Yorkshire steel workers get organised

Scan page 14

"The strike brought steelworkers into the labour movement... the Tir Ea tee also Phoenix 2.

This is the plan to take BSC Special Steels and put it under the management of a private dominated consortium. The other companies are GKN, Glynwed and Hadfields.

Hadields chair Derek Norton admitted a couple of weeks ago that BSC can undercut Hadfields by £200 per tonne, and in fact the firm has made no money whatsoever for its Lonrho parent company.

Glynwed also cannot compete, having already lost a major order from British Leyland to BSC.

If the merger talks are successful, Industry Secretary Patrick Jenkin has said he sees it as an ideal candidate for partial denationalisation along the lines of Sheffield Forgemasters.

Predicted

2,000 redundancies are = predicted result, mostly South Yorkshire. BSC asley Park, Hadfields ist Hella works in effield, and GKN's ymbo complex in North ales will be closed as well some smaller mills in e Midiands.

Management have eady sent out Redunney Assessment every worker on eels. 600 have already lunteered to go.

On top of this, BSC are ›king at the possible utdown of one of the two iC continuous casters on uth Yorkshire and the rtial shut down of melt5 and rolling at Aldwarke st outside Rotherham.

In response, the Soutt ırkshire Action Commit= Against Steel Closures d Redundancies was set in November of last year local steelworkers. Its airperson is Ted Thorne, 0 secretary of Temple . 1 branch of the ISTC NUR (in personal capacity)

COL W OR ROS and recently secretary 01 Rotherham Joints Branch until he was 'relieved' of his post by the ISTC Exec utive in 1980. Ted Thorne spoke to Rob Dawber: ol Socialist Organiser:

There are 3,000 jobe threatened in Sheffield. We anticipate more as a resuli of the rationalisation of engineering steel in the Phoenix 2 plans. Phoenis 2 is part of the denationalis. ation process.

"We set up an actior committee prior to the announcement of the redundancies in anticipa tion. This put out a resolu tion that said 'Only actior backed by a broad trade union and labour move ment campaign can ensure industry in any meantingtu the survival of the form. It resolves to cam traced paign for opposition to job losses and the reduction of plant capacity, and in particular to oppose any attempts to transfer any plant, equipment, materials, work or employees which can be construed as part of the programme of job cuts by the 'employer.' + The resolution has been adopted by the majority of joint representative committees at the various works.

•The Action Committee includes ISTC, the National Crafts Co-ordinating Committee [EETPU, AUEW, UCATT etc], the TGWU, GMWU and ASTMS.

"We had 70 reps along at the last meeting. It strikes me there are far too many reps not doing their jobs.

*Management made their announcements about redundancies last November and the ISTC is under instructions not to negotiate redundancies at local level. So we are waiting the results of national negotiations. But the Action Committee is not prepared, choose what happens at national level, to negotiate redundancies.

•The last national meeting on January 12, adjourned with nothing settled. Now discussions are to take place with all major unions involved with a view to a common front being put forward that is basically a wage claim of 9%.

BSC have offered 2% if we accept all their conditions. These would result in redundancies, much more flexible working and what they call the interface between production What about the Triple Alliance?

'As far as the Action Committee is concerned, its first function is to organise steelworkers. If they're not prepared to help themselves they can't expect help from miners and railworkers. The same goes for the NUM and the NUR.

•Then there'li be a place for the Triple Alliance.

Are there any links with other areas?

'No, no links. We are concerned exclusively with South Yorkshire. It is not the function of the committee to organise ona national scale.

"In our opinion only steelworkers themselves, in South Yorkshire, can effectively block management's attempts to bring about the redundancies.

Does that include action?

'If after all other avenues have been approached and failed and the membership deem that it is necessary to take strike action, the Action Committee will be prepared to lead and support the membership.

Isn't that standing on both sides of the fence?

•The 13 week strike wore us down. And the memory is still there. But if that strike did nothing else it brought steelworkers into the labour movement.

"There is a demonstration on January 29 called by the Action Committee and supported by Sheffield City Council, Peter Hardy MP, Martin Flannery MP, Joan Maynard MP, Stan Crowther MP, lan McKay MP, Brian . Kees MEP, Richard Caborn MEP and Rotherham Trades Council. We're writing to the Yorkshire NUM and anticipate support. a time when the bosses have been largely getting own way.

In conjunction with the water workers' strike, it could provide a focus for a wider fightback in the Manchester area.

GEC is only a few hundred yards from where the epic battle of Laurence Scotts was fought last year. In Manchester we should show we have learned some of the lessons of that strike by organising support for the GEC action now.

Clive Bradley

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

STEE WAN SH10S