Tube Management use Courts to break Tube Strike
Rev. O'Lushen | 01.02.2001 14:25
In a disastrous development, management of London Underground have used the law courts to break the tube strike on a technicality.
This means that one union, the RMT is now prohibited by the state from taking any action on february 5th, although the ASLEF will attempt to make up for the setback.
What should the RMT union do now ?
Some IMC comrades have suggested that the unions should just disregard the law altogether, while others felt that such anti-union laws would never be used... well, now they have been used, and under a Labour regime at that. So if the unions decide to take a "Seattle" approach we can only commend them, for having done their best to comply with capitalist legislation, they are still rebuffed. But remember that a workers organization is in a different position to that of other protest groups: any strike is an expression of workers' power, and the penalties can be gravely high if it goes wrong, so, we should not heap blame if they dont feel able to go further at the moment.
Equally, it is now doubly important that we give a show of support to those who will be striking, and persuading people not to use the tube on 5th february.
What should the RMT union do now ?
Some IMC comrades have suggested that the unions should just disregard the law altogether, while others felt that such anti-union laws would never be used... well, now they have been used, and under a Labour regime at that. So if the unions decide to take a "Seattle" approach we can only commend them, for having done their best to comply with capitalist legislation, they are still rebuffed. But remember that a workers organization is in a different position to that of other protest groups: any strike is an expression of workers' power, and the penalties can be gravely high if it goes wrong, so, we should not heap blame if they dont feel able to go further at the moment.
Equally, it is now doubly important that we give a show of support to those who will be striking, and persuading people not to use the tube on 5th february.
Rev. O'Lushen