snapshot from minutes of meeting of 5/55 Branch TGWU, 1973

In the course of his research Jack Saunders came across this on the presentation by his union branch of three books to assist Len Rankin in his studies at Ruskin.

The details for that minute about Len Rankin…

Archive: Modern Record Centre, Coventry.
Collection: Alan Thornett Collection.
File reference: MSS391/1/7/6
File content: Minutes of fortnightly meetings of 5/55 Branch TGWU, 1973.
Document: Minutes for meeting on 5th March 1973, held at Cowley Workers Social Club

This was a factory branch which comprised workers at 3 of the 4 plants owned by British Leyland on the estate (No.1 Factory (North), No.2 Factory (South) and BMC Service 733), and had about 7000 members (of which 22 made it to this meeting). 5/55 was famous for being dominated by the Trotskyist Socialist Labour League (later the WRP) from the mid-1960s until 1974 (when a lot of them left to form their own group the WSL) but I’ve never seen Rankin listed as a member of theirs.

Also in the minutes for 18th February 1974 Jack found this correspondance from Ruskin College Trade Union Defence Committee requesting support for picketing during the miners’ strike.

Correspondence from RCTUDC