want 40,000 redundancies.
on what we do in the next few weeks."
That's how one South Wales militant described the situation in the steel industry to Red Weekly last week. The concessions that the BSC have annonced - temporary lifting of the axe above older, smaller works, and maintenance of the guaranteed working week for the time being - have only postponed the threat to steelworkers jobs. Offensive Next weekend will see the opening of the BSC's new offensive in the South Wales plants, when the new deadline for the run-down of weekend working comes into force. It was the determined strike action by Port Talbot workers in the teeth of opposition from their own national union 'leaders' which forced the BSC to set a longer fuse.
Now the leadership of the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation, having signed the deal with the BSC, propose to leave the rank-and-file at the mercy of BSC management. Through the working out of so-called "local agreements' on manning levels, job flexibility and an end to weekend working - the issue which sparked off the South Wales strikes steel workers in local plants will be left to take the brunt of the BSC's national offensive. Already there is readers for their donations:
Student 2.50 Brighton IMG 08.00 Bristol IMG 36.08 bristol teacher 10.00 Bristo teacher 5.20 Bristol hospital worker 5.00 Brighton reader END OF FEBRUARY. week!
'The Week'). *The BSC has simply decided to use a longer fuse. They still They still want to do away with the guaranteed working week. Whether it's our jobs and living standards that get blown to bits or the BSC's strategy depends La threat of short-time working at the giant Llanwern plant in South Wales.
Time is running short.
Exploit The danger facing steelworkers is that BSC management will use local negotiations to play off one steel plant against another - so that plants like Port Talbot, where union organisation is relatively strong, will demand that their jobs are kept at the expense of smaller plants such as BSC Whiteheads in Newport.
Management will exploit to its utmOse ne augond OVsTors Der ween craft and production workers within the steel industry. In this they will be aided by Sirs and the ISTC bureaucracy, who are more likely to blame the jobs crisis on the engineers and the other craft unions than fight for unity against the BSC'S offensive. The only fight Sirs will lead is selling 'voluntary' redundancies to his members.
Fragmentation leading to demoralisation and defeat - that is the aim of BSC management. To overcome it and the scabbing of their own leaders, steelworker militants up and down the country must fight for the setting up of action committees in every plant.
Our thanks to the following IMG branches and Red Weekly Colchester IMG London iMG N. London IMG Manchester IMG Special sale of IMG materd Well, comrades, £359 may seem a lot of money but it really isn't anywhere near enough. If we are serious about raising £15,000 by the end of February then we need £2,200 EVERY WEEK FROM NOW UNTIL THE We appeal to all our readers and supporters: every pound sent in will be put to the best possible use - the fight against Wilson's anti-working class policies and building the Fourth International. There isn't a better way of spending £1! This is the last month in which to raise our £15,000. If every reader of Red Weekly sent us £1 now we could make our target this Rush donations to: Jo-Ann, 97 Caledonian Roed, N.1. (Cheques/POs payable to uction workers and plant with plant, action committees can lead the tight ers plan for the steel industry which defends jobs. In this way the steel cuts can be resisted. Build action committees! Don't let the BSC divide and rule!
Mick Gosling CARDI-- IMGPUBLIC MEEHING 'Crisis in the Steel Industry - Fight for the Right to Work'. Speakers: Steve Vokes, ISTC Branch Official; Tim Hall IMG Industrial Organiser. 7.30, Wednescav reoruarv au rour cims ruo off Newport Road, Cardiff.
By uniting craftsmen with prodfor the right to work. An alternative leadership to the sell-out merchants of the steel union bureaucracies must be forged around policies which demand the extension of the guaranteed working week to give 100 per cent protection to jobs and wages, and the opening of BSC's books to prepare a workScottish steelworkers demonstrating in London Tribunite MPs and Communist Party convenors queued up to give their explanations for the crisis in the car industry to a badly attended conference on the motor industrv in Birmingham last weekend Despite this, the conference - which had been organised by the Institute for Workthe previous week. He didn't want to defeat the Government. he explained. But now that the Tories had shown they were going to support the Labour Government backbenchers like himself could and must challenge the Labour Government 'head
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£8778.12 TO RAISE IN FOUR WEEKS
STEL SH WRATH/
WILL BE HAROLD AND THEE FEEL