Theses on Communist Work in
the Trade Unions
I. The State of the Labour Union Movement.
1. During the last two years, which were characterised by the capitalist offensive throughout the world, the labour movement has lost considerable strength in all countries. With a few exceptions (such as Germany, Austria, and Australia), the labour unions were shrinking everywhere and losing many of their members. This loss of membership is due to the powerful offensive actions of the capitalist class, as well as to the fact that the reformist unions are not able to offer serious resistance, and to protect the elementary interests of the masses of workers.
2. Due to the offensive of capital and to the maintenance of the policy of co-operation of classes, disappointment has spread among the working masses, and it found its expression not only in attempts to establish new organisations, but also in the scattering of quite a large number of the least conscious part of the workers. For many workers the labour unions have ceased to be the centre of attraction in the measure as these unions were showing themselves as incapable—and in many cases as having no intention—to stop the advancing offensive of capital and to retain the positions previously conquered. The barrenness of reformism was strikingly demonstrated by experience.
3. Thus the world's labour union movement is characterised by the inner lack of stability, by desertion of large numbers of the workers from the. unions, and by the persistent policy of co-operation of classes "for the purpose of making use of capital in the interests of labour." In reality it was capital that continued to make use of the reformist organisations in its own interests by manœuvring them into_participation in the lowering of the standard of living of the masses. The period just closing is thus characterised by more intimate relations between the capitalist governments and the reformist leaders, and by a greater subjection of the interests of the working class to those of the ruling groups than wasthe case before.
II. The Offensive of Amsterdam against the Revolutionary Unions.
4. Simultaneously with the retreat of the reformist leaders before the attack of the capitalist class all along the line, these leaders were executing an attack upon the revolutionary workers. The unwillingness to organise resistance to capital was spreading serious discontent in the masses of the workers, and therefore the reformist leaders, in order to drive the revolutionary ideas from the labour organisations, have started an organised campaign against the revolutionary labour union movement, aiming at disorganising the revolutionary minorities by all means at their disposal, and at making easier thereby
72
