IT'S NOT only the Tories who are shocked by the militancy of the steel strikers. The steel union leaders themselves are reeling under the strain.
looked upon as trade unionists, the power and initiative of the working class in action.
In Sheffield, miners, and threatened a Saltley-gate style mass picket to put a stop to management's campaign at the Hadfields private steel firm to get the workers to scab on the strike.
In Scotland, at Sheerness Steel, mass picketing also took place to convince private sector workers not to scab. Strike leaders on Teesside have been discussing support action witn oter unions in mel ared.
Miners in Yorkshire
considering workers to prospect of a three-day week.
The rank and file in previously "moderate have shown because he engineers to work.
week Keith Jones, expressed the Sheffield STEIKAS union rank and are requests steel the picket lines.
Dockworkers in Sunderland face the steel strike is reaching a crucial stage.
the steel unions are clearly making the running in the strike. The Rotherham strike committee has even called for Sirs, general secretary of the Iron and he Steel Trades Confederation, to resign tried give 'dispensation' to Hadfields to return WOHIOG an ISTC official, feelings of the when said: 'Having won the legal battle in the House of Lords it was ludicrous to allow workers in the private sector to weaken the strike at a crucial time.* priding Tse T on ledaers moderation is facing a revolt from its file which threatens to permanently transform the balance of Porkshire strikers have set the pace the union. The South throughout the strike.
But what about the man at the centre of the dispute, Bill Sirs? The cumnonaran uron tedocr wno ukes to run a tight ship' seems to be losing his grip.
Sirs, former Hartlepool butcher's boy, no doubt considers he has made good. One of a family of ten was farmed out to grandmother until he was 14 to 'stop the means test man taking money off my father's unemployment alloHe started working in steel after being on the dole for a number of years. He told the Sunday Times it was 'one thing my father did for me'.
Today Bill Sirs lives in a fine house in Hatfield part of London's commuter belt; hobnobs with TUC and top politicians; smart suits and is driven around by his chauffeur in a Rover 3500. He is also a fitness freak and has managed to find time during the steel strike to play squash with a top steel civil servant. the solidarity of Welsh miners and steelworkers during the one-day all-out strike, and saying he would go to a BeCCu BIDIS HOS HOLOs his sympathy for management. In the tradition of steel union bosses, prides himself on the principle that what is good for the company is good his for the workers.
Sympathy Talking to the Sunday Times, he expressed management. getting low wages, just won't care Managers will have no control over them. problem is work discipline rather than the poor living Wedrs MICmOCIS Bill, Joseph is a nice man in his way very responsible union leader. magistrate he was in a particularly sticky position private The and bourgeois men.
sympathy Men in the industry him.
For the steel union leader, the standards of his who thinks that "Sir Keith is a As a be ready to law throne and public policies be made in the steel this the case tor building a and in Yorkshire defend jobs.
barrage tomatoes and arrived to up a continuous hall demanding the 'Maggie powei movement in WItn Closure called out in sector being solidarity with BSC workers.
There are many excellent private companies and I felt a bit hurt that we had to bring them into the dispute he told one reporter. "Reasonable responsible" working class leaders like Bill Sirs are courted by the press, which loves to present the 'human' faces of such While the pressure is on Sirs he Will be torced to some extent to blai the game to keep his ranks behind But as soon as the pressure is released he will be running to the steel corporation bosses and the Tories to negotiate away jobs for a lousy pay That's Sheffield are right to call for a national strike committee that will place the struggle in the hands of the rank-and-file, and - if necessary displace Sirs from his that can counter the paternalism of the Derek Nortons of who pretend that the workers in the private sector have common interests with management and instead emphasise the common interests of all steelworkers have in strong union that can both living standards and OTTRE eggs, rotten flour bombs greeted BSC boss Sir Charles Villiers, as he address a Middlesbrough on Thursday. Three hundred Teesside steel workers kept chant outside the O20, er ce", an: and Out, Out, Delegations from plants threatened -carrcu placaras- WELI 'Unite and fight for Consett".