As Heseltine plans new attacks

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FOR COVER Manual workers in Lambeth have given a vital lead to the labour movement by calling a week of strike action in protest against Tory spending cuts.

One of the main unions involved, the IGWU 1/763 Branch, has correctly stated the view that "only massed industrial action will defeat the present government". They sot the week of action as a step towards such a struggle.

The focal point of the week of action will be a demonstration on Wednesday February 4 through Lambeth to the Labour Party headquarters in Walworth Road.

Resolution

The Labour leadership has conspicuously failed to do anything to implement the emergency resolution passed at last October's conference, which called on the NEC to organise a campaign of action against the cuts.

But perhaps a more important target for workers' anger should be the TUC. For it is the Last Saturday most of Poland was at a standstill due to a strike called by Solidarity. The only places working were those designated "essential services" by Solidarity.

Strikes have been taking place throughout the week over the refusal of the Polish government to end Saturday working, which workers see as part of the agreement which concluded the strikes and occupations in Gdansk last autumn.

This rising strike wave is a major blow to the Polish bureaucracy who were hoping to use the Solidarity leadership to hold back the struggle of the Polish workers.

The free Saturdays' movement is in direct contradiction to what the bureaucracy requires. They wish to 'solve' the crisis that their mismanagement has created in the Polish economy at the expense of the working class. For this they need more intensified work, not less.

The Polish movement last Published by Folrose Ltd for the Registered as a newspaper at the spinelessness of union leaders that has paved the way for the ruthless Tory offensive on social services, health, housing and education.

Done nothing

NUPE-with 600,000 public sector workers at risk -has done nothing to prepare or lead action against the cuts. Similarly GMWU, TGWU and other union officials have stood back and left their members defenceless in the face of the Tory attack.

In the absence of strike action • to defend the public sector it is only to be expected that even "left" councillors such as Lambeth leader Ted Knight should look for means of ducking a confrontation, with the "Tory government by raising the rates to compensate for Heseltine's cuts-while elsewhere Labour councils obediently slash jobs and services.

But councillors and union leaders cannot be allowed to continue blaming each other and dodging a fight.

They must both be called upon to take a stand. Heseltine must be told to take a running jump-jobs and services must be autumn was called off on the basis of economic promises and -most important-the establishment of independent trade unions.

This lias meant that the Polish working class now has a means of expressing its demands, something they do not have in any of the other Eastern European countries.

This cannot last. The bureaucrats in power in Poland cannot live with such a challenge to their authority, police state and material privileges. A confrontation is inevitable.

Pope

Lech Walesa is now paraded around the world. His first trip was to see the Pope. But even during his visit strikes were erupting in Poland.

The Pope told Walesa to tread carefully over the free Saturdays issue. When he returned to Poland last Monday Walesa obediently talked of the need for "prudence". But despite his opposition, strikes took place during the week, even in his own base area of Gdansk. maintained with no rise in rates: and any threat to remove, supercede or surcharge a council in deficit must be met by full scale tráde ! union action-strikes, occupations and blacking.

The TGWU workers are right. There is only one way to defeat Thatcher. But massed industrial action will not descend from the skies, It will start only when a Labour councillor or union leader is forced to declare • that enough is enough. The buck stops here.

LAMBETH DAY OF ACTION Vednesday 4 February Assemble Clapham Common, 1.00 p.m.

[arch to Labour Party zadquarters, Walwort Road THERES A NICE CUI HES ONE /BLO INSANER ted effort to intimidate and eliminate the leadership of the anti-imperialist struggle in Ireland.

The McAliskeys are still seriously ill in hospital.

Four other leading figures in the campaign for political status for repubican prisoners-John Turnly, Miriam Daly, Ronn Bunting and Noel Little-have been murdered by Loyalist gunmen.

But the renewed spate of murders and assassinations carried out in the six counties of Ireland in the past few weeks spell out not only the undisguised savagery of the Loyalist paramilitary forces: they also highlight the unmistakeable political bankruptcy of the republican leadership.

The struggle around the Long Kesh hunger strikers in the closing months of 1980 saw a rising tide of mass support for the anti-imperialist struggle.

Strike action

A day of action called by the National 'H' Blocks Committee brought the important development of widespread solidarity strike action by workers both in the North and also in numerous workplaces throughout the 26 counties.

But as both the Tory government and the republican command within Long Kesh have moved with delays and hesitations to de-escalate the 'H' Block protest it has become increasingly clear that the republican leadership has no political programme to develop and extend the mass support they had begun to mobilise.

Instéad there have been a succession of futile bombings in Britain and armed guerrilia actions in the six counties, none of which has advanced the truggle an inch, but all • of i nich have served to isolate the armed struggle from the struggles of the masses.

This is the most dangerous possible period for a reversion to such tactics. The concessions