EETPU Frank Chapple's clectrician's union will be the spearhead of the multirailway workers.
return for massive threat that thousands of jobs will be lost if the threatened national rail strike goes ahcad.
the absurdity While fares yet British Rail still makes huge 1015SCS vicious circle of increasing fares to tinance, drives more away railways.
situation is years and years of Rail, while huge been paid out in compensation to the former owners and in interest charges CRUDE blackmail. That's the carefully calculated announcement from British Rail boss Peter Parker that BR will lose E100m this year. nouncement is designed to reinforce BR's claim that it cannot afford to pay the 11 per cent awarded to the BR want to stick at the government's public sec tor pay-guideline of 7 per cent. Part of the blackmail is the expected slight improvement in the offer, in changes in working practices under the guise of 'productivity.
Behind BR's position is the industries be British Rail is an example of of capitalism. go up. railway BR is now caught in a which only and more ways LITE One major reason for this Sweden's in sums are passengers Ar the same time the Tories The timing of the andemand that the nationalised profitable the SACKC DELINE BELIE made gas and electricity prices there 1s LONEL system in the world which is not Railways are a fundamental ed by industry and ordinary peopic. Ine large captavest ment needed to keep the railCLICCH never be internally financed -tE must nave nuse governmen subsidy. And as the example of recent experiment shows, lower fares can actually bring in more money through a big increase in the number of Only a national transport plan, as part of an socialist plan for the economy. can solve this problem. In the the Tories make passengers and railway workers BEY HE CONDITICSSCIESH sanity.
The same kind of blackmail is being used against British Leyland workers Years of under-investment have led to the decline of the British motor industry. The expected £500m loss by BL this year is once again being blamed on the long-suffering BI workers they are threatened with no pay increase.
But years of settling for lessthan-inflation failed to save jobs. And so vi increases will continue and less jobs - unless the BL unions start to give a cad Preparations for a national rail strike are going ahead, with plans to stations and depots, and solidarity promised OTHECTOSS the union movement.
Sidney Weighell of the NUR must be told loud and clear: either the full award or a national strike. A low pay increase and productivity string will not save jobs. shows, the lack of a fight will only increase the job loss.
Hoto: PETE GHAN Poocialist