IN ONE of the sharpest battles this Tory government has launched against the labour movement, the ones who have come out with flying colours have been rank and file workers who have shown magnificent solidarity Millions of workers saw the government lead a deliberate attack on jobs, working conditions and even on the existence of a major national union.
The determination of those rallying behind ASLEF makes the cowardice and treachery of the right wing bureaucrats that much more bitter. jaws of victory.
The TUC's Finance and General Purposes Committee put the final boot in. whole disgusting mob Terry Duffy, Frank Chadole -trick in the book to scab on the struggle. Right wing Labour MPs also joined in the dirty work. Michael Foot was condemned for being 'too closely identifed with ASLEF'. Yet Foot himself informed the drivers that he was withdrawing his support if the TUC's 'peace formula' were not accepted.
The actions of the right in the trade unions and the Labour Party reaffirms the urgency of waging portical labour movement against the present leader. ship. The right could have been and can be defeated. Scargill, Buckton and Benn made a courageous stand in the face if the massive onslaught from the Tories and the right wing the labour enough.
The base to launch a fight against our misleaders Tories is there. shown to the health workers, in defiance of the anti-union laws is evidence of this. So too is the growing opposition to any purge inside But when the crunch comes, the leaders of the left have not confronted the right. For the last ten years, since the struggle against the Tory Industrial Relations Act, right wing, in alliance with its friends in the Labour Party, spirit of the working class. When the miners brought down Heath, Wilson/Callaghan government whose right wing policies gave Thatcher victory at the last Socialist Challenge has argued consistently for Labour Party/trade union action.
want all those forces who are fighting against the Tories for jobs, wages and a decent standard of living and against the witch-hunt in the labour movement as forces to bring our present leaders to order.
We have had ten years of betrayal, cowardice and anti-working class policies from the present leadership.
the left to organise has been clear.
Socialist Challenge fighting for a class struggle left wing - one that will fight on the side of the workers, not the Tories, the City.
The betrayal of the TUC and the Labour Party has to be turned into a nail in the coffin of the leaders of the trade unions and the Labour Party. There are fights to come -rail and elsewhere. The decisive battles are yet to come.
A fighting left is essential if these are to be won. Foot, Murray organised the right.
Scargill and Buckton to start organising the left.
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Socialist Challenge 16 July 1982 page 2 ASLEF.
Defeat has been snatched from the But the Sidney Weighell, used every throughout the was not and hence to bring down the The solidarity in action the have held back the fighting had the a whole, to join Throughout, the need for That is supporters are their bosses and their friends in on and Weighall have It is time for Benn, ASLEF MEMBERS felt they could have won the funds. The furniture union FTAT offered a loan of £10,000 and gave a donation of £100, the maximum allowed under their rules; the print union Support from the National Union of Mineworkers was overwhelmPresident Arthur Scargill declared that the attack on ASLEF was an attack on the whole trade union movement, with the lall ovalu agent of the Tory Govern'We will respond with equal determination' was the attached the initial d £10.000 donated from his NUM executive. Instructions were sent to every pit not to allow coal to be loaded on trains and encouraging. to send their own donations and members to the picket lines.
Similar solidarity actions were building up in steel, engineering and car GPO sorting fices, among health workers who joined ASLEF pickets and millions of other workers who saw this as an opportunity to take on the Tory assauils their moveDespite the scabbing Weighell, NUR role members and the majority of the NUR National ExCommittee were ASLEF. The Glasgow and West Scotland Destrict Council of the NUR pledged full support and eighteen of the twenty member NUR National Executive Committee made a donation to ASLEF fund.
The Annual General Meeting of the NUR also voted overwhelmingly instruct drivers to cross picket a decision ignored by Weighell.
District Council of the NUR, Terescue 7,000 members agreed to set up a committee SOCKOU coordinate the response of ASLEF allu NUR members in the event of the sackings. ASLEF branch officers on London Transport pledged that they would call out their drivers if the sackings went ahead, bringing London Tubes to a standstill.
Seventy one MPs signed a statement, 'We pledge ourselves ready to assist ASLEF members in and outside Parliament in any way we may asked' Noticeable were the absent signatures LInG Wilcu hunters Foot, Healey and Shore.
Backing oming fro undreds of Labour Pa ties throughout the concollections and solidarity rallies Here we give just two of the many reports received Socialist Challenge readers of the solidarity meetings in their These showed the al cas big possibilities for united action against the Tories.
In Hackney EIGHTY railworkers, health WULACIS trade unionist ITONO Jocal factories Tolned public called Hackney Stoke Party to and support the health workers and local strikers at Hawker Siddles The meeting's collection was divided between the three disputes calling resolution carried "The NEC of the Labour Party to organise national lemonstration in defense o the ASLEF ASLEF as a union. continued Casicite 'We also call on them to publically support the Tripl the NUM in oreer to called b acichu coos alu workul concluons ol talworkers.
In Lambeth 'WHEN Margaret Thatcher say's we're holding onto 1919 concluons. wnal she means 1s called to defend ASLEF that she wants train drivers to back pre-1919 condi tions is how Andy Flett driver TON Waterlo ASLEF, summed up acked meeting organised b Lambeth Labour Parties speaks to packed meeting of rail, health and engineering workers called support the health WORKCHN workers. iu peoole amended including a delegation from ASLEF health unions NUPE, TGWU and ASTMS.
Collection sheets were distributed, and individua to help picketing arrang workplac neetings for both groups o WULACIS
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strike. In the days before the TUC sell out, thousands of pounds flooded into the ASLEF
SOGAT sent £1,000 and AUEW-TASS £5,000. London District Council of NALGO sent letters to its 110,000 members requesting financial support and backing on picket lines. Govan Shipyard workers donated £1,000.
such solidarity Frank Gorton, Trade Union Liaison officer for Hackney North Labour Party