I-day protests wo beat GENERA STRIKE NOW
Socialist Press1980 1980-03-05Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 1 →
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Yet what have the union leaders done? NUM and NUR leaderswhose members face mass sackings through steel closures-have joined with TUC General Secretary Len Murray to sabotage the struggle for General Strike action against the steel closures in Wales, and the calls for such action to be extended nationwide.
• Leaders of unions in British Leyland have stalled for over three months on calling the necessary strike action against their insulting 5%-with-strings pay offer. And elsewhere in the public sector, leaders of manual and white collar unions have sat back tamely as Thatcher'e axe crunches into vital carvires withont attemntino to LILU NELIVUL mobilise strike action alongside the steelworkers.
Even the Tories' new anti-union bill, with its far-reaching moves against the closed shop, picketing rights and workers' democracy have failed to stir the slightest fight from the TUC leaders: instead they have merely voted not to accept money to run postal ballotsafter the law is passed!
But the Tories are not invincible. Determined strike action by other sections alongside the steelworkers could defeat this government and force it from office. Such a fight would also create conditions for workers to take on and defeat the right wing Labour leaders whose anti-working class policies allowed Thatcher in in the first place. The fight could be pressed home for a genuine workers government, prepared to implement the socialist policies needed to defend jobs and services.
Callaghan knows this: that is why he is opposed to any such action. Murray and his fellow bureaucrats know it too: that is why the TUC protests are restricted to token one-day action-one on a weekend and one which they hope to confine to a "lunchtime" in two months' time!
But given a lead, workers are prepared to fight this government. In each area delegates from trade union and labour movement bodies should take steps now to form local councils of action, to support the steelworkers and take forward the fight for General Strike action to bring down the Tories. And those trade union and Labour leaders who oppose such a ficht must be removed. sir: NOT SO FASTYOU'LL GET YOUR CHANCE WHEN MINERS FIGHT LEYLAND THE CUTS
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suerrilla:
capture Colombia