One of the most essential tools for radicals who want to work effectively in our unions is an understanding of the union bureaucracy. Marxists argue that the all-too-common conservatism of our unions’ leaders isn’t just random – it’s the product of union officials’ social role in mediating between capital and labour.

This session will provide a step by step introduction to the Marxist understanding of union officials as constituting a contradictory, but fundamentally conservative, social layer – and what this means for being an effective working class fighter in our unions today.