Last month the first ever national conterence or the Iron & steel trades Confederation was held in London. This union, the main organiser in the steel industry, has never been known for its "progressive face (Dai Davies, former General Secretary, was knighted by Heath in 1973 for 'services to trade unionism'); however, under Bill Sirs the union is trying to 'get back into the mainstream of the trade union moment.
The "practical" side of this was seen aune conlerence. wnen y2nous Ic solutions were passed on unemployment and earlier retirement-although no attempt to organise action around these isses was proposed!
On unemployment a motion was passed unanimously "in backing the TUC to curb the rising tide of unemployment". This ignores the fact that the TUC is in an alliance with a Government which tolerates 1½ million unemployed. Indeed, in the stee indusiv wuuu toDs nave beel lost in the last year alone.
Again, the steelworkers followed the miners in demanding retirement at 55-but unlike the miners, agreed only to use 'all reasonable means at their disposal". This gives the Executive Council a blank cheque-to do nothing!
HOMECT 2 120 U101 W25 02340 against the Executive's advice calling for a 35-hour week, showing that there is plenty of rank and file concern over such questions as overtime and unemployment.
While lett to the official leaders these resolutions will become useless scraps of paper, they do provide the basis for organising a campaign for the implementation of conference decisions. Such implementation would involve fighting for the demand of work-sharing with no loss of pay as a practical way of securing the 35-hour week and early retirement.
BSC's policies for redundancy programmes and steel capacity at various plants are open to workers" inspection. For instance, a coke ovenat East Moors in Cardiff was shut for a year and has only recently reopened -but neither the workers themselves nor the unions were ever told why! A demand for the opening of BS's books would prevent such an insult to the workforce re-occurring, just as a demand for work-sharing with no loss of pay would give practical effect to the conference resolutions.
Robert White (ISTC) It would also mean demanding that -1 the bankers' socialism in general. paces