Intercontinental Press * Inprecor JOSEPH HANSEN, who died in New York two weeks ago, was the founder and editor of Intercontinental Inprecor He transformed it from mimeographed journal to its present form unified magazine reflecting the views of the Fourth International. It bears Joe's stamp throughout, its low-key and meticulous style sometimes concealine a controversial and polemical streak.
It is appropriate, then, that the present issue (Vol 17, No 3) should carry or joe lengthy appreciation longtime comrade Novack.
Single copies are 30p plus postage, but a far better way of honouring Joe Hansen and the institution he did so much to build IS by taking subscription: £9 for one year, £5 for six months or £2.50 for introductory offer of 10 issues.
Write now to Intercontinental Press/Inprecor, PO Box 50, London N1 2XP. Cheques payable to Intercontinental Press/Inprecor. THE West German steelworks are busy again. But only after lying deserted for forty days as 100,000 strikers demanded a 35-hour week.
Order reigns once more in the Ruhr. The bosses paid a high price in lost production during Press/ the strike - as much as £250 million according to estimates. But then the stakes Were m.
To have conceded a 35-hour week in the steel industry would have been to open up a breach through which the rest of the class could WORKING poured. So the bosses held out.
KARL BRINKMANN is a shop his steward at the MannesmannGeorge Huckingen steel Duisburg, and also a member of the Social Democratic Party which is in government. TOM JORDAN asked him how the union leaders had managed to get the strike called off.
That's the big question, It's not a matter personalities. beginning I don't think any of the high-ups wanted a strike.
First they said militants: 'Of course we want it, but you'll never backing of the And now employers throughout West demanding a signed contract to maintain the before they will negotiate on anything else at all.
They are in a position to do this thanks to the leadership of the IG Metall union who were not abe ballot on thee finas ballot sell-out deal.
The union claimed a 54.6 per cent vote In subsequent number of plants have shown that the deal could not possibly have secured a majority. have In fact the peculiar concept of workers democracy in IG Result: an 87 percent vote to strike. in Then, two days before the strike was due, compromise offer on holidays better than we finished up with in the end.
But the shop stewards told the IG Metall leadership: we're not interested, it's the 35-hour of week we're after. And they had of to go ahead with the strike. Right from the However, they weakened our position step by step. progressively the basic demand for 35 hours.
At the beginning it was a question of 35 hours. Then it workers.: became a move towards 35 Germany are positive vote to 40-hour week the strike in any case.
But the obviously were made.
So the labour favour. But inquiries in increase in holidays.
crushing defeat. flourish the there was a an week.
use are holidays factory?
They abandoned our workers Metall, requiring a 75 per cent launch would have meant the end of union leadership felt that such a VOTE would nave threatened its own position. And so a few adjustments' most important West Germany for thirty years ended with no reudetion in hours and only a small wage rise and slight Germany. ( But it would be wrong to talk of a of their workers The size of the vote against hours'. Then a 'move towards And noW they extra holidays, claiming that this is somehow union card.
inroad into the 40-hour much Yet as one of them said in the struggle first days of the strike:
if outside the country These people have a different understanding of trade unionism. They don't see the union as an instrument of struggle defend the interests of the I think they see it more as an element of integration into the union shows this. So too does the fact that this was only the most recent and powerful in a series of working class struggles.
The number of days lost in strikes or lock-outs in 1978 was 5.8 million — an all-time record in West Germany.
Furthermore, this struggle has acted as an inspiration and example to other workers, well beyond the frontiers of West placing the 35-hour week at the forefront the demands the steelhave shown a way - they're acting more from the point of view of their SPD party card than their trade So they obviously don't have interest in leading which serves the interests of the union members. They're tied to those who are in charge of running things in this the social-democratic leadership When the interests of the 7810 agalnst int interests of the state, I'm ready beneve that the entire leadership is prepared weaken the union.
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