“Wildcat” or Unofficial Strikes

The policy of international reformism for the “peaceful” solution of all economic conflicts by means of obligatory arbitration, by systematic sabotage, by the betrayal of the workers’ demands, places before the broad masses of workers the problems of fighting for elementary demands without the consent and against the will of the reformist trade union bureaucracy.

“Wild-cat” or unofficial strikes, i.e., strikes called by the workers themselves without the sanction and against the will of official central organs of respective unions, were previously only occasional occurences. Now, they are becoming the only means of counteracting the increased exploitation and pressure of the employers. Strikes without the sanction and against the will of the union are now occuring more and more frequently. They have already become a mass phenomena, and in the future will become more so. Therefore, it is our task to rehabilitate the so-called “wild-cat” or unofficial strikes, inasmuch as the trade union bureaucrats reject the strike as a weapon of struggle.

Strikes begun and continued without the consent of and against the will of the reformist trade unions, especially in such countries where the trade union bureaucracy is still very strong (England, United States, Germany), demand particularly serious preparation and the greatest effort on the part of the adherents of the Profintern.

First of all it is necessary to overcome, within our own ranks, an underestimation of the strength of the workers, an over-estimation of the strength of the reformist trade union bureaucracy and a fear of independent action by the workers. It is necessary to carry on daily agitation and propaganda among the masses, emphasizing the fact that the workers have nothing to hope for from the reformist trade union bureaucracy which acts merely as a brake on the workers’ struggle for even their most elementary demands.

It is especially important, when a so-called “wild-cat” or unofficial strike has broken out, to arouse the initiative and energy of the masses. Only by bringing the broad masses into active participation in the struggle will it be possible to break thru the united front of the employers, bourgeois state and the reformist trade union bureaucracy.

Next: Broadening the Field of Struggle—The Problem of Reserves