Socialist Organiser

The weekly of the fused Workers Socialist League, July 1981 to April 1984

New threat to steel iobs

Socialist Organiser no. 69, 21 January 1982 · scan p. 15 · about 675 words

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When a company an- revealed more clearly than nounces redundancies, ever before the massive gulf workers have a stark choice which exists between the - either they fight like • shop floor and national trade they have at Invergordon, union officials. lac, or they accept the loss, management offensive Education, 20 Bedford Way, TRADE UNIONS MORE STEEL plants could be shut. At least 15,000 jobs will go over the next year anyway. That's the steelworkers' reward for accepting no national pay rise at all this year!

British Steel boss Ian McGregor says that the job slaughter may be eneven greater than scheduled because of disruption caused by the weather, the rail strikes, and US anti-dumping law suits. (So much for import controls as a way to save jobs!)

Yet Bill Sirs, leader of THE sell-out of the November 1 wage review at BL Meanwhile the all-out against the work-force is going on with even greate intensity; the company's drive for speed-up and - demanning now directly 'threatens basic shop floor organisation.

The tasks facing militants in BL centre on these chronic problems of leadership at all levels of the unions. The Leyland Action London WC1. More details c/o 7 Carlisle St, London IRELAND Glasgow Labour Committer on Ireland are showing 'Ireland's Hunger Strike' video made in April 1981, followed by discussion. Sunday January 24, 2.30 at Queen Margaret Building, Glasgow University.

Labour Committee on Ireland: AGM, Saturday February 6, from 10am at Digbeth Civic Hall, Birmingham. Voting restricted to LCI members paid up for 1981 by January 6, 1982: conference fee £1.50.

Labour Movement conference on Ireland: Saturday February 27, from 11am at The Theatre, 309 Regent St, London W1. Sponsored by LCI and Committee for Withdrawal from Ireland. Credentials £2 from 1 North End Road, London W14. the steel union ISTC, is talking of snuffing out the little spark of action which ISTC has planned - an overtime ban from February 7. Instead of adopting the principle that McGregor's difficulty is ISTC's opportunity, he told the press that the overtime ban might be 'taken off or delayed' because 'we wouldn't want to compound the temporary difficulties which have emerged for the corporation' The overtime ban is to demand the immediate introduction of a 39 hour Committee, which played an important role in the preparation of and during the wages strike, has called a conference to discuss the new situation in BL and the practical steps necessary to defend workers' interests.

As well as reports from factories in BL Cars there will be a first-hand report on the situation in Leyland Vehicles from a delegation of LAC supporters in those plants.

An important part of the agenda will be organising resistance to the company's new procedure document.

All BL workers who support the general aims and objectives of the LAC are urged to attend.

The Conference will be held at Digbeth Civic Hall, Birmingham, on Saturday January 23 1982 from 10.30 to 5.00 pm. Conference fee will be £1.

CoHSE Broad Left inaugural meeting. Saturday January 23, 12 to 4 at UMIST, Sackville St, Manchester.

Manchester anti-cuts committee: meeting January 27. 7.30, Milton Hall, Deansgate Media Freedom and the Right of Reply: conference organised by the Campaign for Press Freedom, 10 to 5, Saturday March 6, at Queen Mary College, Mile End Road, London E1.

TUC Education Course meeting: Sue Bradbury on Women, Work and Health. 7.30, January 26, at South Cheshire College, Danebank Ave, Crewe. Further info: Mick Williams, Crewe 69133 X 28.

WOMEN Action Committee for a Woman's Right to Work organising conference: Feb.20, University of week (British Steel insists on delaying this to January 1983) and the consolidation of some locally negotiated bonus payments.

The present ISTC strategy is like throwing a few snowballs into the bonfire on which McGregor is roasting steelworkers. A new policy is needed. What about the idea that the work available should be shared out among the workforce, on the basis of cutting hours with no loss of pay?

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- Leyland Action Conference

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