Bert Ramelson
Encyclopedia
Baruch Rahmilevich Mendelson, commonly known as Bert Ramelson (born Ukraine 22 March 1910 - 13 April 1994) was an industrial organiser
and politician
for the Communist Party of Great Britain
. He held the posts of National Industrial Organiser from 1965-77; and was editor and a member of editorial board of the World Marxist Review from 1977-90.
in 1910. His father, Jacob, was a fur trader who emigrated to Canada
in 1921 and Ramelson won a scholarship
to the University of Alberta
where he achieved First Class Honours in law
. After only a year in practice as a barrister
he left the country to fight in the Spanish Civil War
with the Canadian battalion of the International Brigades
, and was wounded twice on the Aragon and Ebro
fronts. In 1939, he settled in Britain and for a short time was a trainee manager at Marks and Spencer. During the Second World War, he was a tank commander in the Royal Tank Corps and in 1941 was imprisoned by German forces after the capture of Tobruk
. He later organised an escape from a prisoner of war camp and fought with the Italian Resistance.
After the war, he became an acting full-time secretary to the Leeds
branch of the Communist Party
. He held this post from 1946 to 1953 and encouraged political activism within Yorkshire mining
community working with the National Union of Mineworkers where he mentored a young Arthur Scargill
.
In 1965 he was appointed National Industrial Organiser of the Communist Party and in 1966 during the seafarer's strike of 1966, he was one of a number of men accused by Labour
Prime Minister
Harold Wilson
of being part of "a tightly knit group of politically motivated men who, as the last General Election showed, utterly failed to secure acceptance of their views by the British electorate. Some of them are now saying very blatantly that they are more concerned with harming the nation than with getting the justice we all want to see".
During his time as National Organiser, Ramelson encouraged the party to forge links with other trade unions, such as the Transport and General Workers Union and, with a range of organisers such as Jack Jones
and Ken Gill
, co-ordinated union resistance against the Wilson government. He opposed Barbara Castle's In Place of Strife
, incomes policies and the Social Contract
.
The tactics implemented by Ramelson mobilised militant trades unionists to organise within the labour movement. He opposed the 1971 Industrial Relations Act
and fought for the release of the Pentonville Five
. In 1972, organised flying pickets during the miner's strike. Throughout the 1970s, there was broad crossover between trade unionist and Communist Party members and in 1973, Ramelson said: "We have more influence now on the labour movement
than at any time in the life of our party. The Communist Party can float an idea early in the year. It goes to trade union conferences as a resolution and it can become official Labour Party policy by the autumn. A few years ago we were on our own but not now."
. He married Joan Smith in 1970.
Party organizer
A party organizer or local party organizer is a position in some political parties in charge of the establishing a party organization in a certain locality.Herbert Ames wrote in his 1911 article "Organization of Political Parties in Canada" :...
and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
for the Communist Party of Great Britain
Communist Party of Great Britain
The Communist Party of Great Britain was the largest communist party in Great Britain, although it never became a mass party like those in France and Italy. It existed from 1920 to 1991.-Formation:...
. He held the posts of National Industrial Organiser from 1965-77; and was editor and a member of editorial board of the World Marxist Review from 1977-90.
Career
Ramelons was born into a Jewish family in UkraineUkraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
in 1910. His father, Jacob, was a fur trader who emigrated to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1921 and Ramelson won a scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
to the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
where he achieved First Class Honours in law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
. After only a year in practice as a barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
he left the country to fight in the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
with the Canadian battalion of the International Brigades
International Brigades
The International Brigades were military units made up of volunteers from different countries, who traveled to Spain to defend the Second Spanish Republic in the Spanish Civil War between 1936 and 1939....
, and was wounded twice on the Aragon and Ebro
Battle of the Ebro
The Battle of the Ebro was the longest and bloodiest battle of the Spanish Civil War...
fronts. In 1939, he settled in Britain and for a short time was a trainee manager at Marks and Spencer. During the Second World War, he was a tank commander in the Royal Tank Corps and in 1941 was imprisoned by German forces after the capture of Tobruk
Western Desert Campaign
The Western Desert Campaign, also known as the Desert War, was the initial stage of the North African Campaign during the Second World War. The campaign was heavily influenced by the availability of supplies and transport. The ability of the Allied forces, operating from besieged Malta, to...
. He later organised an escape from a prisoner of war camp and fought with the Italian Resistance.
After the war, he became an acting full-time secretary to the Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
branch of the Communist Party
Communist Party of Great Britain
The Communist Party of Great Britain was the largest communist party in Great Britain, although it never became a mass party like those in France and Italy. It existed from 1920 to 1991.-Formation:...
. He held this post from 1946 to 1953 and encouraged political activism within Yorkshire mining
Coal mining in the United Kingdom
Coal mining in the United Kingdom probably dates to Roman times and took place in many different parts of the country. Britain's coalfields are associated with Northumberland and Durham, North and South Wales, Yorkshire, Scotland, Lancashire, the East and West Midlands and Kent. During the 1980s...
community working with the National Union of Mineworkers where he mentored a young Arthur Scargill
Arthur Scargill
Arthur Scargill is a British politician who was President of the National Union of Mineworkers from 1982 to 2002, leading the union through the 1984–85 miners' strike, a key event in British labour and political history...
.
In 1965 he was appointed National Industrial Organiser of the Communist Party and in 1966 during the seafarer's strike of 1966, he was one of a number of men accused by Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
of being part of "a tightly knit group of politically motivated men who, as the last General Election showed, utterly failed to secure acceptance of their views by the British electorate. Some of them are now saying very blatantly that they are more concerned with harming the nation than with getting the justice we all want to see".
During his time as National Organiser, Ramelson encouraged the party to forge links with other trade unions, such as the Transport and General Workers Union and, with a range of organisers such as Jack Jones
Jack Jones
Jack Jones may refer to:In the arts*Jack Jones , Welsh novelist and playwright*Jack Jones , American jazz and pop singer*Jack Jones , singer now known as Irwin ThomasIn politics...
and Ken Gill
Ken Gill
Ken Gill was a British trade unionist leader. He was the General Secretary of the Technical, Administrative and Supervisory Section , from 1974 to 1988, when it merged with ASTMS to form the Manufacturing, Science and Finance Union . He was General Secretary of the MSF, 1988 - 1992, initially...
, co-ordinated union resistance against the Wilson government. He opposed Barbara Castle's In Place of Strife
In Place of Strife
In Place of Strife was a UK Government white paper written in 1969. It was a proposed act to alter the functionality of trade unions in the United Kingdom, but was never passed into law....
, incomes policies and the Social Contract
Social Contract (Britain)
The Social Contract is a term used to describe policy by the Labour government of Harold Wilson in 1970s Britain.In return for the repeal of 1971 Industrial Relations Act, food subsides and a freeze on rent increase, the TUC would be able to persuade its members to cooperate in a programme of...
.
The tactics implemented by Ramelson mobilised militant trades unionists to organise within the labour movement. He opposed the 1971 Industrial Relations Act
Industrial Relations Act 1971
The Industrial Relations Act 1971 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, since repealed. It was largely based on proposals outlined in the governing Conservative Party's manifesto for the 1970 general election...
and fought for the release of the Pentonville Five
Pentonville Five
The Pentonville Five were five shop stewards jailed in July 1972 by the National Industrial Relations Court for refusing to obey a court order to stop picketing of a container depot in East London....
. In 1972, organised flying pickets during the miner's strike. Throughout the 1970s, there was broad crossover between trade unionist and Communist Party members and in 1973, Ramelson said: "We have more influence now on the labour movement
Labour movement
The term labour movement or labor movement is a broad term for the development of a collective organization of working people, to campaign in their own interest for better treatment from their employers and governments, in particular through the implementation of specific laws governing labour...
than at any time in the life of our party. The Communist Party can float an idea early in the year. It goes to trade union conferences as a resolution and it can become official Labour Party policy by the autumn. A few years ago we were on our own but not now."
Personal life
He married his first wife Marion (died 1967) in 1939. Marion Ramelson wrote Petticoat Rebellion, a work about women's rightsWomen's rights
Women's rights are entitlements and freedoms claimed for women and girls of all ages in many societies.In some places these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behaviour, whereas in others they may be ignored or suppressed...
. He married Joan Smith in 1970.
Publications
- Social Contract: Cure or Con-trick?
- Incomes policy: the great wage freeze trick
- 'Keep the unions free (1969)
- Donovan exposed: a critical analysis of the Report of the Royal Commission on Trade Unions (1968)
- Productivity agreements: an exposure of the latest and greatest swindle on the wages front (1970)
- Carr's Bill and how to kill it: A class analysis (1971)
- Heath's war on your wage packet : the latest Tory attack on living standards and trade union rights (1973)
- Smash phase III: the Tory fraud exposed (1973)
- Social contract: cure-all or con-trick? (1974)
- Bury the social contract: the case for an alternative policy (1977)
- Consensus for Socialism (1987)
- Productivity Agreements