Sun. NOV 25

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Temporary tenants fight .......p.6-7 Angry workers heckle Thatcher in Milton Keynes PHOTO: Andrew Wiard, Report | nol eo for an adequate return on capital investment.

In place of a rising store of wealth in commodities, capitalism offers the international working class instead a rising tide of mass poverty, unemninyment ill health and micary In Britain this process is clearly under way under the Tories. Each week brings its toll of closures and redundancies, its flurry of price increases, its new list of social service cuts and closures, and new revelations of further attacks to come.

Each week brings more open admissions from the Tories that there are no new jobs emerging to replace those axed, and that any attempt by workers even to defend existing living standsids ment has gone for broke in a deliberate confrontation with the trade union movement.

As we go to press, they have sacked the chairman of the BL Combine Committee and convenor of the massive Longbridge complex, Derek The , "offence" Robinson is accused of is opposing the closure of 13 BL plants under the Edwardes plan, and expressing his views in the recently•published Combine Committee would bring further sackings.

Anarchy Within this system there is no possibility of stable ensployment, guaranteed living standards or social progress.

It is a system of anarchy, destruction and decay, functioning for the benefit of a tiny handful of bankers, industrialists and speculators, at the expense of the vast majority.

In resisting the impact of the Tory attacks at every turnoccupying plants to prevent sackings or closures; fighting to protect wages against inflation through cost-of-living clauses;

striking in support of fellow workers in struggle; building local councils of action to booklet campaigning against it.

The sacking decision, approved by Edwardes personally, is a conscious move to smash the Combine Committee and shop floor power in BL, prior to putting in its place a new, non elected committee of national union officials for which management already have the agreement of the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions.

It is a further indication that the Tory government are only prepared to keep BL open on their terms. Indeed it comes in the midst of company moves to strengthen and extend struggles against the cuts; and mobilising in defence of democratic and trade union rights-it is vital for workers to recognise that, in order to solve their problems, generalised, class action needed, to defeat the Tory government, nationalise the banks and major industries without compensation under workers' management and put an end to their decrepit economic system.

Only under socialist planned economy can the forces of production be expanded and developed with the goal of fulfilling the social needs of the international working class. ram through an insulting 5% pay offer coupled to the abolition of virtually every protective agree. ment established by the unions in BL.

85-page document The 85-page document spelling out the "strings" to the deal was issued to bitterly hostile BL workers this week.

If BL management succeed in forcing home this attack, it will become the model copied by every other reactionary Cont'd, page 11

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PHOTO: John Sturrock. Reporl British Leyland manage-

CUT ARMS