NOW THE TORIES have the election victory under their belt, they won't hesitate to massacre railways.
Arthur Goldstein in now chairperson of the 'moderate' Sir Peter Parker retires in the autumn.
Goldstein wrote minority section of the Serpell report proposing an even more savage carve-up of the rail network to 600 track miles.
The BRB will press ahead with plans to close the Celiall workshops, wind branch lines push through the massive job loss and redundancy programme outlined in last year's pay award.
The Rail Broad Left met in Liverpool on 4 June and urged its supporters to forward emergency resolutions to the AGM calling day national strike as tne nirst step to di out action against the BRB plans Without national lead for strike action by all sections OI the workshop members will not want to fight alone and militants could be trampl ed in the rush for redundancy pay. If these setbacks happen, the respon sibility will be that of Knapp and the NEC and their's alone.
just railworkers facing the chop. The coal and stee the likely to be British Rail Board when chairperson lan MacGregor doing his Miners' Arformarail, steel metal explained of the Triple unions.
ing for immediate local coordination involved.
action taken by they will solidarity from these ple should take similar action.
Threats The formation of one union federation for steel, coal, Coll metal workers is a bureaucratic pipedream if it is not linked to a united national and local tight against the im mediate threats of BR the NCB. A Rail Broad Left, which took lead building resistance, play a big part in fighting for such action by rail and Triple Alliance unions.
The tremendous gains of the Broad Left in the post ornice engineels unot could be repeated. But for HONCHI Rail Broad Left does not match LIC strength credibility of their sisters and brothers in the POEU Agitation for begin to change this. Show Recent negotiations for the London Transport pay award show the shape things come. Management have ottered a 5.2 per cent increase but this is tied to the introduction of one person train operation and productivi'contributions' other grades.
Six hundred platform.
2000 lost guard jobs. national executive of the National of Railwaymen has accepted this deal and instructed the nanegotiators get agreement on productivity by the end of June.
This sell out leaves railworkers dangerously exposed and directionless as they face the new Thatcher whirlwind. The NUR NEC and general secretary tion eggs in the basket of a LaDOul victory the general election.
Now a simple choice faces the union. Fight or go under. National strike action should be built to take on the Board. There a number of flashpoints for this, including this year's pay deal. The most likely battle grounds are the closure of the Horwich engineering workshop scncaulta lot August attempts to close or dig up more branch lines But Knapp NEC are failing to prepare these fights. The bureaucratic machine left by Weighell is still in place and each issue is treated as individual 'problem' There has been no call for action against workshop closures lo build on the strong lobby called by the NEC on ll May.
This inaction is being challenged. resolution from the Brighton branch this year's annual general meeting calls for the NEC to organise industrial action against closures. SERPELL MEANS -• TE MALES DOWN 10370701:000 JOIN US IN THE STRUGGLE FOR YOUR RAILWAYS • COUNCIL
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The Serpell report outlined plans for this and appointed