PO Box No 65, London SW16 INN Typeset by Bread 'n Roses (TU) 01-485 4432 & WAGE FREEZE 6 Issues - £1.00 12 Issues - £2.00 Printed by Spider Web Offset (TU) & Rosemont Rd., VW3. government. They realised that the death of any of the prisoners could lead to a mass explosion which would present a direct challenge to their rule. It could bring masses into struggle and fuel the fight for a united Ireland free of British rule.
LESSONS on many of those leading the strugers. They will clearly realise that mobilising thousands the powerful industrial workers way of carrying forward the tight against British oppression.
of the British labour movement. This means building a mass Troops valuable aid in helping the Irish people win national freedom.
The fact that the Tories have been forced to back down will not be lost stoppage"
gle in support of the H-Block prison- particularly in April. in united action is the most effective MIXED The resurgence of such mass action in Ireland, and the renewal of struggle against British oppression, places a real responsibility on the shoulders Out movement which will be an inLast month, when the Tories announced their 6 percent wage freeze in the public sector. the response of the firefighters was immediate. Overtime bans were imposed up and down the country and resolutions poured in calling for an "all-out It was under this mounting pressure mar une local aurnotes wert forced into upping their offer to 18.8% - 13% now (backdated to September) and the remaining 5.8% While a set-back for the government, however, the reception the offer got at the delegate conference was mixed. Many brigades, such as London and Strathclyde, were campalening lor a no vote They clearly felt that the settlement represented a retreat from the guaranteed 18 percent the firefighters were due to receive under the agreement with the Callaghan government some years back. ety about the "strings" that were attached to the agreement. The local authorities have hinted that the deal will nave to be pala lor by greater job losses and manning reallancals STRUGGLE The firefighters are already under great stress and are being stretched almost to the limit because of recent cut-backs in the fire service. Any more cuts or job losses will, as Jim Fitzpatrick (union secretary Battersea) explained, put "the whole future of the service at stake".
This is why thev wil have to be fought. The FBU has already stated that it will vigourously oppose any redundancies made by local authorities and the rank-and-file members will have to be vigiant l this respect.
such a strugge - or a decentystaffed fire service - is in the inter ests ol au workers and Inis Is why support will have to be won from the other public sector unions and the TUC