workers are engaged in their first STEEL national strike since 1926. Then, they struck in solidarity with miners' struggle to defend jobs. and conditions. This time it's the other way round. The miners are throwing their weight behind the steelworkers.
BSC's decision to double its coal imports, as well as its proposed closures, threatens many miners' jobs.
Along with transport workers and dockers, miners and steelworkers are preparing to stop steel coming into the country, movement of steel between plants, and force BSC to give in to the wage demands of the steelworkers. They know this strike is not just about pay: It is the first national challenge to the Tory government. Not only are wages at stake but also thousands of jobs.
In South Wales, Llanwern and Port Talbot steelworkers. face redundancy. George Wright, General Secretary of the Welsh TUC, argues that this will mean the loss of 15,000 miners' jobs and the closure communities prevent any strike action right. steel plants. three quarters of the of 21 South Wales pits. In its wake will follow the livelihoods of dockers, transport workers and thousands who service the mining and steel With this threat looming, the Welsh TUC is laying plans for a day of strike action to defend jobs on 21 January. Miners, railway workers, engineers, dockers and of course steelworkers, are discussing support for this action, Emlyn Williams, South Wales president of the NUM, has already received pledges for strike action. re from five other coalfields if Welsh miners take action on 21 January.
Some doubts are being cast likelihood of this regional general strike in Wales, because the ISTC national executive has against job loss. They don't want to see their struggle isolated and defeated, as happened at Corby because of the inactivity of the national union, despite a massive local campaign.
The head of steam built up through national can be used to challenge the passivity of the union leaders on jobs. George Wright predicts that the present strike over pay will run into another ISTC January in defence of jobs'. Let's hope he's With proposed boycott action by transport workers and dockers, the steel strike is off to a good start. As stocks of steel run out, whether in the car or can factories, trade unionists will havé to be on the alert against steel imported from other countries or sneaked in from private Bill Sirs has threatened that 'we will put pickets wherever they are necessary regardless of Jim Prior'. If he sticks to this, then the whole of the trade union movement must turn out to make sure that the steel strike is brought to a sucessful conclusion.
This means that solidarity action must be prepared in every town, whether there is a steel plant or not. The steelworkers are taking the lead against the They support of every trade unionist and Labour Party member in Britain.
over • the strike from deserve the PORT TALBOT steelworks near Swanses - three quarters of the workers could go
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not yet given its backing and South Wales steelworkers are reluctant to strike out alone