Virdee, Satnam (2000) Racism, 'racial formation' and the class struggle : a study of 'race' and organised labour in England. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

In this dissertation, it is contended that existing theoretical frameworks for
understanding racist and anti-racist action in trade unions are conceptually flawed. The
primary function of a trade union is not to defend the interests of the whole working
class as black radical theorists imply (see Sivanandan 1982; Gilroy 1987; Howe 1978)
but rather the sectional interests of their members through the negotiation of improved
pay and conditions within the confines laid down by the capitalist social formation
(Hyman 1972; Clarke and Clements 1977; Kelly 1988). To enable the theorisation of
anti-racist as well as racist action in trade unions, I also reject Phizacklea and Miles'
(1980) uncritical use of the Leninist concept of trade union consciousness which leads
them to associate racism with reformism and anti-racism with revolutionary social
change. Instead, I recognise that trade union consciousness masks a range of different
forms of reformist consciousness which include a sectionalist consciousness and a
corporate consciousness.
Through a consideration of the relationship between organised labour and the migrant
worker over the past two centuries, it is demonstrated that the black radical claim that
the racist action of trade unionists was motivated by the economic benefits they
accrued requires re-evaluation. First, it was mainly during periods where a weak class
identity (i.e. a sectionalist trade union consciousness) prevailed that trade unionists
employed racist exclusionary practices. Second, such action was not motivated by a
recognition that it would result in economic gains at the expense of other groups of
workers but rather marked an attempt to protect what little they had in a capitalist
social formation that could never fully guarantee their economic security.
Importantly, this study establishes that during periods of acute class struggle and
sustained strike action, the formation of a strong class identity (i.e. a corporate trade
union consciousness) helped to undermine the prevalence of racism in trade unions and
led to the development of an 'inter-racial' class solidarity where the advancement of
sectional interests came to be perceived as being synonymous with the defence of
general working class interests. Critical to the formation of this 'inter-racial' solidarity
was the intervention of migrant workers and socialist activists.
Looking at the significance of 'black' self-organisation, both Gilroy (1982; 1987) and
Miles (1984) incorrectly conceptualise it as representing a move away from class-based
politics. Instead, this study demonstrates that self-organisation was key to the foundation
of an 'inter-racial' working class solidarity that developed during periods of acute class
struggle. Their inability to adequately conceptualise 'black' self-activity lies in their
failure to undertake a detailed assessment of the politics that inform such action. In
redressing this weakness through a critical assessment of developments in one trade
union - NALGO - it was established that self-organised groups were informed by two
competing ideological perspectives: socialism and black nationalism. It was the
dominance of the former current within these groups that persuaded a significant layer
of 'white' activist opinion to support the principle of 'black' self-organisation which
ensured that racism continued to be challenged during a period characterised by the
widespread prevalence of a weak class identity and with organised labour in retreat.

Item Type:	Thesis or Dissertation (PhD)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Labor unions -- Great Britain, Racism in the workplace -- Great Britain, Working class -- Great Britain, National and Local Government Officers Association (Great Britain)
Official Date:	January 2000
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Department of Sociology
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Wrench, John ; Fairbrother, Peter
Extent:	x, 371 leaves
Language:	eng
URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/4313

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