Speaking at a Labour Party rally in Bristol on Saturday, 4th September, Mr. Wilson said that it was necessary to establish factory committees which will “identify and get rid of every practice on either side which is an impediment to production." He went ons:
"eel hope that these committees can go on quickly to expand their activities to exports so that managements can ask for co-operation in obtaining a good order or speeding its fulfilment...workers anxious about their future employment perhaps, might press a laggard management to go after openings in export markets...."
In this context he attacked failures in communication, and insisted on a free and frank discussion between both sides of industry on production difficulties, "This", he went on "will be industrial democracy in practice."
Those of us who have for years now been campaigning for industrial democracy will be glad that Mr. Wilson has come to feel that he need to pay tribute to the idea, Iowever, his remarks show that he interprets it in a most damaging and one-sided way. It is impossible to speak of industrial democracy without campaigning for a great extension of trade union powers, But Mr, Wilson, in the same speech, attacks these very powerse His condemnation of "restrictive practices" has none of its teeth bared in the direction of the monopolies and the employers, but on the contrary bites hard at the areas of workers' control of hiring, firing, promotion, work disposition and control of supervision, which have, with great difficulty, been won by the unions in their day-to-day struggles. His attacks on recent strikes are precise cases in point, His threats against the NUR, on the case of the liner trains, support the power of neo-capitalist rationalisers like Dr. Beeching, against the demands for consultation and controls which have rightly been made by the railwaymene
If Mr, Wilson can abandon these attacks on trade union freedoms, and work to extend the power of the workpeople in all fields, there is no doubt whatever that they can greatly boost produc tion, But to do this, Mr. Wilson must align himself with the shop stewards against their detractors and opponents. None of them are free to drive for greater production while their members! rights are under constant menace. Further, real industrial democracy means that all the totalitarian rights of management must be ended, This, as Clause Four makes plain, implies a chanre in the ownership of the factories, and the complete availabilityof all accounts and other secret information to the workpeople whose support is being solicited. To think this can be done without major acts by the Government is very naive indeed.
Unfortunately, it appears that Mr, Wilson is here using democratic rhetoric to sell a very undemocratic proposals that the workers should abandon their trade union strength in the factory, and the rights they h ve won, in favour of a modified form of joint consultation. This practice has been widely tried, and completely fails to guaiantee the rights of workpeople. In a context of Government squeeze on the economy even the limited concessions which have been available through this means will be brought to an end, Ed. Note: The above article was written for Briefing which is being
distributed to all TUC delegates at Brighton.