A New Labour nightmare

The return of the awkward squad

Andrew Murray, Verso, 212 pages, hardback, £13.00

Much of this book consists of interviews with full-time union officials. It provides a number of pointers to the direction likely to be taken by major unions both industrially and in their relations with the government.

Obviously the so-called "awkward squad" are very critical of the government and several make clear their opposition to partnership agreements, especially where linked to no-strike deals.

Some set out their approach in detail. Derek Simpson of Amicus argues the need for union amalgamations across Europe, while Billy Hayes of the CWU communications union emphasises the need to link up with other campaigns such as the European Social Forum.