THE 'TOTAL SUPPORT' offered by the TUC to the miners last week has given an immediate boost to the strike. Morale in the mining communities, and among the miners' country, has been given a shot in the arm.
only the support of the left in the labour movement Line rail, sea and road dockers and the Labour left in support committees throughout the country.
The has accurately shown the strength of this left. It has been able wage the biggest industrial struggle since 1926, the LLOSU important struggle Second World Sincere War.
Despite the stakes involved for the Thatcher governell, determined the NUM, miners have not been But lney have not been able to win with simply the support so far.
stand-off. The TUC decision opens a new stage in the development of the SE supporters up and down the For six long months the miners have fought with transport unions, the dispute which contains the possibility of moving more rapidly victory, and the threat that the TUC itself will force an unfavourable CULLIO. mise' on the NUM.
From the point of view of the orv covermien. the strike is at a stage. The threat of power cuts increasingly looms as the autumn goes on and the government can be in no doubt that if the first light goes out the miners will have achieved overwhelne Therefore all the efforts of the government are now going into defeating the strike before any threat to une power stations begins.
This urgency lies government's penine ine provoking of the national docks dispute around Hunterston, the refusal to settle with the TGWU - despite the fact that the union's demands in the struggle are quite limited. The TGWU's demand is simply for the withdrawal of scab labour, there need be agreement from the BSC on an exact anota of coal More to allowed through the docks.
Boycott Behind all this lies the move coal from pithead stocks the stations if it is to survive a winter strike. While such a WOWe require tremendous operation move coal — ouv lorries working round the clock on some estimates could be The ker issue for the miners now is wetter power station employees will work with scab coal. Picket lines This is why the TUC statement pledging to make the dispute more eftective was It also gives the measure to Basnett of the GMBATU and Laird of the AUEW. Basnett promised 'we won't see the NUM destroyed', while Laird declared 'we are all at one with the NUM'. With these two unions organising the majority of power staworkers actually delivering their promise to ensure scab coal is not used would make all the difference to the strike.
But the lUC did not have the best interests of the miners' strike at heart when it passed its resolution of support. Murray, Basnett et al were thinking about their own backs!
The TUC has exacted a price for its support. It has won the right to intervene into the conclusion of the will undoubtedly be seeing to impose a compromise settlement on the NUM.
The Economist, in its editorial last week, put the problem the opportunity facing the goverilment clearly: 'It is noW unlikely that the vehicle of this defeat (of the NUM) second that Thatcher still doesn't give anything at all. Anything less than all-out victory over the NUM will underline the fact shown by Liverpool, the GLC 'Paving Bill' and the local that Thatcher deliver what the ruling class wants. a substanua and lasting defeat of the labour movement and the whole working class.
Tuphy Files GB workers. Whatever its inthe decisions of the TUC, and statements like those of Laird and Basnett, provide real opening for the organisation of the left around the including in the GMBATU AUEW. hostility towards the EETPU after Eric HamTO COMMEMORATE THE mond's attacks on 'picket line violence saould gly the green light to militants in that union to start to around the miners.
Above all the solidarity movement has to use the TUC decisions to take a new step forward, its objective to STOP ALL COAL.
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