Istc Calls Action Hal Corby Closure

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The call by the Iron and for a national overtime ban, a one-day strike and a series of selective stoppages represents the first substantial programme of official action to resist closures in steel or any other industry.

The union move is designed to halt the British Steel Corporation's plan to close down steel-making facilities at Corby in Northamptonshire, at a cost of 5,000 jobs.

It comes from a right wing collaborationist leadership that has up until now mad i a virtue of its cringing subser rience to management efforts to make the Corporation "viable"

"Deficit"

But as steelworkers throughout the country have begun to recognise the cost to them of helping BSC wipe out its £350 million per year alleged "deficit" through closures, redundancies and speed-up, militancy has clearly grown-to the extent that ISTC leader Bill Sirs feels compelled to flex the considerable muscles of the union.

Things have clearly been made more embarrassing for ISTC and other union leaders by the open and arrogant contempt shown by BSC management for their annual wage claim-when bureaucrats were sent packing and told to "think again"

Now, according to Bill Sirs, whether or not the TUC Steel Committee endorses the ISTC's proposed action, the union is prepared to press ahead alone.

As the biggest union in the industry, the ISTC has the power to paralyse steel production, and the numbers to impose effective pickets on docks to prevent the import of scab steel stocks.

An would strike rapidly to their force the Tories knees.

This is almost certainly why Sirs has opted instead for the partial action of an overtime ban and selective strikes-to provide maximum leeway for some form of squalid compromise to be devised before the engineering industry is completely disrupted.

However Sirs still predicts that the overtime ban. itself would eventually bring production to a halt.

It is clear that this callinadequate though it is-must be implemented by workers who throughout the industry face a continuing series of Tory attacks on jobs, living standards and working conditions.

Meanwhile supporting action from dockers and transport workers must be sought in the preparation for an all-out strike.

No confidence should be placed in Sirs' ability to lead such a struggle to victory. A string of closed and deserted steel plants across the country have shown his inability to challenge the logic of making BSC "viable"

But his bluff must be called by steel workers and other steel unions forced to support.

The l struggle for action in defence of jobs at Corby (and ISTC banner on Corby demonstration the threatened Shotton plant) must go hand in hand with the fight for a principled revolutionary leadership in the steel unions capable of mobilising the strength of the members in defence of their independent interests.

Bi Sirs