YOU might lately have heard mention of ‘syndicalism’ in the context of the current wave of industrial actions. Although it’s a core concept of the revolutionary left it’s not recently been heard in polite society.

Syndicalism is when groups of worker-led organisations act in unison to advance their rights. Traces of it obviously exist in any general strike when the largest trade unions bring a halt to the basic working of the country as a last resort against managerial or government intransigence.

On a more sophisticated and profound level ‘syndicalism’ may be regarded as part of an overall strategy to bring a government to its knees and then to force deep-rooted societal change in favour of the working class. You might even consider it to be levelling up in its purest form.

To those who have long sought lasting societal change from below ‘syndicalism’ is the fulcrum of their most beguiling fantasies. For the boss class and the politicians who give them succour ‘syndicalism’ is like a long-extinct volcano. It’ll probably never erupt … but in their worst nightmares a specific alignment of events might bring about a mass movement of mainly working-class people acting in concert and saying “enough is enough: we’re taking power.”

Certainly, the waves of industrial action across the UK over the last three months have sparked fears (or hopes) that something almost unprecedented is beginning to stir. Several social factors are evident that accompany the strikes by rail workers and cleansing workers and those slated to begin over the next month or so by postal workers, barristers, primary school teachers and port workers.

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