candidates for the sack were increasingly militants of organisations like the British Socialist Party, the Socialist Labour Party, and the supporters of organisations such as the National Shop Stewards' and Workers' Committee Movement.
The class collaboration of the official union leaders during the war had resulted in the growth of powerful rank-and-file movements, which had organised the main struggles in the factories and ship yards and had attracted the most class conscious workers to their ranks. When these workers found themselves amongst the ranks of the unemployed they rejected the charitytype basis of the local committees and argued for a national movement based on working class policies.
The London District Council organised a number of demonstratons - all of significant size - under the slogan of Work or Full Maintenance Marches were organised to the offices of the Local Guardians - who were responsible for supplementary benefits - demanding outdoor relief. Occupations often forced the Guardians to grant relief irrespective of the law.
By campaigning around the Guardians, the movement made sure the unemployed got supplementary relief over and above that paid at the labour exchange. But the movement did not confine its activities to the unemployed. The London District Council of the Unemployed also sent a deputation to a conference at Central Hall. Westminster called by the Executive of the Labour Party, the Parliamentary Committee and the Trades Union Contress. This deputation was supported by the presence outside the Hall of 10,000 unemployed.
The right-wing leaders preferred parliamentary manoeuvres to mass action, and so rejected the request of of the London District Council to address the conference. Nevertheless, feeling was running so high that workers the management agreed to end overtime working; the factory raid then became a frequent and successful feature of the unemployed struggles.
tion was vital, and the London District Council had already started moves to get a national movement Herald, they had put out a call for a national conference on 15 April.
the demand of Work or Full Maintenance at Trade Union Rates of Wages' should be the main plank of the campaign. A national headquarters was set up and officials were elected.
Despite the failure of the Labour Party and the TUC to take up movement set its face to winning support from these bodies. Delegations with speaking rights attended the Labour Party Conference in Brighton in 192l. The reception was polite; but the action was nil.
ecto sash penetis