proletarian struggle is a basic re volutionary duty fraught with dangers on two fronts. Firstly there is wide ignorance of the complexity of the facts and secondly where these facts are known, simplistic reading confuse economic and political levels of struggle. In this preliminary briefing, the aim is to present some of the basic empirical trends and structural facts These argue for close study of available material and critical distance from these same facts as the precondition for political analysis. The crucial points to grasp are that 1969 there were more days lost in strikes than any year since the depression-except for 1957, and that this is part of a steadily rising trend. Second that the strict economic effect of this trend are minimal, as the Financial Times has pointed out; "There is no relationship at all between the index of rising production) and the loss of working days through strikes'. Thirdly that strikes are an important political phenomena provoking tirades of anti-working class propaganda from the press sometimes having a effect on the sterlings position in the currency market, and indicators of potential class militancy.
To this is added a new factor. There are now more strikes in Britain than at any time in recorded history. For the first time ever, more than three thousand year. For the first time since 1921 more than a million men have been involved in strikes two years running Traditionally working class militancy has been confined to the major industrial sectors, and the vast majority of workers have never experienced strick action There is no doubt that now vast numbers of tradionally passive workers are turning to industrial action.
Around a half of the strikes that occur are directly concerned with wage increases, while few hundred more occur on other wage disputes. Which leaves over a third of strikes concerning working arrangements, rules and discipline (one sixth), control of employment and demarcation problems (another sixth), with smaller figures for hours of work, trade union recognition and rights, and a small figure (around one or two per cent) for sympathetic action. By international standards British workers are only moderately combative International comparisons are illuminating but are extremely misleading since they cannot take account of differences of political tradition, trade union history, and modes of economic struggle. has a factory occupation tradition, France a mass political strike tradition, and Germany a post war trad ition of covert restrictions on output, while the US is characterise by long infrequent official strikes on an industry by industry basis.
Some perspective on the economic cost strikes can be gathered from the fact the number of days lost through industrial injuries (and these recorded figures are an underestimate) has averaged around 20 million in last few years comparison to the move from 2 million to 6 million days for strikes The total days lost through sickness and injuries is estimated at around 300 million! The yearly cost of accidents has been authoritatively given as £600,000,000 which compares with a total product for the economy of around 35,000,000,000 a year! It is important not be fooled by bourgeois hysteria over strikes, nor to be thrown on the defensive by it. Strikes are only a small dent in the total of days lost. Whatever their political effects, they cause, as yet, little long term damage the economy. It would be fine if they caused more.
NUMBERS INVOLVED STOPPAGES OF WORK BEGINNING IN EACH OF THE YEARS 1914-1969 Year No. of No. of No. of workers out days lost strikes 3000 000's 000's 1914 2370 1916 1,116 ,890 1,165 1919 2000 36,030 1,932 1921 1,801 28,860 ,270 19,650 1924 10,950 ,360 2,734 161,300 1000 1,390 8,290 4.43U 7,010 1,060 1,950 2,010 3,140 1,350 LOST ('000s)
.180 8000 1,356 0.4UU 3.470 3.040 5000 4,420 CUUU 2,030 2,354 4000 2.116 1968 4,690 1620 6,772 3.021 Austin Motor Co Morris Motors Guy Motors Lt.
Daimler Motor Co.
Jaguer Cars Lt. (1960)
Jaguar Cars Ltd Leyland Motors Ltd.
Leyland Motors Ltd. (1961 Standara Triumph Associated Commercial venicies Kover group Aveling Barlord Group NUMBERS INVOLVED The numbers of workers involved in stoppages of work fluctuates quite dramatically, reflecting activity in particular industries. The normal, trend figure is around three quarters of million men, which is a very small per cent 01 the total work force of 24 millior men and women. 1969's figure is double the trend, 1,620,000 without any particularly prominent industry boosting the figure, while 1968's figure was very high at 2,258,000 with one and half million days lost in the national one day stoppage in engineering. The larger industengineering, motors, docks, transport, printing can alter figures quite dramatically by virtue of a single action. Statistics should be structural knowledge of industrial read the light of militancy.
DAYS LOST The number of days of production lost in strikes the key economic dimension of strike action. The middle sixties were a period of relative quiescence, with a steady rise taking place from 1963 and 1964 when 1,755,000 days and 2,277,000 days were lost. Over this seven year period, from the run up and through the actual rule the Labour Party, strike days lost have tripled significant doubling come in 1968 with 4,690,000 days lost, with 1969 adding over two million days to this figure. In brief, there is rising trend, showing a heavy rate of increase year to year, lagging behind the economic and financial crisis Britain which was at its zenith between 1966 and 1968 The figures for January 1970 keep up the high rate with 415,000 days lost in 279 strikes 1946 1950 1955 (British Motor Corp. (1952)
Jaguar Cars Ltd. (1952 Jaquar Cars Ltd. (1963 Levland Motor (1903 Leyland Motor Cere. (1966)
1951 1957 British Motor Holdings Leyland Motor Corp. (1968)
The Black Dwarf 23rd March 1970 Page 13 Motor Industry The motor industry has taken over from the mining as the chief locus of trouble for the industrial bosses.
numbering strikes orile motors number strikes while motors accounted for only 5%. The last decade has seen a dramatic reversal of roles British Leyland Motor Crop (1968)
with over 30% of the number of strikes in 1968 occuring within the car and truck sector, and only 8% in mining At the same time the manufacturers have been in rapid concentration and there is now only one major British manufacturer, the British Leyland
ZABRISKIE POINT —The Bible of a Life Style Thank CRISE it's happened—we ve been waiting for years and at last our patience has been rewarded. Antionioni wnet to the top of the mountain, and came back with the tablets under his arm—a testament to ART and all the Taice values it ever stood for. The greatest bonanza yet of power, pomposity and sheer know-how-may i wrine on our screens for years to come, may it fuck up MGM, may it herald ne achievements it has consummated. All hommage death to Antonioni, all glory and honour, and will he The Black Dwarf 23rd March 1970 Page 14 even the cinema is past it—and yet the same old stuff keeps coming round. That is why there is hope in Zabriskie Point-there is such tension between the technological vitality of the film and dowdy narrative structure that something, somewhere, has to crack And yet what amazing concessions! First we had Antonioni's intensely narcissistic trilogy and its colour offshoot, the Red Desert. Then came Up, and individualised neurosis, fantasised conflict between truth and illusion And now Zabriskie Point a film about a society, a city, a class in crisis. MGM's millions devoted to exploring the causes of the revolt against all they stand for! It might seem easy to classify the
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(000's) The Figures
6,430 years.
,330 DAUS
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1946 1953 1950
1966 1962 1969 1959 1962 1965