goes on Saturday 5 December HENLEY DEMO March through Michael Heseltine's constituency Organised by Oxford Trades Council and Henley Labour Party Supported by NUM.
Assemble 12 noon railway station/coachpark.
CENTRAL LONDON DEMO
Saturday 9 January Solidarity with the Miners National Miners' Support Network.
5 Dec, 1992 No. 33 Saturday 19 December to greet the Scottish marchers. Detalls in next Issue.
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Sponsored by NUM Called by Socialist Movement TU Committee, Haldane Society Employment Committee, Trade Union News.
Sheffield Polytechnic Students' Union, 11am-5pm. Delegates from all bona fide labour movement organisations. Registrations, £5 waged, £2.50 unwaged from: Carolyn Sikorski, 53a Geere Rd., London E15 3PN. Make cheques to Sociallst Movement (TU). British Rail militants must build a new opposition movement in the main railworkers' union, argues RMT activist SAM STACEY. JUST AS Derek Fullick, general secretary of drivers union ASLEF, was demanding 24 hour general strikes, his union's executive was instructing members to observe the anti-union laws and cross then-expected RIMT picket lines on London Underaround Incidents like this underline the crisis of rail union leadership in ASLEF. are capable. let alone wiling, to light massive job cuts in the offing, never mind privatisation They all rushed to sign a new bargaining deal with the bosses, which pushes many vital subjocts outside the scope of national machinery. Any issue elaled solely to a single business* -that is, individual sectors such as Notwork SouthEast or Raiteight Distribuon - can no longer be discussed E national council. sentially, InterCi could slash wages heavly, but the unions couldnit even raise the question on the national council.
There will be major local repercussions, too. For instance. Departmental Committees will be broken up by business. We could soe workers in the same depot, on the same grade, on widely diferent wages and conditions.
This latest sell-out has created widespread anger among actrists. But how can militants build on this to organise resistance to both management and treacherous officials?
Motherwell branch recently hosted an unofficial meeting of Scottish branches entided the crisis of leader. points addressed was the need to kick out Knapp and Co. Necessary as this is, it is not the fundamental issue We need to transform RMT into a fighting union under membership controil. In order to get it, we have to create a movement against the bureaucracy, from the ground up.
In place of their conservative ap paratus, we nood miltant leaders, Guard against oportunism earning no more than skilled railworkers and subject to the control of the ranks The first step would be a conference, open to all individuals after a fightback, and sponsored by as many branches and District Councils as possible. Such a meeting should set up an unofficial movement, based on support within union structures, while striving to build among the broader membership.
Its basis would of course be subject to democratic discussion. But it does ot require a massive programme" ike the old RMT Broad Left. It should simply demand implementation of existing policy, which already includes strike workers and the environment.
socialist alternative.
Outlook PO Box 1109, London N4 2UU action against privatisation and withdrawal from the new machinery of negotiation. Such a movement could certainly win support from people that, for in stance, supported the demand of the Manchester comrades for a special general moeting over four recent vic amisation sackings there. Many RMT what they are paying their money for, when the union is doing littk to defend their interests The building of a new opposition, howaver embryonic, to win back our union, is the best means of halting the cancerous growt of demoralisation. This new pamphlet written by Socialist Outlook railworkers examines the background to the privatisation proposals, and their implications for passengers, railt also discusses how privatisation can be fought and the Send £1.25 including post and packaging to Socialist
BRITISH COAL has effectively dished out redundancy notices to every one of its 50,000 employees, including those at the 19 safe pits not currently facing the axe. Not a single job is now sate.
Union reps at every British Coal location have received potential redundancies, coverwith the letter of current Miners News
Striking Back Fighting privatisation on the railways