Defend abortion rights steel jobs, social services CALL A GENERAL STRIKE

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ORBY CORRY ® CORIN NOI SAYS CO Sh NO! SA CORBY › O" CORBY ORE OSURE ST - SAYS SAYS CLOs HI Corrie's Bill, which will drastically restrict women's right to a legal abortion.

The Bill will limit legal abortions to one-third of present figures, and force thousands of working class women to decide between backstreet abortions or unwanted children.

It will put at risk of legal prosecution doctors and other health workers who do go ahead with abortions. The upper time limit for an abortion will be reduced to 20 weeks from the present 28, many charities now providing free abortions will be forced to close, and the criteria concerning risk to the mother's health will be interpreted extremely strictly. But in fighting this new legislation and its implementation, women need in no way fight alone. Corrie is by no means the only Tory carrying through vicious attacks on the working class. His Bill is merely one part of the Thatcher government's determined policy to restore the profits of the British capitalist class at the expense of workers' jobs, rights, living standards and social services.

The most recent evidence of this policy is the government's refusal to increase child benefits in line with inflation. Yet they have deliberately increased the price of gas by some 20% saying that it is too cheap" compared with oil and coal.

Tory offensive Similar policies have been carried out ever since Thatcher was elected: the Tories' first moves were to increase pay for the army and the police, while announcing massive cuts in health, education, social service and DHSS spending.

These first steps have been followed by mass. sackings in the Civil Service, British Shipbuilders and British Leyland, and now by Sir Keith Joseph's contemptuous handling of the steel workers.

Not content with announcing steel plant closures and the loss of 50,000 jobs, he then proceeded to otter a 2% wage increase (with inflation currently running at over 17%!)

So incensed were the steelworkers at this that Bill Sirs, right wing leader of the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation was forced to call the first national steel strike since 1926.

As the strike has developed, he has struggled desperately to contain the vast energies of the workers on the picket lines and the supporting actions of railway, transport and other workers.

Yet despite the Tory offensive and the willingness of workers to fight back, the Welsh TUC's call for a general strike against the closures of steel plants has not been taken up by Murray and the TUC leaders.

A general strike would be able to combine all the struggles of the working class against the attacks on their wages, jobs, services and democratic rights such as abortion rights, and direct towards the main question-bringing down the Tory government.

Women must play an important part in fighting to prepare and mobilise such a general strike and in the councils of action which must be built in every locality to link together all the wages, jobs and cuts struggles. Resolutions must be tabled in all trade union branches and labour movement bodies calling on the TUC to take up the Welsh TUC's proposal and call a General Strike to demand the removal of the Tory government.

Huge Corby demonstration opposes closures call for a three-line whip on Labour MPs to vote against Corrie and for a commitment for the next Labour government to repeal all anti-abortion legislation. Women workers should spread the call for strike action against the cuts on February 18 called by the South Yorkshire Trades Councils into a national strike call. Resolutions to this effect should be put to union branches and trades councils immediately.

Socialist Bringing down the Tories will not however solve the problem unless the Labour government which replaces it is called upon by the working class to implement socialist policies.

Socialist policies must begin from the needs of the working men and women: wages to increase with inflation; a socialist planned economy to provide full employment; health and education services under workers control; the withdrawal of British troops from Ireland; and the guarantee of full democratic rights such as abortion rights and the repeal of the Immigration laws.

SAYS URDE has rigi oul rep Experience under the last Labour government i proved that there is no chance of the present. ht wing Labour leaders even attempting to carry i such policies. They must be removed and ¡laced: but who by?

The Labour 'lefts', too, have a sorry record of situlating to the Callaghan-Healey leadership. t many workers still see them as a 'socialist' ernative to the right wing.

We must therefore demand that the lefts' npaign now for the removal of the right wing dership and that they mobilise the working class carry out socialist policies. We say 'no' to other Callaghan-Healey government: 'yes' to a irkers government that will carry out policies in r interests.

Insofar as the lefts' will fight for such a rspective, we offer them support, and demand ey go further. But at the same time Woman orker will fight to build a revolutionary, Marxist dership in the working class that is able and Illing to expose, challenge and remove the 'lefts' the point they retreat. fight

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