26th october london reading group: what are trade unions for?

The next of our London discussion meetings on workplace organising is to be held from 7pm on Monday October 26th at the Artillery Arms, 102 Bunhill Row, near Old Street. We will be looking at the questions:

– Why should unions remain independent from the state?

– What are the limitations of negotiating better conditions of employment?

– In what ways have unions become integrated into the administration of capitalist relations, and how can this be resisted?

All welcome to come and join the discussion. We have an open culture, and while the debate is based on the questions, it often turns to contemporary themes. The recommended reading material and a map of the venue appear below: email uncaptiveminds@gmail.com for further details.

GDH Cole – ‘Two Views of Trade Unionism’, from British Trade Unions Today, pages 535- 541 (click here)

Alan Flanders gives the social democratic view in ‘What Are Trade Unions For’ in pages 37-47 of Management and The Unions (click here)

Hal Draper – From Karl Marx’s Theory of Revolution, Volume 2 , Chapter 4, Trade Unions and Class, pages 99-114 (click here)