THE TORIES are planning to close two major and Not East me tiny place for and closures, will be catastrophic.
scrap heap in the last three years. shot up beyond European standards. This has been achieved exclusively by workers working harder. They have received no wage increase for two years. boss lan MacGregor as a 'survival plan'. All the Tory press is now lamenting how poor old MacGregor has seen his hopes for maintaining 14.4m tonnes of production dashed. What we are asked to believe is that everything was going fine and dandy until all of a sudden things turned sour at the begining of the simply the second phase of the MacGregor plan. And there will be unless a stand is taken ports. because the catastrophically because of the recession. It is Tory policies, not foreign imports that need attacking.
Michaal Foot has that BSC capacity should revert to the 25m ton level. But this will need the stimulation of the economy to increase demand - not on the basis of a forlorn hope that the bosses will do their 'patriotic duty and respond. The that idea. No. blooded socialist measures which takes the running of the economy out of the bosses hands. This is the sort of perspective the Clydebridge workers need as they move to occupy their threatened plant. framework. But by itself one day action can waste the potential militancy which is developing. Bernard Connelly, convenor of BSC South Yorkshire crafts, explains the situation to Socialist Challenge. Bernard Connelly, convenor of South Yorks craftworkers.
likely British Steel has thrown 100,000 workers onto the Productivity has This horrific record has bean prevented by BSC This is a nonsense. What we are seeing now is more cutbacks and job losses Bill Sirs has blamed the problem on foreign imBut BSC sales have shrank massively more has shrunk made the excellent proposal French situation shows the silliness not want societing a tol A 24 hour strike is a good first step within such a 16,000 jobs under threat and Bill Sirs and company can give onhours tor a conference organise fighthack it's pathetic. We weren't allowed to put resolutions from the floor. All we got was a 4 point plan of inaction.
The conference started 10.30am and finished at 12.30am.
SITS TOIL nothing new. 16.000 iob: were under threat, which Macgregor had already anat the EETPU steel trades conference. Ravenscraig and Redcar plants were the ones most affected had already been leaked to the press. When it came Sirs 'multi-union pilot scheme turned out to be a Pontius Pilate scheme — a washing of hands.
Bill Sirs gave a very polished. performance, weeping and wailing over the diabolical plans that Macgregor has for the industry. It should be a, Consett, Warrington, Corby, ShotCHEL COOO! Bilston London Works, Hillside He reminded me of the professional mourners who used at funerals in Ircland.
Sirs said that any plant opposing redundancies would be supported, just as he's said before. But he said that the TUC the SICCI COmMIICE ISTC would support any plant fighting redundancies by calling the whole industry like the miners came out over pit did SITS 124 hourtoker top an Detober as a warning shot! over over 150,000 jobs lost in stcel since nationalisation — 100,000 in the last three years Bill Sirs just wants a warning shot'. I can see the look of terror on Thatcher's face! But that's not all.
are going withdraw from all com.
mittees, and the worker directors of BSC are going to be withdrawn! In other words a heavy sulk. That'll stop BSC management in their tracks.
We now have to go to our members and convince them of the need to support the 24-hour strike and to build on it it w don't, Sirs will turn round and say: Well, we gave a lead, but the membership weren't prepared to fight.
Sirs didn't galvanise any reaction in the con bies from despite the lobClyde bridge and River Don, who are in front line of the jobs fight.
There was much talk the members and winning psychological their *leadership we'll nave educated and most defeated workforce in the world! Gavin Laird, the general secretary of more concerned that the WOESPITEL demonstration outsic might damage the AUEW building in which we were meeting. Sirs Pallister, Boilermakers Trades industry.
built around steelmaking. The closure of the Redcar anc Lackenby, plants, which is Lions, would devastate the of McGregor's area, which already has the highest level of unemployment of any country in briam, vicuregor is com ing to Teesside on 22 Oc warm for him by trade unionists in the area.
Twelve thousand jobs have gone in the Teesside steel industry in the last 2 years — that's more than the total lost when Consett with pit closures. We resisted last time and we're not going them do this again haven't considered SQUE trating on our pits campaign. Obviously we will try to work clions in the Triple Allance Challenge last ycar. - The TriAllianc could wonderful instrument ple went into it sincercly. But 25 1 S00 COMICY Sirs and Weighell reminded me of the three stooges at the pictures in Treorchy when I was a boy.
One of these stooges has the and antherit Bil out Sirs doesn't instil any confidence my scene de nas take place and I don't want to There are a lo goog people in rail and the problem the leadership. Thope we can look to the Triple Alliance in the future.
SAYS Corby workers prepared to fight, but sold out. At the steelworkers' conference reminded me of the professional mourners who used to weep at funerals McGregor is playing Russian roulette with the five steel complexes in Britain, said John convenor at BSC organise opposition to BSC's plan to destroy 20,000 more jobs in the works closed. I moved a successful resolution at the Northern Regional meeting Carlisie week pledging opposition to any more ciosures in the TOILET has to be put into practice Cleveland ASSOCIADIOT Trades has called for a mass picket to greet MeGregor as a first the campaign Thousands of leaflets are be distributed throughout labour movement, and on the estates by the steel plants, build suppo WE ECUTOI tan, an architect of ThatJohn Chambers Markham Main Armthorpe, near Doncaster ALTHOUGH there is no support for Thatcher's policies among Donminers and certainly no love lost batand the government, stil face a hard fight to win a 'Yes vote in the ballot on jobs and pay the unity when was our main strength in 1972 and 1974 ha: een eroded by bonus created big differences in earbetween pits in the same arca The board and the Torie want to head arcas like yorkshire and Not Scotland and S. Wales. cher's plans to slash nawill visits his constitueneye he called on the Cleveland County Council to set up a conference to organise fight against closures in Cleveland The Regional TUC has Deen asked up meetings other steel plants are threatened SO that McGregor pick us off one by one The rank and file on Teecside have started the ball rolling in total opposi tion to Metregor's later plans tor cut back steel 1nc livelihoods not only of steel workers but of tens of thousands of others steel communities depend on that fight being successful. Will the full-time union ficials be prepared to back us?
we have gol a lot of ground to make i he shin over our case war because the union hasn' campaigner We cannot afford not t . A 'No" vote would close more pits and claw hack INe CaInS WC naVe DEISCO ITOn Them. It would strenginen th Tories position at the same to the chances of a tha dealing by the working class. It would ос мест на вле досоріапос ру Tone won one gover ment's monetarist policie can't afford to be sular. send delegate out to every other branch of are fighting for and win sup.
. Even now with a stron and the support o other trade win not just the fight agains the Tories. Socialist Challenge 15 October 1982 page 5
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Lackenby plant on Teesside. He was speaking at a meeting called by Cleveland Association of
'We can't afford not to strike'
she board the