A-Infos (en) Britain, Freedom* January 2012 - THE RETURN OF RANK AND FILISM

Can the electricians’ dispute reinvigorate grassroots militancy ---- Just before Christmas 
over 50 mechanical and electrical workers occupied the headquarters of BBC Scotland in 
Glasgow. It was part of an ongoing campaign of co-ordinated protests by electricians and 
other skilled workers, over the decision by the big eight construction companies to 
withdraw from the 40 year old Joint Industry Board (JIB) national agreements. ---- The 
construction companies want to impose their own non-negotiated contracts that would see 
workers force to accept lower rates of pay, and the downgrading and de-skilling of their 
entire industry. The BBC was targeted because of its media blackout of the electricians’ 
dispute which began in August. ---- The previous day some 40 electricians and supporters, 
which included anarchists from the AF and Solfed, occupied the head office of Network Rail 
in London to highlight the impact these new conditions would have on railway safety.

 Both these actions followed a week of protests and pickets outside major construction 
sites throughout the UK including Manchester, Cardiff, Liverpool and Newcastle. What is 
interesting about these activities, beyond adopting a very proactive direct action 
approach, is they were organised and led by militant workers who came together in the 
summer as part of a construction rank and file network, against the wishes of the union 
leadership. It was Unite’s national construction officer Bernard McAulay that called them 
“this cancerous group”.

Known informally as the Sparks and made up of largely Unite union members, this rank and 
file initiative was highly combative in the way it approached the dispute effectively 
mobilising both workers and supporters against industry employers. Originally formulated 
to put pressure on Unite, the union most electricians are members of, to call strike 
action, it became a mobilising force in itself and weekly demonstrations flourished into 
escalating direct action against the main construction companies.

What does this mean for workplace militancy and where do anarchists fit in? As has been 
mentioned in Freedom previously there are a disproportionate amount of anarchists working 
in the public sector, but given they are smothered by the demands of the big bureaucratic 
unions there is little scope and there has been little evidence of anarchists being 
involved in independent grassroots action, even on the big set piece strike days. Of the 
400 plus organised strike initiatives on November 30th only two were organised by anarchists.

In the private sector however electricians have led the way in adopting a strategy most 
anarchists would applaud and could actively engage with.  It is a surprise therefore to 
see little organised action by anarchists in relation to the sparks dispute.  Certainly 
many anarchists have attended the pickets and protests, but largely as individuals.  If 
this dispute, which is still ongoing despite the deadline for the ‘sign or be sacked’ 
ultimatum having passed, is to hint at a future of workplace militancy anarchists can only 
benefit from a more organised and active approach.
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* Anarchist journal
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