levels, productivity deals, and so on. This involves more job losses.
Wouldn't import controls protect our industry, though?
Talking about 'our' industry is just a contrick to make workers take responsiblity for the problems of the economy. The only time we hear talk about 'us' is when there are losses, not when profits are mounting.
Once you accept the need for 'our' steel to make profits, you are drawn into accepting slimline agreements, speed-ups and wage rises below mination. roras makes a massive pronl but it has just announced redundancies. Profits and workers interests don't go together. But wouldn't it give us just a breathing space to get the industry sorted out? Sorted out for whom? North Sea oil was meant to be a bonus, and it could be. But who benefits just now? The oil companies with their record The only time import controls would be imposed by the government is if the bosses could get a better return that way. This would still mean attacks on workers.
The reason the Tories won't go for this policy just now is because Britain relies on exVolvo takes more British steel than Fords. A trade war might develop if the crisis gets worse. It happened in the '30s. But great depression certainly didn't help any trols.
So what is the answer?
be abolished.
more workers Train them. study. Lower the retiring age.
through the cash limits.
a priority.
cars.
Where some things longer, society based on people's needs.
profit system. to work building working people and their families. workers need in order to fight their low wages.
workers to have visited our brothers and sisters abroad during the strike. They would have seen that the bosses in other countries are trying to sell the same lie to workers there: that the problems they face are also due to foreign imports.
For me, it is a natural progression iron organising locally to organising internationally. You can't do that with a policy of import conSteelworkers have to start from the need to save jobs. If there isn't enough work, then it should be shared, with no loss of pay. Overtime should We need a decent wage without overtime, and a fight to force management to take on especially young workers.
Give older workers time off to But this would bankrupt the industry. So the government will have to give a subsidy to save jobs. We are in the 1980s, not the '30s. We have a right to a job. We'll have to smash But don't forget. Interest payments to the money lenders account for over half the "loss' made by BSC. This was nearly £200m this year alone. The cancellation of these debts has to be We can't stop there. There is a market for steel. But not under this system. Obviously we don't need less steel than we did in the '60s, let alone the '30s. We need more hospitals. more schools, more roads, more railways, and more aren't needed any let's re-tool the industry. Who could argue that Africa has enough tractors or other, pose the closure plans. Militants machinery which idle factories here could produce? We couldn't produce enough steel in We need a government that breaks from the One that sets unemployed people the roads, hospitals and equipment we need. One that begins to plan the economy in the interests of the majority - the se to are ate our one to ser the town die IN less than a month, on 18 July, 685 jobs at Warrington Bewsey Road steel plant are due to be axed. Now that Llanwern and Port Talbot have accepted the British Steel Corporation's terms for the first round of job losses, Warrington will be a new focus in today's national fight to save steel jobs.
The announcement Warrington redundancies came on 17 April. a fortnight atter the end of the 13-week steel strike This national strike was planned by the Tory government to make an example of the steelworkers and to give one sharp message to the rest of the labour movement: "There is no point in fighting back'.
Hard But strikers in Warrington fought hard to make sure the Tories didn't get away with their plans, and they are just as determined that their works will not close. On 9 May, unions on the site voted overwhelmingly to opmade it clear that the fight was not just to protest, or to hold out to get better terms for selling their jobs. Warrington aim to keep the plants open.
A propaganda battle is raging inside the plant. The unions pro duced a poster which pilloried two members of senior manage ment, called Skinn and 'Don't get SKINNed aLE fight closures!' Management respond a circular which began, get HERDed like sheep Port Talbot 'Herd' in question is Coli convenor of the Iron an Trades Confederation at ington, Socialist Challenge pa Lessons of the Steel Strik Humourous These humourous don't conceal the grim re the fight to save steel jobs The industry is blighted b tinual crisis of over-prod Since 1967 an average of jobs have been lost each 1965 steel provided 317.0 but year only British Steel intend to red number to around 100,001 end of the year.
Warrington jobs will saved with a big effort to port from other workers area, and a fight to get th ing of the leadership of t April that 'the fight to sa is just beginning. He sho forced to live up to that pr On 23 May, the ISTC tive voted unanimously to fight to save jobs in Warr Union officials were ins to ensure no work was d other plants Wari orders. But this paper F needs to be backed by th tant action that was evide