hurt This is to repeas policies.
Dourceols prejudice. Recessions factory and Illass unemployment are in the WELCI COLD oi ine bosses even if interest rates and the value of the pound are not exactly to the bosses' liking.
Line racis speak tor themselves. Most major manulaclulllg BIONS back in profit, other state sectors (British Steel BL are on schedule for their restructuring programme. Average productivity (higher than Japan's), are down.
The main problem the bosses have with Thatcher is in relation to the money SUDDEV composition of public sector expenditure (too much on welfare, not enough on capital The demands of the bosses are for Thatcher 1iUlc faithfully implement her In fact they have overmonetarist policies and broadly speaking are 100 per cent behind them.
There a discussion on exactly how, and tempo to reflate. But this is ditterent from which in so far as it has any Conceit. proposes a uto• pian return to the concensus policies of the boom years.
The sort of expansion of the economy, will encourage a 'grab back' by the working class which will rule out the effectiveness deanng will wages and the Inrougn legislation. Heath found that workers 'respect' for such laws was only skin deep.
The bosses need the policies of the SDP like a hole in the head. Despite all the gains, productivity is still too low Edwardes' 'achievements' at BL only bring productivity there back to 1929 levels! Competitiveness, even with the tall of the pound and the only knocked 15 points off the 40 per cent drop sutfered in 1980 organisation across British industry. still an insuperable barrier to the sort of increase in the rate of exploitation required. The bosses are still utilising the situation created by I hatcher Ford and British Rail are two typical examples of a general pattern Phil's analysis suggests that the perspective is for the attacks on workers to ease up The opposite is the case. Not only will the on workers' organisation intensify, but Inis will be generansea lo other areas, like the curdestruction ot the London public transport This is not to say the ruling class is not in. ing constitutional changes, turn to coalitions and so on. But what raises this is the problem created for them by the democratic rights that we enjoy. these ASTMS members and withdrew the request not to cross It is clear that the majority of ASTMS members did not realise that solidarity other unions on site is essential, especially Line recent anti-union legislation. cannot have unions on the site being Sallit picked off one at a time. Unfortunately, a lot of ASTMS members still hold an elitist view.
This lesson of the Staffa dispute is for the need of greater co-operation between unions in the same plant, and for an understanding of the importance of solidariAs ASTMS negotiators, we intend to carry on and press this view.
JIMMY MILLER Vice-chair, McPherson's ASTMS London 1012C the previous 'gentlemanly' alternation of parties creates difficulties of rather major kind.
turning out of Thatcher poses the undoing of all her gains - Dal ticularly with the rise of Benn the Labour Party. This is where the SDP comes in, as a way of ensuring a further term for a Thatcherite government cher or not).
The bosses need Thatcher's policies (shorn of their idiocies) and by hook or by crook they are determined tha the government has them people vote for But even the best laid plans of mice and men...
BRIAN GROGAN, Hackney