March 9: Tuc Plea to Tories

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Mounting working class generalised action on the related nise that fi anger at the policies of the issue of steel jobs. ments lie Tem ne 1 fara and "11 Published by Folrose Ltd. for the Workers Socialist League, BM Box 5277, London WC1V 6XX. Printed by Anvil Printers, London Registered as a newspaper at the Post Office. Signed axticles do not necessarily reflect the views of the Workers Socialist League.

FUND At last we have got some movement on the Special Fund. Largely thanks to West London supporters who organised a jumble sale and raised £60!

This is clearly an example to be emulated in other areas so that we can ensure that we raise the first half of our £3,000 fund by Easter as planned.

We have £887.65 in SO far, leaving us £612.35 to go.

In the meantime ser you can afford to don ite something towards he fund.

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Socialist Press Fund BM Box 5277 London WC1V 6XX rory government, and willingness to fight them was shown once again last weekend as over 60,000 trade unionists in England and Scotland joined massive TUC demonstrations.

But the stubborn refusal of the trade union leaders to give expression or leadership to this militancy was typified in the two speeches by Len Murray, who in both Glasgow and London issued pathetic pleas for Thatcher to "sit down" and "discuss" with the TUC.

Murray's main efforts in recent weeks have been devoted to bureaucratic moves to isolate and weaken the 11-week steel strike, and to head off more The two TUC token actions against the Tories-last weekend's demonstration and the May 14 "Day of Action"-are intended to let off the head of anti-Tory steam in the working class, while doing nothing to remove this viciously anti-union Shaken Murray, • like other TUC leaders; has been profoundly shaken by the impact of the steel strike on the right wing ISTC leadership-which has come under massive pressure at regional and national level, and forced into the forefront of confrontation after years of abject collaboration with management.

The union leaders all recognise that further such developments lie just beneath the surface and are a threat to their bureaucratic power and privileges.

They have therefore redoubled their efforts to hold back mass struggles, while strutting the country making vacuous anti-Tory speeches.

But workers are beginning to see, through this facade. The Trafalgar Square rally saw a growing crowd of trade unionists join in heckling Moss Evans ("Stop the lorries!"), public sector and other union leaders, calling for General Strike action against the Tories.

Murray's plea for talks with Thatcher produced a crescendo of heckling that nearly drowned out his speech. And several . bureaucrats blundered into attempts to answer the hecklers, turned towards controlling the May 14 "Day of Action"

Murray has vociterously opposed strike action on that day-but it appears that some union leaders, such as Scottish TUC General Secretary Jimmy Milne, and SOGAT General Secretary Bill Keys are prepared to call for a one-day stopWe have made no secret of our view that one-day strikes are inadequate in themselves to stop the Tories: but our members and supporters will be fighting in their unions and workplaces for an all-out strike on May 14 as part of our demand for indefinite General Strike action to bring down this Tory government and create conditions for the working class to deal with the right wing traitors in the Labour Party and trade union Cung