AEEU Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union, trade union in Britain and Ireland which merged with MSF in 2001 to form Amicus and is now part of Unite.
AFL-CIO American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, major trade union federation in the US.
ASLEF Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen, trade union mainly organising drivers on the railways.
BNP British National Party, far-right political organisation that won council and European Parliament seats for a short while before breaking up after internal squabbles.
CADV Campaign Against Domestic Violence, organisation formed to defend women victims of abuse and those imprisoned for defending themselves against violence.
CATP Campaign Against Tube Privatisation, group backed by railway workers and others formed to oppose privatisation on London Underground and which stood in the 2000 Greater London Assembly elections. CBI Confederation of British Industry, the major employers’ organisation in Britain.
CFDU Campaign for a Fighting Democratic Unison, former left organisation in Unison fighting for a democratic union.
CIA Central Intelligence Agency, spying organisation of the US government.
CLP Constituency Labour Party, Organising body of the Labour Party in each parliamentary constituency.
CNWP Campaign for a New Workers’ Party, campaign set up to fight for a political alternative to New Labour.
CPB Communist Party of Britain, left organisation formed after the break-up of the former Communist Party of Great Britain.
CWI Committee for a Workers’ International, the International organisation to which the SP is affiliated.
CWU Communication Workers’ Union, major union in UK for postal and telecommunications workers.
EC Executive Committee, body of the Socialist Party elected by its National Committee to deal with the day-to-day business of the party.
EZLN Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional (Zapatista Army of National Liberation) radical leftist group based in Chiapas, Mexico that led an uprising in 1994.
FBU Fire Brigades Union, the firefighters trade union in the UK.
GEC General Executive Council, leading elected body of the TGWU. Also Group Executive Committee, sector committee within the PCS union.
GMB Originally standing for General, Municipal and Boilermakers, one of the larger trade unions in the UK.
GPMU Graphical, Paper and Media Union, trade union in Britain and Ireland for print and associated workers. Merged into Amicus and now part of Unite.
IEC International Executive Committee, leadership body of the CWI elected at its world Congress.
ISM International Socialist Movement, name by which the Scottish section of the CWI was known for several years following the dissolution of SML.
ISR International Socialist Resistance, youth organisation formed throughout Europe to give a socialist programme in the anti-capitalist protests at the turn of the century.
IST International Socialist Tendency, international organisation of the SWP.
ISTC Iron and Steel Trades Confederation, steel workers’ union, now part of Community trade union.
IU Izquierda Unida (United Left) major left-wing formation in Spain for many years, dominated by the Communist Party.
LIT Workers’ International League, Trotskyist International with its major sections in Latin America led for many years by Nahuel Moreno.
LRC Labour Representation Committee, a federation of workers and socialist organisations formed in 1900 to increase political representation for the working class. Became generally known as the Labour Party. Also the name of the left-wing organisation in the current Labour Party closely linked to John McDonnell. LSA London Socialist Alliance, regional body of the Socialist Alliance in England.
MDHC Mersey Docks and Harbour Company, overall owner and proprietor of the Merseyside docks, involved in the dockers’ dispute in the 1990s.
NASUWT National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers, teachers’ union in UK.
NC National Committee, the leading body of the Socialist Party, elected at its Congress.
NATFHE National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education, union now part of the University and College Union (UCU).
NEC National Executive Committee (or Council), the leading elected body of the Labour Party and some trade unions.
NSSN National Shop Stewards Network, organisation established in 2007 by the RMT union under Bob Crow as an umbrella group for all trade union workplace reps.
NUM National Union of Mineworkers, miners’ union which organised the year-long strike in 1984-85 against pit closures.
NUPE National Union of Public Employees, public sector union that merged with NALGO (National and Local Government Officers’ Association) and COHSE (Confederation of Health Service Employees) to form Unison.
NUS National Union of Students, body representing Further and Higher Education students in Britain.
NUT National Union of Teachers, major teachers’ union in England and Wales.
PCI Partito Comunista Italiano (Italian Communist Party), former left-wing party in Italy dissolved into the PDS.
PDS Partito Democratico della Sinistra (Democratic Party of the left), party in Italy formed by right-wing of the PCI and various pro-capitalist formations.
PFI Private Finance Initiative, method of funding public sector projects by borrowing from the private sector, normally at exorbitant and crippling interest rates.
PLP Parliamentary Labour Party, the body of Labour MPs in the House of Commons.
POA Prison Officers Association, trade union organising prison workers.
PRC Partito della Rifondazione Comunista (Communist Refoundation), a left-wing split from the PCI after its dissolution, it has itself dwindled in significance due to its rightward moving policies.
P-SoL Partido Socialismo e Libertade (Socialism and Freedom Party), left-wing party in Brazil formed in opposition to the rightward moving policies of the PT government of President Lula.
PSOE Partido Socialista Obrero Español (Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party), ex-socialist party in Spain now firmly pro-capitalist.
PSTU Partido Socialista dos Trabalhadores Unificado (United Socialist Workers’ Party), left-wing party in Brazil and largest section of the LIT.
PT Partido dos Trabalhadores (Workers’ Party), a once left party in Brazil formed by ex-President Lula.
RCP Revolutionary Communist Party, the organisation of Trotskyists in Britain from 1944-49. RMT National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers, union formed from merger of National Union of Railwaymen and National Union of Seamen in 1990.
RUC Respect – the Unity Coalition, left organisation formed by George Galloway and the SWP which mainly appealed to Muslims.
SAV Sozialistische Alternative (Socialist Alternative) Section of the CWI in Germany.
SLP Socialist Labour Party, party founded in 1995 by Arthur Scargill and others as left split from the Labour Party.
SML Scottish Militant Labour, formed in 1992 following the ‘open turn’ in Scotland.
SNP Scottish National Party, major pro-capitalist party in Scotland with a pro-independence position.
SP Socialist Party (in England and Wales), formerly Militant Labour.
SSA Scottish Socialist Alliance, federal organisation that put forward left ideas in Scotland in the 1990s against New Labour which included SML. Dissolved when SSP was formed.
SWP Socialist Workers’ Party.
SSP Scottish Socialist Party, broad socialist party set up as successor to SSA, which at its height won 6 Members of the Scottish Parliament but broke up over allegations concerning Tommy Sheridan.
STA Socialist Teachers Alliance, organisation of the left in the NUT.
TD Teachta Dála, member of the Irish Parliament (Dáil).
TGWU (also T&G) Transport and General Workers Union, Major trade union in Britain and Ireland which merged with Amicus to form Unite.
TUC Trades Union Congress, federation of trade unions in Britain.
TUSC Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition, an electoral coalition including the SP with the RMT union formed to pose a anti-austerity alternative to New Labour.
USDAW Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers, the major union for retail and similar workers in the UK.
UCATT Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians, building workers’ union in Britain and Ireland, now merged into Unite.
UKIP United Kingdom Independence Party, right-wing party formed to oppose the EU.
USFI United Secretariat of the Fourth International, a Trotskyist International led for many years by Ernest Mandel.
USP United Socialist Party, Sri Lankan section of the CWI.
UUL Unison United Left, former organisation of the left in Unison.
WRP Workers Revolutionary Party, organisation led by Gerry Healy which broke apart in the 1980s.
WSA Welsh Socialist Alliance, counterpart to the Socialist Alliance in England but including left nationalist parties.
YRE Youth against Racism in Europe, youth organisation throughout Europe fighting racism and the far right.
YSR Young Socialist Resistance, youth organisation formed in 1990s.
