The Miners' Next Step

The Miners' Next Step was an economic and political pamphlet produced in 1912 calling for coal miners through their lodges, to embrace syndicalism and a new 'scientific' trade unionism. The pamphlet was written by the 'Unofficial Reform Committee' a group of syndicalist and socialists involved in the Plebs' League and the Cambrian Combine strike of 1910-11. The main author is recognised as Noah Ablett.

Ablett had embraced syndicalism while studying at Ruskin College, and was a founding member of the Plebs' League. On his return to Rhondda, Ablett found himself in connection with like-minded socialists William Mainwaring, Noah Rees, Will Hay and A.J. Cook. In 1911 the Cambrian Combine dispute ended with the Tonypandy Riot which in turn caused ill feeling towards the then Liberal government.

The Miners' Next Step was a sustained critique of the style of union leadership shown by the likes of William "Mabon" Abraham who had been seen as too liberal in his dealing with the coalowners during such disputes as the Welsh coal strike of 1898. The pamphlet called for Decentralization for Negotiating, Centralization for Fighting, The use of the Irritation Strike, Joint Action by Lodges, Unifying the men by unifying demands, The Elimination of the Employer, against the Nationalization of Mines and for Industrial Democracy.

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