Token actions will not win ENGINEERING CLAIM: CALLAN ALL-OUT STRIKE!

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Ford strikers: all out action forced employers from 5% to 15% In every area virtually all the two million members in federated firms are out, as well as many workers in non-federated firms who usually follow the Federation's pay patterns.

But. as the engineering workers get stronger, the union leadership tries to manoeuvre away from a confrontation.

AUEW leader Terry Duffy is now talking about maybe following up this action with "selective strikes"

This is a conscious betrayal of the struggle.

If only Main areas or firms are called T then the rest of the employers will finance those employers affected and through that try to demoralise the striking workers.

Strength of feeling

No, what is required, as the only way forward, is all-out, indefinite strike action!

The last two Mondays have shown the tremendous strength of feeling amongst engineering workers in relation to their low wages and conditions.

This is a nationwide development. In Hull all federated firms are out as well as many nonfederated; in Bradford all federated firms are out; and in Leicester all federated firms are out as well as several non-federated.

In Leicester GoodwinBarsby which scabbed on the first strike came out on the second, and this is also the case in relation to the British Leyland Body Plant in Oxford.

In the latter case the right wing plant leadership tried to carry out only part of the Confed's limited action -calling only for the one day's strike.

Though they carried this policy through the stewards' committee they were voted down at a day shift mass meeting of over 3,000, who forced the platform to include the imposition of the Confed's overtime ban in the resolutionwhich was then carried by a massive majority.

Forced to adopt

It was this kind of shop floor feeling that forced the Confed to adopt the claim for £80 skilled pay, a 35 hour week and for two extra days' holiday.

The same feeling was shown when Duffy tried to lower the claim. The AUEW national comratee felt obliged to vote st this treachery-resulting present battles. PHOTO: Laurence sparnam, u u This strength is a continuation of the winter battles against Callaghan's 5% pay policy.

Workers have proved they have the strength to win such struggles-by forcing out Heath's government and defeating Callaghan's pay laws.

The engineers' response surprised both the employers and the union leadership. It shows that the Tories and the press gloated too quickly about their election victory.

Weakness

The Labour government lost the election because of its attacks on the working class, not because of Thatcher's strength.

Already television technicians and Talbot (Chrysler) workers have undertaken major battles on wages.

Other sections will soon be in action against the cuts in social services. And the whole trade union movement will also be forced quickly into struggle against the anti-union laws.

The employers and Tories realise the working class are in a fighting mood. This is why they are determined to try to hold back and defeat this movement.

The engineering employers have shown this by threatening to throw the firms that have settled the claim out of their Federation.

Workers have the same determination, but the problem facing them is their reactionary reformist leadership.

For four years TUC leaders told workers not to fight the Labour government-and even when they called action; they called such half-hearted actions as last winter's selective strikes in the public sector.

But now the Tories are in, and the union leaders who previously used the argument of 'saving the Labour government' are still taking the same attitude.

First they tried to compromise the claim. Then under pressure they called just one-day strikes and an overtime ban. Now the members have responded to this and the employers haven't conceded.

Duffy is in a corner.

How do these leaders respond to this? They talk only of "selective" strikes which led to a disastrous defeat when implemented by the AUEW seven years ago.

The only way to win the full claim is through indefinite strike action to force the employers to concede.

In fighting for this policy the Workers Socialist League fights for the development of a revolutionary leadership in the working class in opposition to the existing TUC and Labour leaders.

The possibilities for this are getting greater as the working class moves into action and the reformist union leaders are seen to betray -with uncritical suport AS SAI A from the Communist Party.

As part of our fight for a principled revolutionary leadership, the WSL is supporting the anti-Tory conference called by the Campaign for Democracy in the Labour Movement on November 3 in Birmingham.

This is part of the struggle for a new leadership.

We urge all engineering workers, television technicians and others to come to this conference and join us in the fight for a new leadership

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