THESE contributions from Bill Sirs (ISTC General Secretary) and George Wrote of the Wales Tel surprised many workers who observed the Wales Labour Party Conference in Swansea on 17 May.
These are not the words they when demanded a strong lead from the ISTC and the TUC during the steel strike. For all Sirs' and Wright's retrospective demagogy on jobs, their record in the steel strike is not forgotten. the last week of the strike, Sirs explained his position in the Steel Workers Banner:
"Practically all of the important principals demanded by the corporation have been conceded. It will not be easy for us. It will mean the surrender of many customs and habits. will negotiating many jobs.' In February, Wright explained away Wales TUC retreat from a call tor maustral action to oppose steel and coal redundancies: "We have never called. will not call, and never intend to call a Demagogy aside, this is the real face of the leaders who have alloweu loos Talbot to be negotiated away in return for pitiful redundancy payments and the prospects of permanent unemployment.
Tommy Lyons, branch secretary at Port Talbot Steelworks, explained disgust to Socialist Challenge:
The ISTC, NUB, AUEW in Port Talbot have signed the BSC proposals. The EEPTU and the TGWU have so far refused to sign. The other have accepted slimline hook line and sinker.
They have negotiated the golden handshake deal. In my away George the them, if possible, out of office.' Bill Sirs, ISTC.
opinion, the lay delegates are too interested in getting their Port own redundancy pay. aren't looking tomorrow. Even workers have themselves to the situation.
EEPTU 'Many of them will have a ruae snock wiel his find jobs in Port Talbot. Just last week a building firm shut and down with the loss of another 1,000 jobs so the area.
The arrectici Port Talbot will set the scene for the rest of the country.
the Thirty six thousand jobs are planned to go, on top of those Wales. :411 ments made now in Port Talbot 'Jobs are more important than wages. We should be fighting for jobs to protect the future of our children. We wanted to strike for jobs but every other union on the TUC Steel Committee turned us down. When we went to the TUC to fight for jobs they turned us down.... we must unite against a common enemy and get rid of the Tory Government. We cannot afford to have them in office for another four years. We must use every method to push and Llanwern will set a precedent for the BSC in these areas.
They further than the young Labour Party conference that resigned the jobs fight should be taken ир. not issued a national directive they try to that the local leaderships stop the negotiations? Why has the national Steel Committee not taken this up?
made in letter to the local plants arguing against negotiating these deals.
They whether they want a jobs fight The force or not. stick out on our own had in Wales.' a national directive.
•Bill Sirs said at the Welsh So why has the executive Pathetic "The They should have sent a Our problem clean Half the We cannot afford to 'The CBI, BSC and the Government have won in Port Talbot. It is a tragedy that over six thousand jobs and the futures of our children have been sold in Port Talbot. Those who did not turn out on 14 May bear some of the responsibility. They have destroyed the only chance we George Wright, Secretary of Welsh TUC "The EEPTU in Port Talbot has demanded a meeting with our national official so that he can tell us what the national position is. If the jobs are going to be signed away it must be clear that this is a directive from our national officials. threats jobs.
and Wales TUC have been pathetic.
redundancies. leaders, people like Sirs, ..and Duffy, are not giving a lead. Resist workforce of Port Talbot will go with this deal.
The other half will have a real Coal fight on their hands to stop the same happening to them But their fight has already been undermined by of response from a national level.
In Llanwern too, negotiations are in progress over BSC cut almost 5,000 Steel Sheet, the bulletin produced by ISTC, NUB and AUEW members in Llanwern, these talks and for a fight against the wide A call has been issued to the 400 pickets who agreed at the before it is too late. redundancies to meet again on 4 June to plan this opposition one contributor to Steel Sheet argues:
air-conditioned offices the government They have isolated from the workers industry •as ines accept their role as the "third arm of government"
'Negotiation at Llanwern is a sick joke. A fightback within these rules is doomed to failure. The time for action is near. The leadership you are looking foi is ready to assert itself, if you give it your backing. It is now up to you, the victims of Tory. manipulated BSC, to hit back.
Many are now looking to the miners to act. They too art faced with devastating redundancies. Philip Weekes, South Wales Director of the National Board, announced this week that 6,500 miners will face the dole queue by the new year as six pits close and a government subsidy on Welsh coaking coal to Llanwern is withdrawn.
Miners This is only a start. At the South Wales miners conference held a fortnight ago, 15 lodges submitted an emergency resolution opposing NCB plans to recall 21 pits for investigation with the possible loss of 15,000 jobs in the next year.
Workers other unions were called on to support a fight against these redundan cies and Welsh miners will campaign at the national conference in July for countryaction against the pit closures. The squeeze is on, but there is still time to fight for the trade leaders to act