. The fact that we can now discuss ideas like the nature of capitalism, class, privatisation, globalisation, etc, with significant numbers of youth without them thinking we are just weird is hugely welcome.

The working class

The world has over 2.8 billion wage-workers today (2,806 million in 1997, according to the World Bank). Of those, about 550 million work in industry, and 850 million in services.