IMGpapers 1980–83

Newspapers of the International Marxist Group and its forerunners, 1980–83

Corbys lessons for South Wales

· Socialist Challenge No. 132, 31 January 1980 · pp. 2-3 of the scan · 748 words

The scan: sc-n132-jan-31-1980.pdf (PDF, Marxists Internet Archive, opens at this page)

Uncorrected machine reading. This text was read by machine (Apple Vision OCR) from a scan of a newspaper page, and the page was cut into articles by machine, at the headlines found by their type size. Nothing has been corrected: expect misread words, text from a neighbouring article, and titles that are the machine reading of the headline, some of them only fragments. Quote from the scan, not from this page.
How this article was cut and titled: headline found by type size in the OCR geometry (split_tabloid.py); 2-7 of 7; machine-segmented newspaper page; uncorrected Vision OCR.

page 2 of the scan

artil.

• I would like aditional literature and enclose 50p too conner cords.

• Delete it not applicabler Name.....

Address.

31. MR and Corby have had an all those have still to come.

families. degrading, queue, where the deride us spongers on the state.

In the first were waiting officials constantly they message from Alrica prevent shut-down:' ireland and Critical So, that.

Neither conditions and claims for Wakes The ever 41 E to become 'viable'.

jobs.' and they told us:

were viability. But British Steel produce bringing it in.

more Naive The amount they intended jobs this poirt that it began BSC didn't want io know wanted io know. OVER the last two years we in experience that Port Talbot and Lianwern We faced the loss of our livelihood, the means of supporting ourselves and our now face the • dehumanising _dole same people that threw us out of work will scroungers and two years when we for the sack, related the management: Don't press for better conditions or wages now. It will mean inevitable closure. Help us now and we will be able to for a long time, we did just allowed cuts in our didn't press any meaningful increases in We allowed workers to leave and not be replaced, even though many of us knew that manning levels were already at a critically low point. With less workers, production levels were surpassed in the frantic attempt This was all we ever heard for those two years: "We can't afford to pay you more, but become a viable proposition and you can keep your I tely those to You are n changed.

you didn't work hard enough.' Figures presented about our lack economists Warwick University told us that the Corporation's figures were nonsense and that Corby could strip more cheaply than sisters.

investment needed would have cost much less than the to buy our Constant tried to make the Corporation see this. But it was at you Fi to dawn even the most naive of us that the - have The sboke int Tiry had beca a gigascic FRENCH steelworkers didn't fall for bosses' arguments The BSC's SC had bee had been fed small drops of hope in a cruel attempt to keep us quiet until they were ready to give us the chop.

If this sounds familiar it should. It's the same argument that the BSC are using over the current national wage claim. Don t asK lOr more 'Work harder for less or the closure will come quicker and harder.' Don't fall for it brothers We did at Corby and we found out that unless you fight they close you anyway. Forget about the of closure, initially for a decent wage , and when have won that fight inevitably will if you keep solidarity ake heart and know that if you have won once then you I win again.

If For don't fighi froes the serg Upon i sace never and the timetable for shutdown ever shorter. you think promises of more jobs to replace the cuts are genuine then take a look at the facts. has found 5,000 jobs nationally in six years. We need 5,800 jobs at Corby or alone, leaving aside the other 46,000 redundancies announced. and As lor the redundancy from what we can see of other areas much of it will go in the pub, the odd will trip to the bookie.

packet is replaced by a pittance from fight the dole totally support a family. haven't experience yet at Corby, but some of the signs are already there. Shops are people purchase lo be paid for Joses that the BSC's the BSC's.

BSC's job-finding service Don't than other BSC they don't.

money, example, survival The regular wage inadequate to had this Sort hire benefit short-lived and long regretted can tell the lads and lasses at Port Talbot and Llanwern is that your future is in your hands, not believe Corporation when they tell you that they can't go on subsidising steel to a greater extent European In fact British steel is subsidised less than in for the workers of Longwy have won their battle for and have succeeded in bringing massive investment that will provide more jobs. They have won a against lunatic economic policies first and people Their lesson is one that we can all Only you prepared to fight and go on fighting and the jobs of your c

page 3 of the scan

them Corby, and the

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