Workers League (Ireland)
Encyclopedia
The Workers League was a Trotskyist political party
in Ireland
.
The group's origins lay in the League for a Workers Republic
, an associate of the International Committee of the Fourth International
(ICFI). As that organisation began to split between the supporters of the Socialist Labour League (SLL) in Britain and those of the Internationalist Communist Organisation
(OCI) in France. The majority of the League for a Workers Republic sided with the OCI, but a minority broke away in 1970 to form the League for a Workers Vanguard.
When the ICFI split in 1972, the League for a Workers Vanguard changed its name to the "Workers League" and became an official affiliate of an ICFI dominated by Gerry Healy
's Socialist Labout League. The Leagues activities involved general recruitment, the running of classes in Marxism, the selling of, first, The Workers' Press and, later, News Line- both published in England - and attempting interventions in industrial disputes'. In the mid-seventies, the League ran a Right to Work Campaign which involved a number of demonstrations in Dublin, one of which culminated in a 'mass' meeting in the Mansion House. Jack O'Connor
, who would later become General President of SIPTU in 2003, and President of ICTU in 2009, was an activist and organiser with the League for much of the 1970s. In the early 1970s, the League's General Secretary was Donal O'Sullivan. For a while, the League published Marxist Journal a general magazine that dealt with political and theoretical issues, which was edited by Paul McGuirk. The League became moribund sometime around 1978.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
The group's origins lay in the League for a Workers Republic
League for a Workers Republic
The League for a Workers' Republic was a Trotskyist organisation in Ireland.- Foundation :It was founded in 1968 by members of the Irish Workers' Group, which was mainly centred on Irish emigrants to Britain and was itself the result of a previous split in the Irish Communist Group between those,...
, an associate of the International Committee of the Fourth International
International Committee of the Fourth International
The International Committee of the Fourth International is the name of two Trotskyist internationals; one with sections named Socialist Equality Party which publishes the World Socialist Web Site and another linked to the Workers Revolutionary Party in Britain.-Foundation:The International...
(ICFI). As that organisation began to split between the supporters of the Socialist Labour League (SLL) in Britain and those of the Internationalist Communist Organisation
Internationalist Communist Organisation
The Internationalist Communist Organisation was a Trotskyist political party in France. Its successor is the Internationalist Communist Current of the Workers Party.-Origins:...
(OCI) in France. The majority of the League for a Workers Republic sided with the OCI, but a minority broke away in 1970 to form the League for a Workers Vanguard.
When the ICFI split in 1972, the League for a Workers Vanguard changed its name to the "Workers League" and became an official affiliate of an ICFI dominated by Gerry Healy
Gerry Healy
Thomas Gerard Healy, known as Gerry Healy , was a political activist, a co-founder of the International Committee of the Fourth International, and, according to former prominent U.S. supporter David North, the leader of the Trotskyist movement in Great Britain between 1950 – 1985...
's Socialist Labout League. The Leagues activities involved general recruitment, the running of classes in Marxism, the selling of, first, The Workers' Press and, later, News Line- both published in England - and attempting interventions in industrial disputes'. In the mid-seventies, the League ran a Right to Work Campaign which involved a number of demonstrations in Dublin, one of which culminated in a 'mass' meeting in the Mansion House. Jack O'Connor
Jack O'Connor (trade unionist)
Jack O'Connor is an Irish trade union leader.Born in northern County Dublin, O'Connor worked in various fields before taking full-time employment with the Federated Workers' Union of Ireland in 1980...
, who would later become General President of SIPTU in 2003, and President of ICTU in 2009, was an activist and organiser with the League for much of the 1970s. In the early 1970s, the League's General Secretary was Donal O'Sullivan. For a while, the League published Marxist Journal a general magazine that dealt with political and theoretical issues, which was edited by Paul McGuirk. The League became moribund sometime around 1978.