14.09.1995

Italy’s lead to British labour

From ‘The Communist’, paper of the Communist Party of Great Britain, September 16 1920

THE ACTION of our fellow workers in Italy, who have replied to the employers’ threat of a lock-out by seizing the foundries, machine shops, docks, etc, should be carefully studied ... Instead of wrangling about whether they should be peaceful or ‘constitutional’ or otherwise, the Italian workers have made straight for their goal and assumed the functions of management. Their next step was to elect their shop committees from a full assembly of all the workers in the particular establishments, and so arrange to carry on production ...

Now we have seen what workers can do in Italy, why should the miners adopt the old foolish policy of leaving the mines and walking the streets until starved into submission?

... Surely here is the chance for labour’s general staff to give the signal, and begin the lock-out of the employers.