IF ANYONE HAD any illusion that the day of action on GCHQ represented a turn to the left by Len Murray, Graham Frank Chapple, learnt otherwise.
Only week after withdrew from the National Economic DevelopTorit Council they are returning to talks with the On Monday, the TUC Employment Policy and Organisation continue to participate in the vices Commission, tion Committee, Committee bodies with the government.
ACAS and the MSC are particularly disgraceful as it is John Lambert, ACAS deputy chief conciliation officer, busting 'staff association' MSC runs the wage cutting Scheme.
The Times understood what was taking place perfectly when it headed its report on the subject on Monday boycott. This was the same issue which carried as its main headline, coal strike to 100 pits.
In reality there was never any chance of the TUC breaking off its talks with the Tories. entire 'new realism' strategy of Murray is based on talking with Thatcher, the SDP or anyone else who wants to listen. The Day of Action on GCHQ was just to try to get the General Council into a better position for the talks. These preoccupations are a hundred times more important tor the General Council today than mobilising support for the NUM.
Yet these talks become disgraceful. Thatcher has not budged one inch. Nor is she going to.
Since the union-buster Eddie Shah defeated the NGA -thanks to TUC sabotage. Unions have been banned at GCHQ despite all TUC grovelling for a 'no strike' agreement. The mines are now about to be butchered. A real balance sheet of 'realism'.
There should be one simple decision taking thirty seconds on the next General Council agenda: No more talks with Thatcher.
Then the TUC can pass on to what is really important for it to discuss. How to win the US Editor: ALAN FREEMAN Published weekly except two weeks in August and the last week of December.
Signed articles by contributors do not necessarily reprean ocase acron's views.
Send all correspondence regarding subscriptions, and receipts to Socialist Action Distribution, 328 Upper Street London N1 2XP. (Tel: 01-359 8180)
Send all material for publication (including advertising) & to Socialist Action Editorial at the same address.
we regret that due to the high cost of postage we cannot re:un or acknowledge unsolicited copy or photographs arless accompaniea by a stamped addressca enverope Terry Duffy, Alastair they soon the TUC formally Committee voted unanimously to Manpower SerACAS, the Central Arbitrathe Territorial Army Advisory and a whole range of other joint The decisions on the unionTraining 'TUC begins its retreat from 'Militant picketing spreads The more and more realism' began the tinpot These are expressed in sales MINERS HAVE had enough of the Coal Board's bullying and are attempting to spread the strikes to save jobs and defend their union.
redundancies and closures. In the first five months of 1983, one in five miners took strike action - accounting for 30 per cent of recorded strikes in that period.
Yorkshire
which sparked the national action also began struck wiel local against changed work productior targets and shift times Despite setbacks BI CYIUUs national ballots, militant miners are preparing themselves for a fight-back - this time exploring ways to deal with divisions their ranks sown over decades by the Coal Board and misleaders like Lord Joe Gormlev the past president of the miners' union The four month overtime ban has exposed the massive discrepancies ween miners pay and the low basic Tate average per CCHL miners earnings are made up by overtime and productivity with high investment pits reaping lal above the avelage This divisive incentive scheme opposed by Was the majority national ballots in 1974 1977 introduced over their heads by cornicy Sharp divisions exist in the union with right wing like Nottingham playing on a false sense of security in more producure, higher bonus gIls Thatcher's blatant atbuy off miners with a radically new redundancy deal is also designed to break me back or lie by dividing But striking miners are determined to counter this with strong pickets everv collery Their message as they try to picket out' miners in a nationwide strike is that no pit or job is safe. Selling jobs for golden nanashakes nical.
selling the future of coalfields munities.
1982, leaked the Monopolies Commission revealed plans decimate the industry. The butchery won't Just affect The area strikes are the culmination of local' practices, in the next ten years.
To drive this through, the NCB has changed the ground rules for determinwhether pit stays open. reviously unis was decided on grounds of coal exhaustion or impossible geological conditions. It is profit and loss that signs the fate of miners.
deliberately starves certain pits of investment which prevents them producing good coal or overcoming difficult geological condiThe NCB is also trying new tactics to break the unity of the union. Pit by pit it has changed manning and productivity without consultation and has used provocation to challenge the hard-won miners' conover pit conditions and procedures.
last to 20 this policy has led 20,000 redundancies, the closure of 23 pits and an explosion DILECI local disputes over productivity work practices. Until now, local strikes against closure, like at Kinneil in Scotland, have been left the road to isolated defeat. Miners can now act with greater strength and with the national NUM executive backing the spread of area strikes to a national stoppage.
Harder The striking miners are rejecting Tory press cries about 'suicide strikes' the arguments that through harder work, higher productivity social peace they can save their jobs. 1 ney vi stomached this for too many years and they reply with demands for more investment, shorter working hours, more recruitment and early retirement.
They reject the ploy that OILs must close The Triple unions particularly vital. Rail and transport unions will need to boycott all coal movement. Pickets and solidarity action will Miners joined action against health cuts. Now they call for support.
be needed at power stations and docks. 'Solidarity with the miners' should be top of the agenda of every trade union and Labour mans for with emergéncy plans rallies collecdemonstrations.
LOS. solidarity Semands for a recall TUC pickets to plan the action.