Today, marks the 16th anniversary of the death of trade unionist Jimmy Reid, an inspirational voice and beacon of hope for the working class the world over.
Born in the Gorbals of Glasgow, Reid was brought up in the finest traditions of the self-educated working class. He rose to international prominence during the Upper Clyde Shipbuilders “work-in” of 1971–1972.
Confronted with savage government cutbacks and the threat of thousands of redundancies in the Glasgow shipyards, Reid and other Union shop stewards rejected traditional strikes or walkouts.
Instead, they took over control of the yards, pioneering the concept of the right to work rather than simply the right not to be made redundant. Demonstrating that working-class people have the skill, the know-how and discipline to manage production themselves, their campaign won massive solidarity, protected the community and successfully saved the yards.
Beyond his industrial leadership, Reid was one of our greatest orators, able to communicate trade union demands in words that invoked ethical values and moral imperatives.
He is best remembered for his iconic 1972 Rectoral Address at the University of Glasgow, famously printed in its entirety by the New York Times, which compared it to Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.
In it, Reid addressed the concept of alienation, the deep sense of powerlessness felt by every-day people excluded from decision-making and subjected to a system that prioritises balance sheets and bottom lines over fairness at work and justice in society.
He launched a scathing critique of the competitive capitalist ethos, issuing a timeless rallying cry: “A rat race is for rats. We’re not rats. We’re human beings”.
Throughout his life he fought for working people to reject the insidious pressures that blunt critical faculties and caution silence in the face of injustice and his philosophy offers crucial lessons for all of us active in the trade union movement today.
His main legacy serves as a reminder to reject worker expendability. Reid challenged the right of any employer or government to tell a fellow human being that they are expendable. In an era of AI and digitalisation, unions must uphold this fundamental human value.
Reid proved that industrial action can be a constructive, proactive force and the Union power is not just about stopping work; it is about demonstrating the essential value of workers to society.
Reid knew that fighting alienation requires genuine workplace democracy and that true democracy cannot stop at the ballot box.
The campaign in Ireland to strengthen and promote collective bargaining aligns firmly with Reid’s vision of active participation and proper workplace democracy.
Jimmy Reid lived by the belief that real fulfilment lies in service to humanity and people. The Union way, and that solidarity is not some abstract concept but a daily commitment.
By organising, unionising and ultimately demanding a better society built on human dignity rather than personal greed we will ensure the spirit of the Pride of the Clyde lives on.