Ack Them! Say Union

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In the steel industry the trade union leaders have accepted compulsory redundancies. In doing this they have not simply retreated in front of the employers, but have actually advocated industy. At lie same time is Straity drobe setonal beadership of the Fire Brigade Union has expelled the nine members of the Distrirt Committee who were mr fis teststanto to Both of these actions are of major importance For a union leader to adriate redundancy is to consciously fight to make the working class. pay for the crisis of capitalism. To expel workers who want to fight the pay laws is to act entirely as the policeman of the working class in the interests of capitalism.

These actions show that the only way any section of workers can fight to defend their jobs or living standards is to fight the trade union leaders who are the mainstay of this Labour government as it fights to prop up crisis-ridden capitalism.

In their actions these leaders attack the very basis on which the trade union movement was estab lished in struggle - to defend and improve the wages and conditions of the working class.

The leadership of the steel unions has argued that redundancies must be accepted in order to "make the industry viable" and thereby avoid further redundancies later.

But when he launched the state pay laws at the T&GWU conference Jack Jones argued that the working class should tighten their belts to end inflation and thus avoid unemployment and bring better days later. He is still claiming more would be unemployed if not for the pay laws.

WILSON

Whilst the trade union leaders were in this way organising attack against their members, the Labou government took the decision to let Norton Villiers Triumph go to the wall.

This marks a major change in policy and must lead to the bank ruptcy of many similar firms up till now propped up as 'lame ducks' Wilson takes these decisions with unemployment already over one million and rising fast, knowing that now tens of thousands of school leavers are finding it imposs ible to get jobs.

The WSL has warned continuously that the issues of wages and jobs cannot be separated. The decision of the TUC leaders to accept state pay laws has led quickly on to outright advocacy of redundancies. This is because they start from the complete support of the capitalist system. Therefore, when capitalism needs to attack the worl ing class they are there to do the job.

Unemployment and inflation are the two ways that the capitalist system disrupts the powers of production and becomes unable to provide the basic requirements people need in order to live.

WAGES The creation of a pool of unemployed is designed to force a further slashing of workers' wages. Meanwhile price increases drive the lower-paid, the pensioners and the unemployed below the bread line.

In the midst of massive technological resources and scientific knowledge, with huge factories capable of producing goods of value working at only 60% or half capacity, workers are finding their living standards cut, and their livelihoods destrøyed in the name of private profit.

Only a socialist programme, establishing a planned nationalised economy, can resolve the contradictions of this economic crisis.

Capitalist nationalisation is no answer. British Steel, as a nationalised enterprise is still run by capitalist managers in the interests of th capitalist state. In this situation of crisis it acts no differently from thi big private employers.

MANAGEMENT It is important therefore in fighting speed-up and redundancy that the demand for workers' management is actively fought for. Elected committees of workers must be set up to control the nationalised industries.

These committees must defend the jobs and living standards of workers and form the basis of workers' management.

The more the socialist solution is seen to be the only solution to the problems facing the working class. the further the Labour leadership. and with them the lefts', retreat from the call forinationalisation, the main plank of a socialist economy.

The new situation of mass unem ployment and state pay laws has been met with a deepening silence from the 'lefts'.

nation alisation for redundancy at British Steel only a few months ago. .

We warned at that time that speed-up and nationalisatiom - far from being an 'alternative' to redundancy, would in fact create it. This is exactly what happened. Steel-workers, thanks to Benn and their leaders, have ended up with koth..

But Benn's role was not restricter to BSC. It has now been revealed by NVT shop stewards that at the same time as Benn was posing as the champion of the Meriden cooperative he had written to Roy Hattersley, local MP for one of the NVT factories, saying that the co-operative would at no time be given preference over the privately owned NVT company. Benn went on to say that the inancial aid given to the co perative was a once off thing. rould never be repeated BENN Benn has, therefore, been a part of the Labour Government's attack on the working class from the beginning.

Today Wilson has called his top ministers to a discussion at Chequer to prepare the next round of the attack, which will take the form of further and harsher cuts in government spending and social services, again directly creating unemployment.

Under these conditions the working class must have a programme on which to fight.

Inflation must be combatted by the demand for a sliding scale of wages linked to figures compiled by elected committees of trade unionists and housewives.

Jobs must be defended by the Port Talbot Steelworks demand for work-sharing on foll pay, and, when redundancies a closures are threatened, worka must demand that the books of th employers be opened to trade union committees.

In this way the case for nation isation can be established and the fight prepared for workers' management of the industry.

Nationalisation must be linked t the demand for state contracts to keep the factories open and is Preparations must go ahead within the Labour Party to defeat the right wing at the Party Confer ence. Motions for the removal of Wilson and the right wing, for the ending of the pay laws and against unemployment must be submitted Workers must demand that the 'left' MPs begin not simply to talk about these demands in the LP and PLP, but that they actively campaign for them in the trade union movement, to bring the greatest possible forces to bear against Wilson. Those 'lefts' who refuse this challenge will be expos ed as nothing more than the henct men of Wilson.