Recently, the Australian Marxist-Leninist weekly Vanguard carried an article wherein it asserted that “the unions as they operate now are part and parcel of capitalism. They are tied to the capitalist system. As they are at present, they help to perpetuate capitalism” and “the trade union structure, the central trade union bodies are a dead weight on the initiative and struggle of the workers.” Many honest trade unionists might find it hard to accept this assessment. Yet we must endeavor to understand the essential truth contained in this assessment and endeavor to test it in the light of our experience in Ceylon.