THE ONE-DAY strikes in the mines and on the railways have put class struggle back on the agenda at a time when this was desperately necessary.
This has been followed up by the decision of the teachers unions to take action over school tests.
The solidarity of the strikes and the rising confidence and morale of those involved put a generalised fightback against Tory attacks back on the agenda.
But the government threat to ban strikes in the public sector massively raises the stakes in the current wave of union struggles.
RMT climbdown
The miners now face immense problems; and the decision of the RMT executive to re-ballot their members on BR's latest offer means that further industrial action on the railways, if it happens, could not start until well into May. In effect the RMT decision is a face-saving climbdown.
If the current wave of industrial action runs out of steam, the Tories will find it much casier to impose the new law, revealed by the NUT last а. памир у 40. On the way out? Tory slimeball Patten defeated by teachers weck, effectively banning public sector strikes. i montbs after abe ao Five months after the nouncement of the pit closures, the Tory rebels have predictably collapsed, the energy White Paper is going through parliament and of course the Labour front bench has mounted no serious challenge to defend the pits. Now the government has won in parliament, the closure of the first 19 pits on the immediate hit list will anti-strike propaganda. major and devastating defeat. ure to fight the anti-union laws. norm. * CLO RES SAVE JOBS