Rodney Bickerstaffe, NUPE general secretary V FEDERATION dustrial action by the (ASLEF and NUR) and marks a historic step away take guards off freight and passenger trains and to do away with the jobs of driver assistants. NUR and ASLEF are demanding a 'substantial pay increase' along with a 35 hour week plus increased holidays and a separation of pay and productivity. The last AGM committed the NU'R to no further talks with the BRB on productivity.
Like the miners. railworkers are experiencing Tory vandalism on a massive scale. Thirty nine thousand jobs have been lost to the industry in the last three years.
BR Corporate Plan pro poses the loss of another 15.000 jobs in the next four vears.
This will include 1036 signalmen, drivers. 2372 guards, 2188 other Conculatol grades 6000 salaried staff. Four thousand jobs are to be shed in the rundown of Swindon BREL works (British Rail Engineering) and further 878 jobs are to go in the regional workshops.
The BREL workshops have been decimated with the closure of Temple East London.
Horwich. now the threat; to suin. don and Glasgow works.
Since 1979. investment Ir BR has been reduced by 36 per cent and the government grant for passenger 25 per The BRB has ending list of productivity schemes effecting all grades and is going ahead with wholesale privatisation and sale of ariels. BR as a nationalisted public system is being hansoll smashed pieces users will get an even rawer deal than now.
The overtime han must make way for an all-out Rail Federation The federation has turned down a four per cent sion which can hall the tion which halt destruction of jobs public services. Every effort should be made to bring London Transport tube workers the TSSA into the fight. In his letter to branches explaining the ban. кпарр, NUR general secretary said that of the federation was considering how to extend the action. must call for railworkers to alongside the miners.
Railworkers already linked directly to the struggle being waged oy lne miners brough the success of the 'no moveThe BRB have admitted that ess than 10 coal moving.
railways will increase the Slakes , in the miners tighl and force the Tories into a retreat. It is also the onl way to save rail jobs.
Kings Cross guard Ray Buckton and Jimmy Knapp have said that Tanworkers have contion cause with the miners. In the May issue of Transport Knapp said stand aside and see then smashed for lack of supwould OOHI Ullforgivable and invite more of the same for our own industry. a test of strength conviction that decide the longterm future of both industries.
If the miners get beaten, then, sure as night follows day. many thousands of NUR members will also go to the wall. Hence our commitment to the NUM's struggle.
NEC's of both I ne unions nave called for joint ASLEF/NUR action committees at local level special branch district counci meetings They must go further than this build las. meetings of railworkers in every area with federation Triple These meetings SocaKeIs should be open to all transport workers, TSSA workers many of whom against the divisive stand taken by their NEC.
Power The power of the the Triple must now be harnessed o aid both miners railworkers and defend our industries and public services.
committees should be formed in every area to involve any union prepared to take united action defence of the miners the railworkers.
Triple delegate should • caned o • СО ordinate all-out strike ac tion and to plan a national demonstration this summer. These initiatives could give other workers the confidence fightback and bring down the Tory government. Appeal An appeal should also be made to rank and file steelworkers. The ISTC agreed in April 1983 to a nine point Triple Alliance plan which said that joint industrial action would be consiacred matter involving any arises' (Coal. Rai and Steel - Fighting for a available ASLEF, NUR and NUM).
Now is the time to put the committment of 1983 into action. As Arthur Scargill has said, 'if ever there was a time to join in. that time is now'
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A NATIONAL OVERTIME BAN and work to rule begins on the railways on 30 May. This is the first in-
from the defeats of 1982. pay offer which is dependent on big cuts in train crews jobs. The British Rail Board (BRB) wants to