"General strike" on 1 February? Develop the logic of the strike struggle now

Submitted by AWL on 7 December, 2022 - 11:06
Strikers in Liverpool

There is talk of a “general strike” on 1 February: simultaneous strikes by many groups of workers in dispute.

That will be a step forward, especially if combined with demonstrations, rallies, and visits of different groups of workers to each others’ picket lines.

But... but two things. Why not that “general strike” in December, when many groups of workers will strike on different days? There is a big day on 15 December, but mostly unions are still not coordinating even within, let alone across, industries.

And why the assumption that current disputes will jog along, a few strike days here, a few there, to February, and longer? History suggests that strikes are most likely to win when sharp, intense, and escalating, and therefore short.

Accelerate, unite, spread the strikes!

Among strike supporters more than inside the unions, some call for “a general strike”. This means, presumably, an indefinite general strike, not just a one-day action (a good protest gambit, but commonplace in many countries).

Yet there is no push yet within the unions even for all-out indefinite action in individual disputes. As of yet, the call for a full general strike is essentially a call for someone else (the TUC?) to leapfrog workers over our difficulties. And a demagogic one. As we said of demagogic “general strike” calls by some in 1992, if the TUC were tomorrow, by some sudden change of mind, to call a general strike, then low workers’ confidence in the TUC would mean the call would probably not be followed.

That was different in 1926, or in the 1970s or early and mid 1980s. Today what Trotsky called the “logic of class struggle” passes through accelerating, uniting, and spreading the strikes.

This website uses cookies, you can find out more and set your preferences here.
By continuing to use this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.