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Clyde Workers' Committee

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37: 354:, was warned that he would be sacked if he spoke to new employees. The following month, he resigned his union post, and a strike at the factory ensued. This soon spread, and was denounced by the ASE leadership. Kirkwood and three other shop stewards (J. Faulds, James Haggerty, Sam Shields and Wainright) were 201:(ASE), but the union leadership, both locally and nationally, opposed the strike. In order to defend the strike, about two hundred shop stewards and supporters formed the informal Central (or Clyde) Labour Withholding Committee, which was constituted as the Clyde Workers' Committee in October 1915. 346:
was also banned, on the grounds that it had printed an article by Maclean entitled "Should the workers arm?", even though the article had concluded that they should not. Police raided the SLP offices where the paper was produced and broke the printing presses, and arrested Maclean, Gallacher, Muir
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The initial demands for higher pay were largely successful, and the committee took up the matter of high rents - an influx of workers to staff the factories producing war materials had pushed up rents. Opposition to this was led by a group of working-class women, including
332:, travelled to Glasgow to address a meeting of workers at St Andrew's Hall. This was poorly received, particularly by supporters of Maclean, who barracked the speakers. Press accounts of the meeting were officially censored, but two local socialist newspapers, 396:, came to the fore. Only sporadic industrial action took place, and the committee focused on fundraising for the deported leaders. The committee collapsed, inspiring a less influential successor, the Scottish Workers' Committee, and also the 362:, along with two other committee members: T. M. Messer, and MacManus, who had not yet been involved in the strike. They were soon followed by Harry Glass, Robert Bridges and Kennedy from Weir's. A large demonstration on 289:. It was suspicious of the full-time leadership of the trade unions, and passed a resolution stating that they would only support them when their own committee decisions concorded. Although Maclean, 397: 194:
at the factory organised a walk-out in support of equal pay, and more factories joined the dispute over the next few weeks, until workers at 25 different factories were on strike.
342:, were either unaware of this or unwilling to co-operate. In response, the government banned the two publications and seized copies of their current issues. On 2 February, 297:
urged the group to adopt a policy opposing the war, the SLP members refused to allow discussion of this, preferring to stick solely to industrial and democratic matters.
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The committee called for joint control of factories by workers and management, ultimately leading to the overthrow of the wage system, to produce
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The committee met weekly, and included numerous people who later became prominent socialists and communists. These included Gallacher,
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With all the committee's leading figures imprisoned or deported by the end of 1916, less central figures, such as
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on the matter, and the government responded by introducing the national Rent Restriction Act.
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was addressed by Maxton and MacDougall, who were also taken to Edinburgh and imprisoned in
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In February 1916, David Kirkwood, the treasurer of the committee and a shop steward at
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History of the Communist Party of Great Britain: Formation and early years, 1919-1924
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The Road to Greenham Common: Feminism and Anti-militarism in Britain Since 1820
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In order to propagate their views, the committee published a weekly newspaper,
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of 25,000 tenants by October 1915. The committee threatened to call a
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Biographical Dictionary of European Labor Leaders, Volume 1
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The committee originated in a strike in February 1915 at
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These ultimately became part of the 14: 723: 589: 406:Shop Stewards' and Workers' Committees 569: 667: 658: 481: 140:Central Labour Withholding Committee 641:John Maclean, a fighter for freedom 387: 150:was formed to campaign against the 24: 654:River of Fire: The Clydebank Blitz 170:for an article in the CWC journal 25: 767: 704: 670:Scottish Labour Leaders 1918-1939 520:The Making of the First World War 584:The Struggle for Civil Liberties 424:Clydeside resistance to dilution 199:Amalgamated Society of Engineers 746:1915 establishments in Scotland 686: 646: 630: 617: 605: 338:and Maclean's own publication, 154:. It was originally called the 711:Clyde Workers' Committee (CWC) 537: 524: 512: 499: 469: 417: 13: 1: 582:Keith Ewing and C. A. Gerty, 411: 352:William Beardmore and Company 164:Defence of the Realm Act 1914 158:. The leader of the CWC was 598:B. J. Ripley and J. McHugh, 398:Sheffield Workers' Committee 181: 156:Labour Withholding Committee 88:; 108 years ago 7: 545:The British Communist Party 162:, who was jailed under the 53:Scottish Workers' Committee 10: 772: 731:Opposition to World War I 716:1919: The 40-hours strike 324:, leading figures in the 280: 134: 122: 110: 100: 82: 72: 57: 49: 34: 751:1915 in economic history 312:Arrests and deportations 238:Independent Labour Party 41:January 1916 edition of 30:Clyde Workers' Committee 234:British Socialist Party 148:Clyde Workers Committee 18:Clyde Workers Committee 668:Knox, William (1984). 477:When the Clyde Ran Red 269:, and culminated in a 230:Socialist Labour Party 426:accessed 17 June 2012 380:and was sentenced to 287:industrial democracy 518:Ian F. W. Beckett, 462:Walter Kolvenbach, 291:James D. MacDougall 31: 613:The Last Great War 543:L. J. Macfarlane, 446:Ralph Darlington, 318:David Lloyd George 316:In December 1915, 29: 692:Patrick Renshaw, 530:Jill Liddington, 347:and Walter Bell. 306:John William Muir 144: 143: 117:William Gallacher 61:October 1915 16:(Redirected from 763: 756:1915 in politics 699: 690: 684: 683: 665: 656: 650: 644: 634: 628: 621: 615: 611:Adrian Gregory, 609: 603: 596: 587: 580: 567: 557: 548: 541: 535: 528: 522: 516: 510: 503: 497: 490: 479: 473: 467: 460: 451: 444: 427: 421: 388:Later activities 356:court-martialled 322:Arthur Henderson 255:Mary Burns Laird 188:G. & J. Weir 174:criticising the 160:Willie Gallacher 96: 94: 89: 68: 66: 39: 32: 28: 21: 771: 770: 766: 765: 764: 762: 761: 760: 721: 720: 707: 702: 691: 687: 680: 666: 659: 651: 647: 635: 631: 622: 618: 610: 606: 597: 590: 581: 570: 558: 551: 542: 538: 529: 525: 517: 513: 504: 500: 491: 482: 474: 470: 461: 454: 445: 430: 422: 418: 414: 390: 382:penal servitude 314: 283: 246: 218:Arthur MacManus 184: 176:First World War 137: 136:Formerly called 125: 113: 103: 92: 90: 87: 64: 62: 45: 23: 22: 15: 12: 11: 5: 769: 759: 758: 753: 748: 743: 738: 733: 719: 718: 713: 706: 705:External links 703: 701: 700: 685: 678: 657: 652:John MacLeod, 645: 629: 616: 604: 588: 568: 560:James Klugmann 549: 536: 523: 511: 505:William Knox, 498: 492:Martin Crick, 480: 475:Maggie Craig, 468: 452: 428: 415: 413: 410: 389: 386: 313: 310: 282: 279: 275:general strike 259:Helen Crawfurd 245: 242: 210:David Kirkwood 183: 180: 166:together with 142: 141: 138: 135: 132: 131: 129:David Kirkwood 126: 123: 120: 119: 114: 111: 108: 107: 104: 101: 98: 97: 84: 80: 79: 74: 70: 69: 59: 55: 54: 51: 47: 46: 40: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 768: 757: 754: 752: 749: 747: 744: 742: 741:Red Clydeside 739: 737: 734: 732: 729: 728: 726: 717: 714: 712: 709: 708: 697: 696: 689: 681: 675: 671: 664: 662: 655: 649: 642: 638: 633: 626: 620: 614: 608: 601: 595: 593: 585: 579: 577: 575: 573: 565: 561: 556: 554: 546: 540: 533: 527: 521: 515: 508: 502: 495: 489: 487: 485: 478: 472: 465: 459: 457: 449: 443: 441: 439: 437: 435: 433: 425: 420: 416: 409: 407: 403: 399: 395: 385: 383: 379: 378: 373: 369: 365: 364:Glasgow Green 361: 357: 353: 348: 345: 341: 337: 336: 331: 327: 326:Liberal Party 323: 319: 309: 307: 303: 298: 296: 295:Peter Petroff 292: 288: 278: 276: 272: 268: 264: 260: 256: 252: 241: 239: 235: 231: 227: 223: 222:Harry McShane 219: 215: 211: 207: 202: 200: 195: 193: 192:shop stewards 189: 179: 177: 173: 169: 165: 161: 157: 153: 152:Munitions Act 149: 139: 133: 130: 127: 121: 118: 115: 109: 105: 99: 85: 81: 78: 75: 71: 60: 56: 52: 48: 44: 38: 33: 27: 19: 695:The Wobblies 693: 688: 669: 653: 648: 640: 632: 627:, pp.489-490 624: 623:A. T. Lane, 619: 612: 607: 600:John Maclean 599: 583: 563: 544: 539: 531: 526: 519: 514: 507:James Maxton 506: 501: 493: 476: 471: 463: 447: 419: 402:J. T. Murphy 391: 375: 349: 343: 339: 333: 330:Labour Party 315: 304:, edited by 301: 299: 284: 263:Agnes Dollan 251:Mary Barbour 247: 226:Jimmy Maxton 214:John Maclean 203: 196: 185: 171: 155: 147: 145: 102:Membership 42: 26: 394:Jock McBain 368:Calton Jail 271:rent strike 725:Categories 679:0906391407 602:, pp.92-95 586:, pp.73-78 450:, pp.14-15 412:References 344:The Worker 302:The Worker 172:The Worker 73:Founded at 43:The Worker 360:Edinburgh 267:Mary Jeff 182:Formation 168:John Muir 124:Treasurer 106:200 – 300 83:Dissolved 58:Formation 50:Successor 637:Tom Bell 377:Red Flag 372:sedition 340:Vanguard 206:Tom Bell 112:Chairman 698:, p.223 534:, p.114 496:, p.275 466:, p.288 335:Forward 91: ( 77:Glasgow 65:1915-10 63: ( 676:  643:, p.58 566:, p.23 547:, p.41 509:, p.20 281:Policy 236:, the 674:ISBN 328:and 320:and 293:and 265:and 224:and 146:The 93:1916 86:1916 727:: 660:^ 639:, 591:^ 571:^ 562:, 552:^ 483:^ 455:^ 431:^ 408:. 384:. 308:. 261:, 257:, 253:, 220:, 216:, 212:, 208:, 178:. 682:. 95:) 67:) 20:)

Index

Clyde Workers Committee

Glasgow
William Gallacher
David Kirkwood
Munitions Act
Willie Gallacher
Defence of the Realm Act 1914
John Muir
First World War
G. & J. Weir
shop stewards
Amalgamated Society of Engineers
Tom Bell
David Kirkwood
John Maclean
Arthur MacManus
Harry McShane
Jimmy Maxton
Socialist Labour Party
British Socialist Party
Independent Labour Party
Mary Barbour
Mary Burns Laird
Helen Crawfurd
Agnes Dollan
Mary Jeff
rent strike
general strike
industrial democracy

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