We are at war with the Tories

Scan page 1

Karl Korsch SAVE STEEL SAVE PITS SNE SALES SAVE PITS (SAVE WALES Class battles are won or

UNITE

TO DEFEAT TORY POLCES Would you say this strike?

Yes, of course it's a political strike. We are under attack from an extreme right wing administration and we must fight back. Sure we are demanding more money, better conditions, a stop to redundancies, etc., but we are demanding these things from a government dedicated to depriving us of all these necessities through a vicious economic policy.

The Tories' economic policy is a political policy and by going on strike when that policy affected us directly we were Benn's politics.

Police violence.

Steel interview. striking against that political policy. That makes it a political strike. How • could it be otherwise?

Would you welcome a decision by the Leyland negotiating committee to recommend strike action to coincide with the steel strike?

Yes, of course we would welcome it. And we'd like to see the miners and railway workers support us too. You see what /Leyland workers must realise is that British Steel and British Leyland are giant twins. They are both massive nationalised A Socialist Press interview with Mick Skelton, strike coordinator, Corby Strike Committee.

industries that are coming under fierce attack from the most reactionary Tory government in generations.

It's not just a question of wanting support from Leyland workers. We must fight together:

Our positions are so similar; our pay offers were almost identical. We decided to stand and fight and we are winning the fight. If Leyland workers joined that fight they would help to guarantee victory both for themselves and us.

If the Leyland workers were to strike alongside the steelworkers there would be upwards of 200,000 workers actually on strike and many thousands more laid off. Would you say that this coul be seen as a potential., general strike?

Yes it would be and we would welcome it. It would be a mini general strike situation and it could well brine this government down.

Callaghan has repeatedly stated that this Tory government should only be replaced through the ballot box. What do you say?

This is what he says yes; and, in a way, he's right. Through massive strike action we can force this government to the country, and they would obviously lose à general election so Labour would be reinstalled.

Under whose leadership?

If the Tories were to fall now, obviously it would be Callaghan. But if they survive another year, say, it should be Tony Benn leading a Labour government. I would like to see Tony Bern as Prime Minister in the near future.

I think when the media use the word 'political' they're probably referring to a section of the workforce actually threatening the existence of a government. Would you agree?

Well, yes I would and it looks very much like this is what it's come to.

It was Tory madness which led to this confrontation and we have responded to the challenge as we had to. Now it's them or us.

And this is a solid strike which is gaining strength and intensifying all the time. We never received any instructions to stop the flying pickets after Denning's ruling; if anything we increased our activities.

No, it's not going to be us that gives in. You see we are fighting a war: a war against the Tory government. And in a war somebody's got to lose and somebody's got to win.

We must' win. With help from other sections of the British workforce we shall win. And that could well mean that the Tories lose everything.