[Corrie.... p.9 Fine art of alienation. • p.8…]

Scan page 1

Corrie.... p.9 Fine art of alienation. • p.8 ) * 20p Cuts struggles .: • p.4 ators." of "stepping up the strike"

As the steel strike enters is twelfth solid week, the press is speculating as to the next management manoeuvre & aimed • at splitting and demoralising the strikers.

The British Steel Corporation are moving to smash the strike. They are prepared to go over the heads of the trade unions and ballot steel workers through the post.

They hope that they have chosen the moment to get a majority for a return to work.

The employers want to create the conditions to open the gates to the scabs and generate a back to work movement.

But while such management moves are to be expected at this stage, they are by no means the most decisive element in the strike.

The key factor in determining the morale and tenacity of the strikers at this point in the struggle and strengthening the management is the wholesale scabbing on the strike that has been carried out by TUC leaders.

Not only have the steel workers been left to fight the Tory government alone-with moves to bring out miners, BL workers and others being ruth347% lessly knifed by union bureaucrats-but strikebreaking supplies of steel have for twelve weeks been freely moved into and around the country by trade union labour with the connivance of union officials.

As the Financial Times arrogantly boasts:

"British industry has arranged sufficient alternative sourcing [ie. scab supplies!] roughly to balance the absence of the British Steel Corporation from the market.

"Theoretically the strike could continue indefinitely without tangible damage being caused to Britain's industrial production." (March 17).

Docks

How are these supplies being moved! Through the docks and by road. The Financial Times, quoting from government reports, points out:

•.. there has been no deterioration in the past month in the quality of the steel delivery services by road transport operik "Imports are being hampered at a few ports (!] by restrictions on handling steel, but most orders placed with European Community mills and third world countries are being delivered."

Thanks to this wholesale strikebreaking, manufacturing output has fallen by only 3% since the start of the steel strike: industry is virtually unaffected.

IGWU lorry drivers and TGWU dockers, following instructions from their officials, have been carrying supplies of steel that are aimed at breaking an official strike by TGWU steel workers!

It is in the hands of this one union alone to win the steel strike by issuing a clear instruction to all its members that no lorries should cross steel picket lines.

Yet instead, amidst 'left' talk TGWU leaders Evans and Todd have given the green light for everything except raw steel, gas and oil to drive through pickets.

In this they have lined up completely with Len Murray and the rest of the TUC General Council in their efforts to ensure the isolation of the steel strike.

It is vital that this isolation is broken-both through the fight to mobilise other sections of workers in strike action, and through a conscious turn by steel pickets to action designed to halt production at major engineering factories.

• This means confronting head-on the sabotage and treachery of TGWU and other union officials whose every effort has been directed towards ensuring that industrial production is not hit by the strike.

These bureaucrats would prefer to see the steelworkers Evans crushed by the Tories than to unleash the power of the labour movement in General Strike action to bring down the Thatcher government.

They see all too clearly that such a struggle would develop the strength of the working class and create conditions for the removal of the Labour and trade union bureaucracy that has acted consistently to hold back struggles for workers' independent interests.' Such treachery must be combatted. Moss Evans', speech to the Trafalgar Square raily on March 9 was greeted with angry roars of "stop the lorries!" Yet nothing has been done.

An all out campaign of lobbying and other action at District, Regional and National offices must now be waged by steel strikers and trade unionists throughout the country to force the TGWU to take the action to win this strike.

And at the same time other sections of workers must take up the growing call from steelworkers for the TUC to call an all-out General Strike to bring down this Tory government.

*Stop the lorries! *Dockers must blaçk all steel supplies!

*TUC must call. a General Strike!

*Bring down the Tories!

*For a workers' government!

----- pull-quotes -----

Passive Lids BAS LIMAGINS R