Blastturnacemens BSC closure plan

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SUBSCRIBE THERIGYT BUNDRO DL to Socialist Press PRESS struggle against wage control, cuts and redundancies The present pay round, according to CBI chief Sir John Methven, shows 'all the characteristics of certified madness"

This is how this top employers' spokesman assesses the attempts by. workers to defend their living standards against runaway inflation.

His view was endorsed by Employment Secretary James Prior who urged employers to back the government's efforts to •"restore a sense of economic Prior reality" to the working class.

The "reality." of capitalism is of course one of mass unemployment plunging living standards, a destruction of sections of the means of production and a reverse of previous social progress.

The same message came from BL personnel director Pat Lowry, who urged firms to spend less time "howling in anguish" and more time spelling out "'the cold and sometimes brutal economic facts that we face".

Of course if workers start out from the established "facts" of capitalism rather than the be no way out other than surrender to the likes of Lowry, Edwardes and Thatcher. .

But the same reactionary message is embodied in the arguments of those union leaders that argue for workers to base their demands not on the need to defend and improve jobs and living standards, but on the "viability" of a particular capitalist firm.

The interests of the working class and the employers in this crisis are diametrically opposed.

The pressing of legitimate and necessary demands thus , appears to the bosses as "madFollowing a humiliating management rebuff for their 25% pay claim, Blastfurnacemen's leaders last week began sounding off with surprise threats of strike action against BSC's programme of plant closures..

A ballot is to be held, with •a recommendation from the union's executive for a national strike.

Boosted -General Secretary Hector Smith, who only a few weeks ago was enthusiastic, ally boosted by BSC management as an advocate of ruthless de-manning and speed-up, insisted thạt:

"If the vote goes our way, there will be a complete stoppage. We are not messing about"

The main centre of resis-. tance to BSC's closures is now vote Iron feder aban their tiate at Corby, following the by members of the and Steel Trades Conation at Shotton to don the fight to save jobs and simply negoredundancy payments.

Aggressive stance

A 3,000-strong mass meeting at Corby voted overwhelmingly to continue their efforts to prevent the closure of the steel-worksthough they have still not adopted the vital policy of occupying the plant, which alone .can offer the necessary focal point for national strike action.

But policies in defence of jobs have yet to be finalised at Cleveland and at Port Talbot; where BSC last week announced a further 2,300 redundancies by next March.

The new aggressive stance of the Blastfurnacemen; the continued insistence by ISTC leaders that they will proceed with their RATES:

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Address Send to Socialist Press, Hill, London NW5 IHR. threatened overtime ban and selective strikes even if other unions fail to support; and the growing list of jobs under threat in BSC create conditions where a firm lead can produce a struggle against closures.

But, for all their militant puffing and blowing, the right wing bureaucrats in the steel unions have shown little-stomach for a fight.

Stall action

Their every tactic has rather sought to stall action and wait for demoralisation to set in among the workforce, before stepping in to negotiate terms for "voluntary" redundancy.

The crying need now is. for a revolutionary leadership in the steel unions that will mobilise the members in defence of their class interests.

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