Tories on the Run: Chase Them Out

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employers to recommend accep- MIT TOAN MAIT nINAM TOAT KaIn tance of a miserable 12.3% offer the struggle for socialist policies The Tories are on the run. And running by their side are the TUC leaders.

The Thatcher government is still reeling from their defeat at the hands of the miners. They are disoriented by the catastrophic failure of their economic policies.

And, just as they thought they were out of the woods on wages, they have been hit by the militancy of the water workers, pay demands from the power workers and the anger of the civil service unions-all of which have crashed through Thatcher's 6% limit.

Restrict demands

But at each stage union officials have done their utmost to contain the strength of their members, restrict their demands and prevent the growth of action which could grow into a General Strike to defeat the Tories.

As water workers followed the miners' example and walked out on unofficial strikes in pursuit of their pay claim, their officials got together with the amaniaiore ta sonammani annan.

-below the level of inflation!

Gas workers' leaders have replied to a "final" employers' offer of under 10% by cutting back their claim to 12-13%.

And leaders of the four manual workers in the power industry have submitted a claim for only 13%-again representing a cut in real wages for their 85,000 members.

No action In the public services, too, union leaders continue to sound the retreat-with no call to action to defend jobs, conditions and services abainst cuts in local government and NHS spending.

Yet anger and militancy 1s rising 'in every sector of the working class-in the factories, on the estates, on the dole queues. Last week 70,000 marched through Glasgow in a huge anti-Tory march.

Workers have seen from the miners that it is possible to defeat the Tory offensive, and bring down the government.

But they are saddled with a trade union and Labour Party leadership who are determined to avoid any such fight, which they foot mnnld flui nuar intr under a Labour government.

The alliance of union bureaucrats and Labour right wingers against the democratic reforms of Wembley and Blackool spells out their opposition to socialist politics.

But the growth of the left wing within the labour movement shows the possibility and necessity of constructing a new, revolutionary leadership that will fight for a genuine workers'