Flashback to the Welsh Tory Party conference in the summer. Make sure the voice of the working class is heard on 10 Octob THOUSANDS of trade unionists from all over the country will be converging on the Tory Party conference in Brighton on 10 October.
A massive day of protest against unemployment is being jointly organised by the Liaison Committee for the Defence of Trade Unions and the Right to Work Campaign. The day of protest will give expression to the huge groundswell of anger which has been building up amongst trade unionists all over the country.
Not content with presiding over the highest level of unemployment since the 1930s, Thatcher, Joseph and the rest have displayed contempt for the unemployed. Thatcher advises them to 'move' to seek jobs elsewhere. This is just a cynical piece of nonsense.
Unemployment is today increasing faster in the manufacturing areas — above all the West Midlands. Even prosperous areas like West London are suffering closures and redundancies. There is nowhère to move to to escape unemployment.
The initiative for the day of protest comes from the Right to Work Campaign. Their march which precedes the demonstration has received enormous support and sponsorship from every section of the labour movement. This response shows that the support is there for action on unemployment — support which the TUC leadership -is absolutely unwilling to tap.
Socialist Challenge has always argued that the demands and methods of the Right to Work march are politically inadequate for a sustained fight on unemployment. What the labour movement needs is a series of policies which could begin to solve unemployment.
This is why we have prioritised in our propaganda the campaign for the 35-hour week, the banning of overtime and the demand for work-sharing with no loss of pay. The Right to Work Campaign is not a systemațic campaign for such policies in the labour movement, but an annual act of protest.
Nevertheless, the culmination of this year's march on 10 October will be the most significant action against unemployment for a long time. That's why it deserves support from every socialist and every trade unionist.
All supporters of Socialist Challenge should be using the next month to mobilise in their workplaces and trade union branches. The fact that this action is now supported by both the Right to Work Campaign and the LCDTU should make it easy to get support and delegations from labour movement bodies.
When the Tories go to Brighton in October, their conference willan orgy of complacent self-congratulation on the job that this vicious reactionary government is doing.
'NO TO CLOSURE AND REDUNDANCY Public meeting at the Labour Party conference 29 September, 7pm Cliffs Hotel, Blackpool Speakers include: Emlyn Williams (NUM Wales) This disgusting week of celebration - of the Employment Act, the bolstering of 'law and order', and 'economic good sense' (read unemployment) - will be reported with adulation by the Tory press.
Let's make sure that for one day the voice of the working class and the unemployed is heard loud and clear; and that not one single delegate or one single newspaper can ignore the growing resistance to Thatcherism.
How we are organising the Right to Work march - interview, page 2 $1250 s18.01 tutions: Double the enclose a nation for the Frghtiring Fund of
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President, S. Wales), Dennis Skinner (MP), Bill Sirs (ISTC), Llanwern Steel Action Group. Alec Jones (Shadow Secretary of State for
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