Tanker Drivers. Power Workers: Str Ke Now!

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troops go in FBU Executive in session, chaired by Terry As 40,000 metal workers in Turkey enter their seventh month of strike, a march of their supporters in Britain will travel from Birmingham to London next weekend.

The strike, based on 42 factories, has brought virtually the whole metallurgical industry and sections of manufacturing industry to a standstill.

It was called in opposition to attempts by the Metal Employers Federation (MESS) to impose a single, centralised system of pay bargaining and scrap existing plant negotiatións.

Avoided

This would have the effect of weakening the 80,000-strong metalworkers' union, which is one of the last surviving strongholds of Communist Party control in the Turkish unions.

Despite the high stakes involved, the Turkish Stalinists have steadfastly avoided attempts to extend the strike to other unions and have actually handed over control of the strike to the bourgeois leaders of the "left' union confederation DISK.

However, the CP-dominated march in solidarity with this struggle-which departs from and passes through Coventry and Oxford en route for Londonshould be supported by British trade unionists and cash aid for the Turkish strikers raised in union branches. PHOTO: Mark Rusher. IFL Coming Out..

Councils of Action Lessons of Metrolpole Whichever way the vote goes at the FBU recall conference in Bridlington on Thursday the crucial question facing the working class is the willingness of the leaders of unions with outstanding claims to call their members out in support of their claims.

If the FBU conference votes to stay out, such action will be essential to break the isolation imposed on the firemen by the TUC.

If on the other hand the conference votes for a return to work, the result will be the outcome of the most squalid manoeuvring by the FBU leadership, who have calculated the critical point to move in and recommend a sell-out.

Parry and his cronies on the •executive allowed militant members anger to wane after the TUC refusal to support them, put no demands on those who claimed to support the firemen and began carefully to cultivate the view that "nothing more can be done".

Impression

And by leaving a week between their recommendation for acceptance and the recall conference they allowed the press to build up an impression of growing forces for acceptance.

Whether or not firemen defy this pressure and vote on Thursday to reject the offer, their first job must be to clear out their reactionary executive committee which from the outset opposed the strike and after losing the vote has spent the whole nine weeks biding their time for a sell-out attempt.

Scottish FBU militants hit the right note this week when they lobbied their regional committee with the demand "Fight on- with new leaders"

Their next job must be to step up the demand that those 17 TUC leaders who claim to support them put their words into action.

100,000 power workers who took unofficial action last November are being held back by extended negotiaIreland: the strike goes through the motions ‹ votes in support of the fir men and verbal threats to ti Thousands of oil ar petrol drivers, who al: recently took unofficial stril action, have been manoe vred by TGWU leaders int timewasting meetings wil ACAS whilst Moss Evan General Secretary elec seconded the motion at ti TUC supporting the firemen Both these sections workers have enormol industrial power and coul shut Britain down withi days.

If the isolation of the l month rule was ended an another section of worke joined the firemen on strik both sections could be unite through councils of action a struggle to extend ti strike and break wa!

This is the only polic which offers a way to win th strike.

Discuss claim

Firemen must take ti initiative and approach oth sections of workers who claims have been rejected.

Go to the tanker depot press the drivers to tal action. Contact the pow workers and discuss ti claim.

The longer these sectio: delay, the greater the chan that they too face betrayal t the TUC and by their ov leaders in the fight against ti 10% limit.

Such a campaign wou create completely ne conditions for the firemen strike and show the way fo ward for the whole worki class.

Only action to destroy ti 10% limit can prevent ti Callaghan-Steel governme: proceeding with its plans 1 impose a Phase 4 of wal controls, and force a split this wage-cutting Lib-La coalition.

Beware

But one lesson from t FBU strike is unmistakeabl even a 98% solid offic strike by a whole unio showing the utmost tenacity, sacrifice and det mination of its rank and f members can founder if t leadership shrinks from t political consequences of all-out fight.

Power workers and tank drivers beware! Militancy not enough. A . politic leadership prepared to co front the TUC bureaucrac

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metal Norkers strike