THE UNIONS their giant parent company, GEC Wales mills by March 1978 -labour force. men. Most of them are reconciled to the fact that jobs must go, although it sull nas to be negonated on a works basis.
These were the inspiring words of leadership with which Mr Stan Biddiscombe, South Wales organiser for the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation, greeted the British Steel Corporation's target of 9,300 redundancies in the South 14 per cent of the present Details of the BSC's plans for achieving 23,000 or more redundancies over the next two years are now emerging. Although the figure of 44,000 has disappeared, and the Corporation has decided to ease off its attack on weekend working until local agreements are reached, its offensive against jobs and for speed-up remains geared to the same goals. The difference is that rank-and-file steelworkers are now firmly shackled by the agreement signed last try Consultative Committee ment signed by the steel union leaders. workers in a common swussie Last weekend the only sign of resistance to this sell-out came from the engineering workers at BSC's Appleby Frodingham plant, Scunthorpe, who walked out after management suspended premium Sunday shifts for some of their mates. It was this issue that triggered the original South Wales strikes. the momentum of which was defused by the cowardly agree The mess left by the union leaderships can only be cleared up by action at the rank and file level. Forging the unity of steelworkers around the fight for jobs through the extension of the guaranteed working week to give 100 per cent protection to jobs and wages is the task of the hour. This will only be achieved through the building of steel action committees within and between plants to link craft and production