The way to win
Socialist Organiser1984 1984-04-04Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 12 →
Read from the scan by machine and not corrected: expect misread words, and now and then a caption or a line from a neighbouring story. For anything you quote, read the scan.
Scan page 12
Miners struck to support health workers [above].
THE miners' strike is a tremendously important mobilisation, miners' strike is a tremendously important mobilisation.
the most important working class battle for many years.
Although the strike was provoked by the Tories because they thought the time had come when they could take out the NUM, the government has bitten off more than it can chew.
This is a qualitative development in the revival of working class militancy.
Siowly but steadily the forces are building up for a fullscale working class confrontation with the Tory government. The movement is growing and escalating. Solidarity like that taken by some NUR members will turn the industrial tide for the miners.
How is the government going to react? They will escalate further.
MacGregor is now saying that the strike is politically inspired. The government nas already used the police in a paramilitary way not seen in Britain until now. Their next step, as the struggle escalates and solidarity bites, may be to send in the troops - something not known in Britain for about a third of a century.
Once again, the miners - despite their divisions - are the shock troops and standard bearers of the working class. Once more the miners are telling a foul anti-working class Tory government that they can't run things exactly as they like and that the miners are calling them to account. It is the most vital and direct interest of every worker in Britain to stand on the line with the miners and help them win.
The miners' strike must be put at the centre of the work of socialists. We must put ourselves on a war footing.
STOP ALL COAL!
Every union must be committed to boycotting all movement of coal not licensed by the NUM - and committed to strike action in defence of any workers victimised for boycotting coal. We should demand that the TUC adopts, advocates and fights for this policy throughout industry.
FOR A GENERAL STRIKE!
We should argue for railworkers, power workers, gas workers, water workers and others to bring forward and link their claims and strike alongside the miners. We should hit the Tories with a clenched fist.
We should oppose exemptions for steelworkers and argue with steelworkers for a common working class struggle to save jobs in all industries. This is the only way to save steel jobs.
A general strike could stop MacGregor's pit closures plan and rip up the anti-union laws. It can win this struggle. And it can do more. It can make it impossible for the Tories to govern; and the level of mobilisation involved would open up big possibilities beyond that. We should call on the TUC to organise for a general strike.
SCRAP THE ANTI-UNION LAWS!
Since the June 1983 election and especially since the September 1983 conference of the TUC, the Tories and the bosses have gone on the offensive over anti-union laws. These laws are now used in every major industrial dispute. Though the Coal Board made a tactical decision not to use the anti-union laws because it did not want to unite the miners in response to an attack from the courts, the laws are almost certain to be used later - for example if all coalfields are out and solid. Then the tactical considerations that have restrained them so far will have disappeared.
POLICE OUT OF THE COALFIELDS!
Ine massive, nationally coordinated police operation in the coalfields is a gigantic step in the development of a paramilitary centralised police force. The question of police accountability is therefore now one of the most burning political questions. So is the danger that this militant class struggle Tory government will use troops against the strikers.
We should campaign in the Labour Party for Labour councils to try to deny funds for the police operation and to demand the resignation of the Chief Constables responsible for coordinating the present first stage of police-state Tory operations against striking miners. AGAINST A NATIONAL BALLOT As the strike gathers strength it may be that soon a national ballot would produce the necessary 55% majority for a national coal strike. A recent opinion poll amongst miners says that miners are now 60% for strike action. We should still however support the NUM Executive against a national ballot because:
a) it means demobilisation now;
#rO0: *4=: •7g.
IUPr CHERAY GL JOHN HARRIS