Steel Men Face Speed-up

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Leading Labour 'lefts' and steel union leaders agreed last week week to severe cuts in the workforce of the British Steel Corporation. Many thousands of jobs are to be axed through 'voluntary' redundancy schemes, 'natural wastage' and 'weeding out persistent absentees'.

The agreement, deceptively boosted in the capitalist press as a "reprieve" from the 20,000 redundancies demanded by BSC chairman Monty Finniston, is a direct result of the collaboration of Wedgewood Benn with BSC, and will ahve a severe impact on steelworkers. As Finniston himself said on TV, "there are more ways than one of skinning a cat" . In the 'deal' is provision for elimination of 'unnecessary' overtime, the "most rig orous control" of recruitment of new labour, the reduction of manning levels on "overmanned" sections, linked to voluntary redundancy, and "a degree of flexibility" on plant loading. William Sirs, general secretary of the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation said on Monday that he hoped union proposals would produce what he called "satisfactory savings" in the face of "a very serious problem" • The savings he is talking about are all of course at the expense of steelworkers jobs and living standards which he is supposedly paid to protect.

POSTPONED

Yet even after these trade union concessions Benn stated clearly at a rally of jeering trade unionists at Central Hall Westminster last Tuesday that far from all the jobs are saved. The closure of some plants "could only be postponed", and went on to say that & he said can guarantee that every man will keep his job." In other words, BSC demands not just speed up, rationalisation and wage cutting. but also carry out alism.

'ant closures in orde r to its role for British ci pitFRAUD What emerges is the fraud in Benn's original attack on Finniston for calling for redundancies. Benn knew then the requirements of BSC and knew the strong chances of collaboration in the speed up from the ISTC leaders. The celebrated "row" over the sackings was angled to win popularity for Benn himself, and to disguise the fact that Finniston's policy was completely in harmony with Healey's budget.

Workers must give no credence to the 'left' posturings of Benn and Foot, but demand that those claim ing to be left take up urgently the defence of jobs and wages against the capitalist class and the Labour right wing. Benn on the platform at Central Hall.

the full amount and must include automatic increases as the rate of inflation increases at rates to be decided by trade union committees. (c) for a programme of government financed public works to ensure full employment and to guarantee essential services, and this to be linked to the nationalisation of the building industry and land so that private firms do not use this to make profits.

The 6,128 wood workers who left UCATT between 1973 and 1974 voted with their feet on the policies of the leadership. Also the long list of Yorkshire branches who did not send resolutions to this conference, must act as a warning that is is vital to the continuation ions must be decided at the conference. Notice must be served on the leadership that if they are not prepared to defend their members' interests they will have to make way for those who will. begin to impose further cutbacks.

Confrontations have taken place over the 87% temperatures in the laundry room, over the lack of basic equipment such as hospital lifts, causing dangerous situations with heavy items having to be carried up the stairways, and on the question of private practice in the hospital. A two hour strike took place when a consultant refused to see two trade unionists from the hospital. By blacking all but emergency private cases, trade unionists were, he said, "taking away his livelihood"

So while the hospital management shrug their shoulders and tell workers they nave "no money" for equipment basic to any hospital, the private practice profiteers are maintained within the hospital, subsidised by low-paid hospital workers.

Stewards are now asking what can be done, beyond protest strike action, to improve working conditions. Clearly action must start from hospital workers themselves organised in their unions. The joint shop stewards committee must demand access to plans for all improvements and vitally needed rebuilding, together with full information on waiting lists, drug costs, and all accounts held by the Area Health Authority. A committee of trade unionists must be elected specifically to enquire into these questions and report back.

ACTION

If figures or plans are withheld then the Joint Shop Stewards must call for maximum local supporting action in order to force its, release.

Investigation of these figures will show workers the need for nationalisation of the drug industry and for a sliding scale of health service expenditure to maintain the value of spending by authorities who are claiming problems from inflation.

The committee must set time limits for improvements, and failure to meet these limits must be met by strike action.

These actions must be combined with a black on private patients. At the same time, a sharpening of the political fight is necessary, through the unions and in the Labour Party, to remove those trade union and Labour leaders who at present refuse to defend the NHS.

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and expansion of the union that a policy to fight for jobs and condit-