THE next few weeks will see Margaret Thatcher Cabinet for battle. strategic question for Thatcher is what to do when industrial production starts to increase in the next period The objective of the Tory government so far has been clear. John Biffen spelled it out in his now infamous statement last week. What did Biffen say? * That 'overmanning been replaced by unemployment. * That the high level of unemployment is intended as a brake on industrial stoppages.
That the fact that wage increases are in single figures is attributable at least partially to the length of the dole queue.
That inflation has fallen; a goal worth the and economic unemployment.
The main aim of Thatcher is to stay on course with these policies - and that means a collision with the unions this winter.
Thatcher's government has shown remarkable agility in weaving and duckaway powerful groups of industrial workers. She took on the British Steel and British Leyland workers earlier on, in the full flush of her election victory.
She was quite happy to have a long drawn out dispute with the Civil Servants, even when it cost the government about five times the cost of conceding their wage demands to defeat them. But she wisely ran like hell when the miners started to preferring to bide her time.
But her ability to 'float like a Cruise missile and sting like a neutron bomb' will be put to a severe test this autumn.
A national rail strike is due to start at the beginning of September and there are possible miners, the gas workers and Post Office engineers all within two months of that da*the miners have only postponed the battle over pit closures.
Coal Board has already given notice of a possible round of pit the next couple of months Sir Derek Ezra redrawing the ranks of her The fundamental in industry has costs confrontations strike against pit closures, confrontations with the The National Within MAGGIE THATCHER has gone one up on her but leaves property Minister has an even more selective device. It destroys only nationalised til they are needed again.
proposals revealed this week amount to the biggest tempted by a western government.
Sir Geoffrey launched the blitzkrieg against publicly owned enterprises savage cash-limits which stopped them borrowing money when they need it. British Leyland and British Steel have been the most obvious victims.
Friends His second tack was to chunks of nationalised industries to the friends The COCHOL Acrospace, Airways, Transpor Docks Board, Cable and Wireless, the National Freight Corporation and parts of British Rail like Sealink and the hotels all found themselves up for intact, but the Prime property, leaving It's called 'Sir Geoffrey Howe'. His latest denationalisation package yet atpublic auction. So far Sir Geoffrey has started ou selling 49 per cent shares is cach concern.
His third tack has been to force nationalised dustries to hand over to the private sector some of the most lucrative parts of their business without even an auction Gas is being forced to abandon its gas showrooms and Telecoms much customer allow privatisation' of the work.
Mix The latest phase in the assault is the plan to start selling off half shares in the Batist National Oil Corporation (BNOC) and Thesc atracks represent a radical attempt by Thatcher and Howe to alter the 'mix" the CLOTHEY private hands som putting into most profitable public in dustries and utilitics Crisis torn bosses need this boost for their profits, while the working CI2.S5 SOCCES the mixture of rationalisation, cash limits and hiving-off like a hole in the head Gas Aircady those workers directly threatened are moving into action - ne gas workers are planning launch strike action in October or November sumption reaches its peak) to oppose the selling-off of as showrooms With profit of E839m Gas Corporation has been used as additional mechanism by Howe LOLA much to the annoyance of gasworkers and consumers alike.
The hatchet job on the showrooms looks like be ing the last straw as far as the gasworkers are concerned.
The British Telecommunications Bill became Howe to alter the mix an Act of Parliament on 27 July and on 1 October it will he implemented. From that date. Sir Keith Joseph will start issuing licences allowing private companies to take over British Telecoms work Already, the powerful London City branch of the Office Union has decided IE2SS meeting to take in dustrial action to stop the London, Where the effects the of the Act are likely to be Sharpest and carliest. Action While the National Exceutive Council are backing the London City, SUCLIC terence scheduled for November give militants the opportunity ONCELE une NEC': policy and go for action to implementation of the Act If ever there was a clear casc the should be co-ordinating action, surely this is it. The railworkers, gas and telecoms workers face same threats in their industries: cash-limits and hiving-off.
We are all going to b trying to repulse these attacks at the same time. An alliance between us would he invincible.
The TUC Conference in September is one focus where the rank and file of our respective could put following up the example of the rail unions and the Triple Alliance, organising Joint meetings in our localities to begin to create the unity we need from the rank and file upThe MASLEE, NUM, the NUR, ASLEF, GWU, NALGO and the POEU in our respective in dustries have brought welded into an army that can defeat Thatcher's wa extermination the nationalised industrie and pave the way for kick
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Tories shuffle for coming confrontation
friend and rival, Ronnie Reagan. The Presi- dent may have a bomb that kills off workers
private riches unscathed. It doesn't kill off workers, it stores them on the dole queue un-