NUM president Arthur Scargill told a rally in Cardiff recently: "The time for mere talk and demonstrations is at an end." Pressure is slowly building for concrete activity in support of the miners and in defence of jobs across the entire working class. have set up protest camps outof threatened pits. The TUC 'jobs action day' on February 18, - which Scargill become 'stayaway' - could spark unofficial action in some workplaces.
Most importantly of all, there is now a real likelihood of the major coal and rail unionsorganising synchronised strike ballots on March 5. RMT leader Jimmy Knapp is speaking in of a spring of discontent". Socialists must now work flat out to ensure that the trade union bureaucrar ave up 50 their fine words.
Women's camps
WAPC have now established campsat Markham Main, Trentham, Houghton Main, Grimethorpe and Parkside and aim to start them at all of the ten pits at the top of the Tory hit list.
Anne Scargill, a prime mover in WAPC, sas appealed tor women to spend time at the camps, while labour movement and community organisations are asked to pass resolutions of support and send donations. A major TUC-backed demo in London is planned on February The TUC's February 18 jobs action day is clearly intended as another Congress House copout. As an official press release makes dear: "This is not a call for industrial action but for broad-based activity to demand change."
Instead, leaflets will be handed out at Jobcentres, presumably in case any unemployed have falled to realise that unemployment is not a good thing.
The statement continues: "At workplace level unions and employers will be urged to cooperate in meetings and other activities to demonstrate their shared concern about the damaging impact of unemploy: ment on their communities and the need for government action."
Yet many bosses have put hundreds. if not thousands. of people on the dole quee since ting expressions of concern will ao a mat lot of good:
If the TUC's day of national recovery last month is anything to go by, the overwhelming majority of trade unionists will simply ignore such fatuous advice.
Scargill correctly asked the Cardiff rally to use February 18 protest in a way far more militant than anything envis aged by the TUC: "1 call on all trade unionists to stay away from work and go onto the streets of Britain."] But there are obvious prob. lems with such an attempt to skirt the anti-union laws. It puts the onus on trade borus to act as concerned individuals rather than exploit their collective power.
It could also open the road to victimisations. The best advice for militants is to push for action on immediate demands in their own workplace where this is at all possible. Indications are that there could be some response to such tactics, but not enough to force a government backdown.
Linking up
4 meeting of coal unions unions RMT, ASLEF and TSSA on January 20 agreed to link their jobs fights and take back to their respective executives a proposal for synchronised ballots on March 5.
The ballot will call for a one day strike on a day to be specifled, and a rolling programme Excellent. But so far no one is The NUM is to hold a delegate conference on February 4, which is expected to endorse the plan and kick offa campaign for a yes vote. NACODS are likely to hold a similar gathering. The RMT executive last Friday agreed to ballot.
Question marks han over the response of ASLEF and TSSA. Despite carlier rhetoric in support of a 24-hour general trike, ASLEF general secretary Derrick Fullick effectively undermined the RMT'splanned fightback against the London Underground company plan. TSSA remain an unknown quantity.
ASLEF and TSSA activists need to ensure a ballot takes place; activists in all the unions concerned must pull out all the stops for a yes vote on March 5. There is a real chance of winning decisive majorittes.
But the anti-union laws still oom large, The emplovers may seck rulings that a co-ordinated strike would constitute a politibe grasped. Successful and united defance would render the judges' decision unworkdole •WAPC pit camps c/o NUM head-
26500xzssukers telephone: 0742 Solidarity