Action to Defeat Tebbit

Scan page 15

clear that this time round the TUC demanding that there must be a real alter- the TUC breaks collabora native to the Tories - a tion with the Tories ans Labour government unlike organises a one-day gener all that have gone before - al strike as the first stel a workers' • government to all-out action to stoj which will serve the inter- Tebbit.

1911: trade unionists demand TUC calls a general strike against Heath's law

unhappy with the Tory legislation. They have got the Labour Party to agree to repeal it. Yet they have refused to do more than feeble gestures to fight it.

This is their normal way of life, in keeping with their unwillingness to fight against the powers-that-be

and for their members. But there is more involved.

In 1969 and under Heath, the union leaders went through the motions of fighting because they knew that they were not strong enough to do what was demanded of them, to police the rank and file. Now they feel that they have a better chance of being able to comply with the requirements of the ruling class.

In any case, they would rather comply with anti-union legislation than try to organise the rank and file to fight the Tory government.

It must be said plainly that their proposal to let the Tories bring in instalment after instalment of anti-union legislation - Tebbit's bill will not be the last if they get away with it - is nothing less than treason to the working class and the labour movement, treason on a scale that has not been known since the TUC betrayed the General Strike in

1926. They are helping the Tories to inflict on us the worst sort of demoralising defeat - defeat without a serious struggle.

5. Tebbit stopped

The central task facing the labour movement now is to rouse itself into action to defeat Tebbit. We demand of those who officially lead the labour movement that they undertake their responsibilities.

We demand of political forces in industry such as those of the Communist Party that they break their ties with the bureaucrats who will not fight Tebbit and Thatcher. We demand of organisations like the Socialist Workers' Party that they rouse themselves out of the slough of despair and defeatism into which the official leaders have led the movement, and join us in a crusade to rouse the labour movement to defend itself.

We can still stop the Tories in their tracks!

Nothing less than a full-scale industrial mobilisation to confront the Government and its legislation will suffice to stop Tebbit and Thatcher. We have strength still in industry if the movement has the will and leadership to use it. 6. Rally the unions for a general strike The TUC must call a general strike to smash Tebbit's Bill and force the withdrawal of Prior's 1980 To prepare the movement to defend itself, to regain confidence in its own strengths, a mobilising series of one-day strikes and demonstrations should be mountedd, beginning with the third reading of the Bill.

The possibility exists of galvanising the movement for a general strike to smash Tebbit's Bill and Prior's Law on the day the new Bill becomes law.

A general strike could pull together the partial responses so far - none of them quite coming to grips with the scale of the Tory offensive - into a mighty power. In place of the havering and dithering which has characterised labour movement resistance to the Tories so far, we would have full mobilisation of our strength against their full mobilisation of their strength. 7. Don't wait for a general election As in 1970 and after, we face a militant class-struggle Tory government, firmly entrenched behind a large and stable Parliamentary majority, and backed by all the military and police power of the British state. They are making war on the standards, conditions, and organisations of the working class. In their attack on our class they will use to the full their legal right to make the laws and control the finances of the state.

Either the labour movement will allow this Tory government with its programme of blatant ruling-class legislation to rule and administer society in the interests of the class they represent - even to the extent of the movement obeying anti trade union laws in

collaboration with the Tories

It is necessary to fight now and on every front, at the same time as we argue for and prepare for general

industrial action.

The labour movement needs to develop, and organise round, an overall strategy to stop the Tories. For Thatcher can be stopped, just as Heath was stopped.

In the first place, we need to spell out and win support in the labour movement for this immediate objective - to stop the Tories, to force them to policies decimating working class communities, to make them abandon their cuts policies, to break their will, to thwart their plans,. and to drive them from office as soon as possible.

The outrageous anti working class politics of this government demand from the entire political and industrial labour movement - from every section of it which claims to represent the working class interest, all the way through to the Parliamentary Labour Party and the Shadow Cabinet -a refusal to collaborate with the Government. The movement should cut all ties and links with the ruling-class establishment and its agents.

The movement must demand that its leaders really fight the Tories, and really fight for Labour Party policies. And we must be prepared to break with and get rid of those who refuse to fight. 9. Against the - fight for a workers' government The starting point for the downward spiral in the fortunes of the labour movement was also the point of its greatest recent triumph - when we forced Heath to a kamikaze election in 1974.

The great tragedy was that we only had a right wing Labour Government to replace him. ests of the working class and not hesitate to strike at the ruling class to do so; a government based on the working class itself.

There are two preconditions for this.

• That we prosecute the fight to democratise the labour movement. The labour movement is indivisible. We need democratic and accountable trade unions, and a democratic and accountable Labour • We need socialist pol icies. To end unemployment, the working class must . take control of industry and reorganise production so that work is shared, on the basis of a shorter working week and with no loss of pay.

To make this possible, and to provide useful jobs for all, we call on the next Labour government to nationalise the basic industries and the banks under workers' control and with no compensation for the big shareholders.

10. A plan for action Conference pledges itself to fight in the labour movement for the following policies:

• For the immediate setting up of an action committee to rouse the labour movement to the dangers of the Tebbit bill, and to prepare for the fight to defend the trade unions if the official leaders refuse to undertake their responsibilities.

• For the TUC to call a General Strike on the day the Bill becomes law, and to prepare for this in the labour movement by a series of one-day general TABBY TU • Support strike actior and occupations against the cuts, closures, etc.

• Argue within the un ions and the Labour Part! for a full-scale offensiv to stop the Tories, usin the strength we have her and now, refusing collab oration.

Demand that the Parlia mentary Labour leader start a campaign of Parlia mentary obstruction.

Demand that the TUI leaders break off their cos chats with the Tories in th National Economic Devel opment Council and dozen of other governmental an industrial 'participation bodies.

Demand that Labou councils defy the Tory cuts We must call for th leaders of the trade unio movement and the Nation Executive of the Labor Party to launch such campaign stop th Tories, including prepar tion for a General Strike We must be prepared 1 fight to remove Parliamen arians, councillors trade union leaders wh collaborate and coope ate with the Tories.

• We ourselves - t militants, the socialists. must prepare on a loc level, now. A Gener Strike will be won throug the network of worker committees and organi ations, most of which ext alredady as part of the rou ine self-defence and sel betterment of the workir class: stewards' commi tees, combine committee etc. We must transfu into these bodies the urger cy of preparing for a hea on clash with the Torie and equip them with t necessary democratic stro ture and flexibility to mo ilise millions of worke for that clash.

----- pull-quotes -----

retreat, to defeat their att- acks, to stop their closure