''The Miners' Next Step'' was an economic and political

pamphlet A pamphlet is an unbound book (that is, without a Hardcover, hard cover or Bookbinding, binding). Pamphlets may consist of a single sheet of paper that is printed on both sides and folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths, called a ''leaflet'' ...

produced in 1912 calling for coal miners through their lodges, to embrace

syndicalism Syndicalism is a labour movement within society that, through industrial unionism, seeks to unionize workers according to industry and advance their demands through Strike action, strikes and other forms of direct action, with the eventual goa ...

and a new 'scientific' trade unionism. The pamphlet was written by the 'Unofficial Reform Committee' a group of syndicalist and socialists involved in the

Plebs' League The Plebs' League was a British educational and political organisation founded in 1908. It was based on a Marxist ideology, and was active until 1926. History Central to the formation of the League was Noah Ablett, a miner from the Rhondda who was ...

and the Cambrian Combine strike of 1910-11. The main author is recognised as Noah Ablett.

Background

Ablett had embraced syndicalism while studying at

Ruskin College Ruskin College, originally known as Ruskin Hall, Oxford, is a higher education institution and part of the University of West London, in Oxford, England. It is not a Colleges of the University of Oxford, college of Oxford University. Named ...

, and was a founding member of the

. On his return to

Rhondda Rhondda , or the Rhondda Valley ( ), is a former coalmining area in South Wales, historically in the county of Glamorgan. It takes its name from the River Rhondda, and embraces two valleys – the larger Rhondda Fawr valley (, 'large') and t ...

, Ablett found himself in connection with like-minded socialists William Mainwaring, Noah Rees, Will Hay and A.J. Cook. In 1911 the Cambrian Combine dispute ended with the

Tonypandy Riot The Miners' Strike of 1910–11 was a violent attempt by coal miners to maintain wages and working conditions in parts of South Wales, where wages had been kept low by a cartel of mine owners. What became known as the Tonypandy riots of 1910 ...

, which in turn caused ill feelings towards the then Liberal government after Home Secretary

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

ordered the deployment of the British Army to suppress the workers.

''The Miners' Next Step'' was a sustained critique of the style of union leadership shown by the likes of William "Mabon" Abraham who had been seen as too liberal in his dealings with the coalowners during such disputes as the

Welsh coal strike of 1898 The Welsh coal strike of 1898 was an Strike action, industrial dispute involving the colliers of South Wales and Monmouthshire (historic), Monmouthshire. The strike began as an attempt by the colliers to remove the sliding scale, which determined t ...

. The pamphlet called for Decentralization for Negotiating, Centralization for Fighting, The use of the Irritation Strike, Joint Action by Lodges, Unifying the men by unifying demands, The Elimination of the Employer, against the Nationalization of Mines and

Industrial Democracy Industrial democracy is an arrangement which involves workers making decisions, sharing responsibility and authority in the workplace. While in participative management organizational designs workers are listened to and take part in the deci ...

.''The Miners Next Step ''http://www.llgc.org.uk/ymgyrchu/Llafur/1926/MNS.htm Among the demands listed in the pamphlet were the introduction of a minimum wage, the introduction of a seven-hour working day, for unions to be controlled directly by their members, and wider use of strike action. It opposed the nationalisation of mines, saying that the government would still run them in a way that exploited workers, calling for direct control by workers instead, through the election of managers. The pamphlet also offered a critique of the concentration of power in leadership, stating that "All leaders become corrupt, in spite of their good intentions" as the growth of power in the members of an organisation would diminish the prestige and titles of the leaders, pushing those leaders towards opposing a decentralisation of power.

Analysis

Sociologist

Hilary Wainwright Hilary Wainwright (born 1949) is a British sociologist, political activist and socialist feminist, best known for being a co-editor of '' Red Pepper'' magazine. Early life and education Wainwright's father was the Liberal MP Richard Wain ...

stated that the pamphlet put "the stress on trade union members as independent thinkers rather than 'the masses'," and that an "understanding of collectivity as relationships between individuals as creative social subjects underpinned their concept of solidarity."

References

External links

''The Miners' Next Step''
Library of Wales {{DEFAULTSORT:Miners' Next Step, The Political manifestos 1912 non-fiction books Pamphlets Miners' labour disputes in the United Kingdom 1912 in politics Syndicalism Socialism in Wales

Background

Contents

Analysis

References

External links