The Claimants’ Union (CU) movement was a collection of benefit claimants’ unions, at its most active in the 1970s. Organised without hierarchy, they campaigned for basic income without means-testing or cohabitation rules and were explicitly anti-capitalist and anti-fascist in ethos.
London Unions were spied on by HN299/HN342 'David Hughes' between 1970 and 1974 and HN304 ‘Graham Coates’ , while HN348 ‘Sandra Davies’ also produced a single report on the group. Despite few intelligence reports relating to the Claimants Union being published by the Inquiry, it is mentioned as being ‘penetrated’ in SDS Annual Reports from 1971 to 1974.
The network of groups also featured in the broader Special Branch Annual Reports in 1973 and 1975. In these annual reviews, the group is listed under the subheading of the ‘Alternative Society’, a phrase which seems to have been invented (or at least adopted) by MI5 to describe the counterculture of the 1960s and 1970s. In 1972, a secret Whitehall committee published a report on the subversive potential of claimants' unions, which likely had had significant input from MI5. It is possible that Special Branch's interest in claimants’ unions was partially sparked by their connections to the Angry Brigade ; John Barker and Susan Finch, identified as members by Special Branch, were involved in West London CU and North London CU respectively.
Dave Morris, a core participant, was part of Tottenham Claimants Union and also chaired the National Federation of CU's in the 1980s.
History
The first Claimants’ Union was founded in Birmingham in 1968, and the following years saw a proliferation of branches throughout the country. The National Federation of Claimants Unions (NFCU) was established in March 1970 and sixty-four unions were established by September 1971, including three branches in London. NFCU changed its name to the Federation of Claimants Unions (FCU) in 1980, and the Scottish unions broke off into the Scottish Federation of Claimants Unions.
From their foundation, CUs campaigned for universal basic income without means-testing. They resisted sexist cohabitation rules, which excluded many women from claiming benefits and subjected them to invasive scrutiny from social security workers. CU members were often diverse groups consisting of pensioners, single mothers, unemployed and low-wage workers and disabled people. CUs sought to foster solidarity with trade unions and opposed all attempts at dividing the working class, whether by the social security agencies or by fascism and racism. A different view taken of the group’s activities was taken in the report prepared for the 1972 Whitehall committee, which stated:
Anarchists use CUs to milk the Welfare State, to expose its alleged inadequacies and to provoke confrontations, preferably violent, between the state and the individual.
Although the CU’s organisation was modelled on that of trade unions, local groups did not exist as branches of a larger union, but as independent regional unions organising in local communities rather than workplaces.
Their publications also warned against the dangers of racism. The group used anti-capitalist rhetoric throughout, such as critiquing the Socialist Workers Party's ‘Right to Work’ campaign for fighting ‘for the right to be exploited’ and questioning the campaign’s usefulness to those who ‘must work in the home or are sick or disabled’.
The CU made a point of having their members consist solely of benefit claimants (or ex-claimants). It strived to be member-led without hierarchy, emphasising mutual aid, non-judgement and solidarity. It was notable for having members accompany each other to welfare offices, sometimes in groups, a practice reflected in their slogan ‘never meet the SS [Social Security] alone’. It also used tactics such as sit-ins at welfare offices. In addition, CUs organised demonstrations, pickets, playgroups, food co-ops, social events, and squats and produced political literature such as fliers, handbooks and newspapers.
CUs’ popularity tapered off in the 1980s with the federation ending in the 1990s, although organising against punitive welfare conditionalities was continued by other groups. Newham CU, however, is still active as of June 2024.
Sources
Cathy Leech, The Claimants Unions: A brief history of the movement in the 1970s and 1980s.
Cathy Leech, Georgia Anderson and Ash Reid, Claimants Unions.
Tora Yamamori, A Feminist Way to Unconditional Basic Income Claimants Unions and Women's Liberation Movements in 1970s.