EDWARD Heath wasn't unlucky. 1970-74 Tory a world next round resistance by the working class.
Africa like a mill stone.
Corporation
of not be delivered over pay.
The steelworkers nor the them shout ever are over the have accepted.
The application of built by strikers. the Steel prune pay and plants, to be raised next confrontation in working class monetarism at work.
will depend on picketing more unemployment.
Wing committee February the nationally. offer, Which Yorkshire rejecting it.
Page 2..
quite Nine months into the government and Ted had notched up the defeat of the postal workers after a bitter strike over pay. Nine months of Thatcher's rule have presented her government and party with a bad case of nerves.
The spending cuts so far ordered are still a long way from the Tories' alm or boosung pronts by truacaung the welfare state. Yet the hostility to the existing measures has installed in the government the fear that anything approaching the f2 billion cuts that the Treasury has suggested for the would bring united Meanwhile the steel strike weighs The British Steel government took us on purposely because of my past record of co-operation,' Bill Sirs, the ISIC general secretary, generous ly acknowledged last weekend.
That co-operation, in abandoning steel plants, jobs, and towns, could were originally offered 2 per cent. Last Friday, Sirs brought together IST's 80-strong negotiating committee only to have down the Steel Corporation's offer of 2 per cent plus 12 per cent pay-for-jobs deal which the leaderships of the craft unions the government's monetarist policies is being tested to the endurance of the steel The cash limits imposed on Corporation, in order to may well have in the public sector they will meet a weaker foe. But the steelworkers have given the ciear picture of Whether victory is theirs in the end more their strength if they are to prevent Sirs cobbling together a deal the which does little for pay and a lot for The formation by the local strike committees of a national co-ordinatwould greatly strengthen rank-and-tie control over both the strike and its outcome. On 14 Times CaRE UNTOUS meet decide on their pay should follow the example of the mass meeting in South Friday STEELWORKERS march through Sheffield on 21 January The blockade of steel has shown up a critical weakness of cash limits from government's standpoint. linking pay with jobs, the Cabinet has discovered that a strike over wages carries with it the threat of a collective refusal to join the dole queues. That of course is the pace of developments in South Wales, where the Sunday says there insurrection' The TUC General Council, busily seeking to defuse that situation (see page 5), is no doubt aghast that the government does not appear to be similarly engaged. While the labour leaders want to see the return of a Labour government, By removal by a general strike could be very damaging to their privileges. It's the pace of developments which is so upsetting the government. They were happy enough with the progress of Prior's proposed anti-union laws until the steel strike was extended to near the private sector.
But with picketing now effectively to the fore, British Industry is demanding that the Employment Bill should put a stop any such action.
Howe, Chancellor of the Exchequer
Thatcher's Relations
Confederation of Geoffrey their worst fears. and architect of the 1971 Industrial Act, has that these legal changes will be made.
Visions of the Heath debacle now loom large in Conservative circles, not for want of history lessons but the dictates of the capitalist crisis. Victory for the steel workers, a huge demonstration on 9 Prior • laws, ensuring that the Wales general strike meets its 10 March date of initiation, and extending that action to the rest of Britain would grant the Tories
This woman is an ISTC member at the Darnell Engineering firm of Hayden Nilos Conflow Ltd.
«We're serious in what me're doing', said a wire department worker. 'We heard there was a lot of steel coming out of the works stopped two lorries but two have gone through.' behind our husbands all the way. We all want 20 per cent, the same as our husbands and sons.' Margaret Thatcher held no charms for these women pickets.
the Iron Lady' badge put it most eloquently: 'We're prepared to stay out till we get our 20 per cent — and till we get Maggie Thatcher Ten per cent of ISTC members & are women. Many of them receive very low wages working as cleaners, in canteens, as clerical workers and computer operators.
here! We started at dinner time. We A woman cleaner said: "We're One woman wearing & 'Smelt ALL three WOmen. picketing since the end of the first week of the strike. Pauline told as why:
'We have the same interest in the strike as the men. We want 20 per cent without any strings. So we've been on flying pickets to Birmingham and London. We went on the demonstration to J above have been involved in the Hard Denning's offices. It was tremendous.
meeting letting Bil! Sirs know that we wouldn't settle for anything less than the full claim.' line. Everyone treats us seriously, although many met can't believe we're steel workers.' 'Before that we had been picketing the ISTC exec 'We haven't found any discrimination on the pickel
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