The outcome of the coal crisis will have a big bearing on the struggle of railworkers against the management offensive and the threat of privatisation. Over 5,000 rail jobs would go as result of the proposer pit closures. If the government is able to ride out the storm and the closures procede without resistance it will have a demoralising effect on our attempt to build a fightback If on the other hand the government is defeated this will put us in a lar stronger position to resist rail privatisation. Even though it was able to win the vote in the House of Commons through its cynical manoenvres, we should not underestimate the crisis of the government. There is a very deep split amongst the rulers of this country, as a result of the collapse of the "real economy". This was expressed by Winston Churchill who said that "you can't run an economy on Kentucky Fried Chicken and financial markets". The shrill noise of the industrialists, yesterday's Thatcherites, screaming, at Major for state intervention to rescue them, gives voke to the fear that the crisis of British capitalism is spiralling downwards, out of control. So much for the victorious 'free market!
It is clear we have a very fragile government which could disintegrate. First the U-turn over the ERM, now the edibility is in filters, evp aminst the rings of is outs supporters. According lo a Mori poll 16% of people Britain have confidence in John Major; the lowest level of support since polls began!
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Yet just as the Labour leadership, through its support for the Maastricht agreement, threatens to save the government from the revolt amongst its own MPs, there is a danger that the Labour and Trade Union leaders will allow the government to wriggle out of the current crisis. On the same day you could hear on the Radio a Tory Council leader from Nottinghamshire declaring that he would support anybody who opposed pit closures, you could also hear Labour spokesperson Robin Cook refusing to say that his Party would support strike action by the miners!
The proposed massacre of the coal industry is a direct result of the privatisation of the electricity industry and the decision of the management to diversify their fuel sources. Rail workers have had a glimpse of what privatisation would mean for us. Government proposals to privatise British Rail threaten not only the jobs and conditions of those who work in the industry, but the services on which millions of travellers rely to go about their daily lives. Attempts to treat the railways as if they were simply another business whose main concern was making a profit, ignore the realities • of a system which is at the heart of social and economic he. Not only is privatisatior opposed to the interests of the mass of the population but it does not make economic sense. I a simple profit criteria is used then vast swathes of the network would be destroyed, ignoring the detrimental affect on communications and transport of goods, which itself would have incalculable social and economic costs.
Of course, a government which is set on destroying the mining industry despite the cost of such action, whilst pouring billions down the drain in a forlorn attempt to keep the pound at an unsustainable level in the ERM, is not subject to rational argument over rail privatisation. Ils plans will only be stopped by the action. of the unions, supported by those who depend on the railways for daily transport, and those who understand the social and ecological costs of cutting up the railways, and allowing the growth of road transport to continue.
Since the general election the Labour and trade union leaders have run up the white flag. This is the main difficulty that rail and other workers face. In order to resist the government's attacks on its jobs and living conditions, on all its social gains, it has to overcome the (ii)
obstacles which virtually the entire leadership of the Labour. Party, and Trades Unions place in the way of organising resistance.
The latest examples of that in the rail unions are the sell out by all of them over the Machinery of Negotiation (see page 10) and the refusal of the RMT leadership to organise action for the reinstatement of four sacked guards leaders in Manchester. They were victimised by a management which was intent on breaking resistance to its preparations for the new negotiating machinery and for privatisation. A parliamentary campaign explaining what a terrible this poliy or the Mila devil med sty is a mahes. industrial action lo stop it. Without such strike action we will not be able to prevent the carve up of the industry. We now have lo defend the jobs of our members linked with the coal industry. The best means of fighting rail privatisation today, is to ensure that the pil closure programme is defeated. Whilst the TUC has finally been forced lo act by the threat of 100,000 job losses, protest will not be enough. Strike action across the trades unions will be necessary. A victory for the miners may bring the government down, it mght force a change of leader. Whatever happens, though, it will placesus in a much stronger position to defeat rail privatisation. I will be the solidarity action of workers who understand that the outcome of this struggle is crucial for building resistance across the unions, which will enable us to destroy a government which aims to destroy our organisations.
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