[looking to these corps of volunteer hangmen, both…]

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looking to these corps of volunteer hangmen, both to deal a mortal blow to the maturing strike of print workers and to suffocate the metal workers' strike while it is still in the cradle.

Loyal to the interests of capitalism, the union leaders worked like beavers to contain the pressure ot militancy behind a carefully constructed dam of ciasscollaboration.

quarters Now they are being reluctantly swept along with the flood. But they still keep an experienced eye open for the first opportunity to leap back to safer quarters, and resume their historic task of building obstacles.

In negotations with the employers, Eugen Loderer, President of IG-Metall, tirelessly proclaimed his readiness to bargain away the union's 8% wage claim and accept a level actually below that recommended in government policy.

But all this was in vainche employers refused to concede even paltry 5% ncrease.

Angry demands from the :ank and file finally left Loderer no option but to hold a ballot in the two major industrial areas.

Daunting majority

This revealed that 90% of the members were in favour of strike action.

Undeterred by this daunting majority, the union's national executive persevered in its campaign of sabotage. At their next meeting, these 'leaders' unanimously called a strike in North Wuerttemberg - North Baden from March 15. German S PD leader Schmidt (centre) Chairman Wily Brandt (right)

But at the same time they postponed indefinitely the decision on strike action in the even more important region of North Rhine-Westphalia.

IG-Metall has 700,000 members in the two areas, and joint action in both regions would swiftly cripple West German industry.

This gesture of goodwill to the capitalists was generously accompanied by an unconditional agreement to the employers' plea for talks before the strike is due to begin.

These are the actions of desperate men, who can see their nightmare of independent action by workers becoming å l menacing daylight reaiity - Meanwhile their fellow in IG-Druck continue to ride out the storm in the printing industry by a similar combination of manoeuvres.

Threatened by employers with a national lockout, they have struck back-by an offer of virtually unconditional talks on the introduction of new technology.

Persistent traitors Such moves are the risks that need to be taken if the labour leaders are to succeed in defending capitalism by frustrating the independent interests of the working class.

It is the fight against these persistent traitors that is central to the present struggles of workers in West Germany-a fight that can be carried through to victory only by a revolutionary leadership armed with the Transitional Programme of the Fourth International.