• In 1871, seven women in South Wales were jailed for saying Throughout the 1870s, workers were jailed for picktullg offences In 1973, government, 24 Shrewsbury were tried for 'secondary picketing', and two of their leaders jailed.
Each time capitalism faces an crisis, it has to confront the strength of the working class, and it has to fight the traditional methods of struggle, such as picketing and the closed shop.
Picketing is as old as the themselves. Groups of workers picket because they want 1o win. Ordinary workers have no other strength. They don't have access courts or the mass media; and they don't control the armed forces or the police. All they have is their collective strength.
That's effective important. People picket to stop goods or other workers entering or leaving factories, offices, mines or docks. A few solitary workers standing outside a factory gate can neither stop a heavy lorry nor persuade several thousand workert-not to cross the line. What makes picketing effective is strength of numbers.
Socialist Challenge 13 December 1979 page 8
the day. The ballots are ed from the start.
The problem the pting system - which the want used nsively within the unions — at it takes the running of ions out of the hands of the ple whom they affect. These ballots will not. be trolled by trade unionists, by the Tory government by the employers. The icipation of ordinary union abets will be restricted so there little Ivement by the rank-anddemocracy that we fight for.
for the participation of ordinary union members in the running of their HIROIS The propaganda ot the Tories is that the secret, postal ballot is the best way to attain this. The right-wing leaders agree, while the wing wants to stay with the old system based on badly attended union branch meetings.
They all fear the participation of workers in the unions.
Many people point balloting used SYSECHI National Union of Mineworkers and argue that the Tories' proposals should be supported. active controlled by the union. They are accompanied meetings, and the leadership both right and left actively campaign for their views.
When the ballots are held; what the question on the ballot union form say;
left result from the decision — all these are decided by the elected representatives of the NUM.
Prior wants to manipulate active the trade union through the imposition balloting. to the Socialists have to fight both the the Prior proposals democracy unions. Many of union leaders who will oppose Prior will themselve have been elected in their entire term of office.
Democracy is about collective decisions and collective action. Labour by hulass action will movement of of the the trade never attended DEMONSTRATION in Turin against the sacking of 61 militants at Fiat in October