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showed that the political party of the employers is embarked firmly and with determination on the road of confrontation with the working class.

Last week's conference of the Confederation of British Industry showed the new mood of determination among top employers themselves. • In each case the preparedness of the capitalists to attack is in glaring contrast to the abject confusion, compromise and collaboration of Labour and trade union leaders at all levels.

Driven to wall

This is not to say of course, that the CBI does not face internal divisions at a time when the Tories' policy of recession and enforced rationalisation and closures is driving more and more ailing firms to the wall.

Indeed there were echoes of the TUC Congress as, on the issue of the closed shop, the CBI showed the familiar spectacle of file.

CB! leaders failed by 387 votes to 321 in their attempt to argue down a motion calling for the closed shop to be made illegal-and • then used the narrow majority as an excuse to hold back on a fight for the new policy!

. The platform was also overturned as the conference-in a display that would no doubt have delighted the nationalists of Labour's Tribune Group and the Communist Party-voted in favour of selective import But a move by disgruntled firms, on a motion from the National Farmers' Union, to oppose Thatcher's policy • of keeping interest rates and the value of the pound high, crumbled in the face of opposition from companies that clearly fancy their chances of picking up increased profits from the ruin and collapse of their weaker competitors.

The high value of sterling, of course, adversely affects British exports by artificially increasing make it difficult for weaker firms to carry out investment plans in a period of slack markets and world recession.

Last Chance Saloon But, in line with Tory and CBI policy, the conference overwhelmingly endorsed this "Last Chance Saloon" policy as the impetus to force through speedup on the shop floor and the closure of the least profitable plants.

"Don't let us turn industry into a kipper-two-faced and no guts" pleaded one speaker.

And indeed while steel and other union leaders were busily demonstrating their lack of guts and total inability to lead struggles in defence of their members' interests, CBI leaders were arrogantly spelling out their determination to wage renewed attacks on their workforce-and to fight for the introduction of legally-enforcible pay agreements.

Of course with the recent climbdown on working hours by the tough-talking Engineering Employers Federation still sticking in their throats, the militancy of the employers in resisting wage demands was also moderated by a certain note of fatalism:

and contine ourselves [!] wages rises twice "For three years we've given and sometimes three times those eceived by our competitors ame again ... moaned one oD ICI manager But others were more aggressive:

"If you do not learn to stand up to your unions you'll lose your employees hundreds.of jobs," proclaimed one speaker who apparently remains ignorance of the way union leaders' collaboration is actually assisting the loss of jobs by the thousand.

Indeed the services already endered to the employers b trade union bureaucrats were generally underrated, Declaring that an "enlightened and ettective trade union leadership" prepared to "lead from the front" and exert "control" while displaying CBI "'wisdom" , "judgement" and "tenacity" would be worth £40,000 a year to the employers CBI President Sir John Greenborough snubbed potential TUC applicants by adding that:

"I'm not making any nominations"

And in the closing speech, CBI director general Sir John Methven issued a rallying cry to employers to:

"Get out from behind your desks; stop pussy-footing around"

With the bosses on the offensive it is high time that similar marching orders were given to the armies of trade union officials whose political bankruptcy is a contributory cause of rising unemployment alongside the bankruptcy of the capitalist system.

While the employers search for their £40,000 a year *trade unionist", , workers must begin the task of removing the existing privileged and collaborationist bureaucracy, and building a revolutionary leadership to defend their interests.

Under considerable pressure from the medical profession the Tory government has moved in to oppose certain aspects of John Corrie's anti-abortion Bill, now in its Committee stage in Parliament.

Health Minister Gerard Vaughan has spoken out strongly against Corrie's attempt to cut the upper time limit for abortions from 28 to 20 weeks-. and proposed that the new limit should be 24 weeks.

And he has recommended that there be no change in the criteria for abortion-through which Corrie's Bill set out drastically to restrict abortions.

Significantly Vaughan has also accepted the medical evidence that more women die in childbirth at full term than from abortions.

And he has also stressed the fact that a number of foetal abnormalities can only be detected after 18 weeks' pregnancy -and "that" therefore Corrie's reduced time-limit could result in major problems for the women concerned.

But while this constitutes a considerable shift by the government-which, led by Thatcher, initially gave tacit support to the Corrie Bill-there are. still many restrictive proposals which remain intact and stand as a threat to abortion rights.

There must be no slackening in the struggle for the defeat of the Corrie Bill.

Central It is vital, if the struggle is to be advanced, that the fight against Corrie is tied in concretely with the massive militancy on the cuts, and that union leaders are forced to raise the defence of abortion rights as a central issue in struggles to defend NHS facilities.

Health workers and all trade unionists must demand that

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ind with a 17% pay rise and 3% profitability we'll be doing the