Sirs Sees the Light
Socialist Press1980 1980-01-23Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 11 →
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A hurriedly called steelworkers' demonstration through Sheffield attracted 3,000 strikers in thick snow on Monday.
Shouting What do we want? 20%!" and «Thatcher Out!", the march made its way to City Hall, where every militant statement was greeted with rapturous applause, and hecklers interrupted ISTC leader Bill Sirs.' Cheering crowd Rotherham MP Stan Crowther told the cheering crowd that they were fighting "for every trade unionist in the country" • Bernard Connolly from the EETPU said that Thatcher should be thanked for achieving what trade unionists had been after for years: solidarity among the unions.
"Other unions should realise its about them, too, and get into , he added, to loud applause. : An AUEW speaker predicted that the Thatcher government would fall "under its own dead weight" long before the next General Election.
And Sheffield AUEW District - Secretary, Stalinist George Caborn said he was fed up with industrialists coming up to him saying that Thatcher is mad.
'We must do with the Employment Bill what we did to the Industrial Relations Act", he yelled above deafening applause.
A standing ovation was given to a message of solidarity from German steelworkers ánd dockers.
Yorkshire miners' leader Arthur Scargill slammed into both the Tory government and the last Labour government. "I have beeh accused of interfering in this strike", he said, "and I plead guilty!"
defeat for the steelworkers, he added, would be a political and. industrial setback for the whole working class.
And as a closing gesture he Sars a miners light winger Bu him the light" in the struggle ahead!
Sirs himself, making the mistake of speaking after Scargill, insisted that the ISTC leaders were looking for "a moderate settlement"
Political gulf
To shouts of "20%! 20%!" he replied that to put a figure would "tie the hands of your negotiators", , and he angered other strikers by stressing his reluctance to pull out private sector steelworkers.
He must also be desperately looking for ways of ending this dispute which daily widens the political gulf between the right wing ISTC leadership and their rapidly awakening shop floor members!