Firemen's Strike Will Threaten Coalition

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Mass rejection The decision by the Fire Brigades Union to start all-out strike action from next Monday is a direct threat to the Lib-Lab coalition government.

The firemen are demanding an increase of 30%. This is what is needed to give them average industrial earnings pius 10% for skill and danger.

Even this claim would only give a fireman £86 for a 48-hour week.

But, it won, the struggle would provide the first breakthrough against Chancellor Healey's 10% limit in the public sector, It was in order to impose such wage control that the Liberals decided to prop up the reactionary Callaghan government-as the Workers Socialist League has stressed from the beginning. -While several sections of workers-such as Fords-have broken through the 10% limit, few apart from the Scottish lorry drivers have done so to the extent of the firemen's claim.

This is why the government intends to hold the line at any price.

The moment the FBU vote was announced, Home Secretary Merlyn Rees declared in Parliament that troops would be used to scab on the firemen, rather than concede the claim.

Almost in the same breath Rees was defending the savage actions of police on the Grunwick picket line-a clear test-run for the Special Patrol Group as a picketbusting squad for disputes elsewhere.

Army and RAF scabs would use their own equipment-are are being trained for the task at Fyffe in Scotland.

But the firemen confront an equally reactionary enemy in the shape of their own official union leadership.

The FBU • Executive opposed the 2-1 vote for strike action.

And General Secretary Terry Parry later described the decision as "tragic"

Parry is setting the stage for a witchhunt similar to that against the power workers.

Workers are showing more and more contempt for such leaders. The firemen will be joining a succession of workers already involved in action-including Vauxhalls, Rolls Royce and Smiths.

The power workers, who have repeatedly and openly stated their distrust in their union leaders have only just shown signs of calling off their action.

And of course the miners nave just voted to reject the NCB's productivity scheme and proceed with their £135 claim.

The danger in each case is the absence of a principled leadership. Parry is already talking of settling for "guarantees" of more money next year, while doing nothing to counter the threat of troops being used.

Despite the limitation of their claim-which lacks any provision for a cost-of-living clause to protect against inflation-the firemen must be supported.

If they break the 10% limit and the reactionary Lib-Lab coalition, they will do so for the whole working class.

Need this mean that a Tory government will be returned? Not at all. The Tories have shown they do not want to be returned to confront a victorious working class. It PHOTO: Andrew Wiard, Report, After the clear decis ion of miners to reject the productivity deal proposed by the NCB and the NUM Executive, the right wing now have no choice but to delay would be extremely difficult for them to carry through their anti-union policies in such conditions.

Workers must not allow the possibility of a Tory government to deter them from fighting the scab herders and strike breakers of the Lib-Lab coalition.

The working class would be strengthened if, in every area involved in the firemen's struggle, councils of action action the £135 claim.

They will atempt to hold up proceedings until the miners Phase 2 settlement runs out next Spring.

Any other step would, they know, lead to immediate confrontation with the pay policy and the Lib-Lab Such dela lying tactics must be rejected by miners. The 12-month rule must be broken-and action taken as soon as the NCB rejects the E135 claim.

Already the miners ballot has raised working class militancy on wages, and struck a heavy blow at all productivity deals. aLO •wIT are formed Councils and tees, drawing all unions an ment bodies a organisations ployed.

And that he of Spain's IRELAND (Part Two)

Lenin and Trotsky October Revolution.. around Trades strike commitdelegates from d labour moves well as tenants and the unemThe aim of such councils of action must be to counter any moves to break the strike, by bringing other sections of workers into action for their own pay claims, alongside the firemen.

The strength of the claim is that it sets out to regain all that has been lost over the past three years of wage control.

But its weakness is that it contains no demand for a cost of living clause to protect against coming inflation.

While Yorks President Arthur Scargill campaigned strongly against the productivity deal, miners must be on their guard.

After several mobilisations over the summer, Scargil conspicuously produced no miners on Monday's Grunwick picket.

there is no evidence will fight for immedMass reject --pp.6-7 Write Merseyside firemen in an earlier dispute Such organisations are essary to defeat army police intervention.

Alongside this fight, we must expose the treachery of the Parliamentary left Labourites by demanding they fight to break the coal ition and support all pay strikes.

In this way we can show the need for the working class to develop its indepen dent strength.

iate strike action against 12-month rule, for the claim.

Meanwhile there are manoeuvres open to Gorm and the right wing W remain determined to tage the claim.

No compromise on 35!

Break 2-month

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An IMF delegation has now been in Ankara for more than a month discussing the Demirel government's application for a $1,000 million loan to prop up the bankrupt Turkish economy.

The most the IMF has far hinted it would offer $200-300 million, attached rigorous conditions.

And in the meantime a mere $40 million has been handed over, as a reward for the government's 10% devaluation of the Turkish lira and 100% increases in the price of a range of goods bought by workers.

The IMF are demanding that such attacks go much further-to bring about a 35% devaluation, a slashing of state spending, the scrapping of government plans to invest in heavy industry, a total wage freeze, and the cancelling of all bonuses paid to civil servants.

Different plans

The unstable National Front coalition government, pledged to uphold capitalism in Turkey, has little choice but to comply with these demands.

Turkey's estimated income is £6,000 million while expenditure is predicted at £8,400 million.

The trade deficit over the last ten months is over £2,200 million; and the Central Bank of Turkey has no foreign currency even to finance the import of oil and basic raw materials for industry.

Such is the disruption caused by this crisis that regular power cuts of three hours a day are bringing bankruptcy to many small firms, and government-owned factories, including the Seydisehir aluminium plants, have been shut down to save electricity.

This closure was made possible by the control exercised by the fascist "trade union" confederation, MISK which viciously suppressed any resistance.

1X1 ETCITESTI But while the fascists are playing a key role in the employers' strategy, other sections of the extreme right are in confusion.

The religious zealots of the National Salvation Party, partners in the coalition, are incensed at the IMF demands that they drop their utopian plan to set up independent heavy industry in Turkey, and the instruction by these international bankers that investment be concentrated in agriculture.

Such is the uncertainty of the NF coalition that vicious repression is used now against the slightest resistance.

Offensive

Last month police with machine guns and armoured cars attacked 5,000 workers who resisted moves to demolish their shanty-town dwellings on government land in the Umraniye district of Istanbul. Six workers were killed, hundreds wounded and hundreds arrested.

But workers fight on. 40,000 metal workers have been on strike against the Police violence in Istanbul metal workers' employers federation since May.

They are struggling against employers' attempts to impose an industry-wide wages settlement. Union policy is to achieve plant level negotiations.

Another 5000 workers in 12 factories are locked out by employers in a bid to break the strike.

Workers Workers are denied any independent however. Leaders of both the right wing and the 'left'

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DISPUTE ENDS BUT FIREMEN SACKED