I Chair of Strike Committee), plus rank and file signal l I workers and LUL workers with up to date views from | the grass roots. Over 1,100 people attended the largest-ever Fourth International Youth Camp, held at Poppi in Italy recently. The British delegation at the camp, three time larger than last years' delegation, organised well-attended workshops on neo-liberalism and the 'third world' debt. A full photo report will be in the eight page 'Liberation!' supplement printed with our next issue.
Printed by Tridant Press, Edenbridge. Published by Idolrare Ltd, PO Box 1109, London N4 2UU. Copyright ® 1994 By a railworker (anonymous in the face of BR gagging rules) • WITH NO major cracks appearing in the ranks of the striking signal workers, and with Railtrack management now claiming a 50% service on strike days, both sides in the dispute have dug in for warfare.
Railtrack is working on plans for their next big push -the introduction of personal contracts and the sacking of those who remain on strike. The RMT must now start to plan their response.
If the signal workers are to win two things are key -maintaining the morale of signal workers, in particular by showing them they have the support of the wider labour movement, and broadening the dispute to include other railworkers and RMT members.
With the change of transport minister the Tories have abandoned their supposed "neutral" stance, and it is clear that a Cabinet sub-committee of senior ministers have been meeting from Day 1 of the strike to instruct Railtrack on how to conduct the dispute. Socialist Aside from the need to be seen to uphold the public sector wage freeze, they want to smash the RMT, and signal workers in particular, as a precondition for successful privatisation of the railway industry.
The Labour Party leadership however has yet to abandon their "neutral" stance. While talking of "defending the right to strike", official spokespersons remain reluctant to be seen endorsing the strikers' actions.
The suggestion by Frank Dobson that the RMT accept binding arbitration is an outrage. Trade unions must keep their right to be independent and to fight to win.
Such is the anger of RMT members at Labour's attitude that the executive has raised the question of whether to continue to fund its sponsored MPs.
Each week Railtrack has tried a new stunt to break the strike. Despite claims of a "drift back to work" and of increased services the strikers have held firm.
Railtrack incompetence and government mistakes have combined to keep the strikers angry and united.
The announcement of the pay increase for MPs and rewards for scabs of trips Normal services will NOT be resumed... through the Channel Tunnel did the trick this week; when Railtrack leaked their plans for sacking strikers, rather than encourage a return to work it just fuelled strikers' determination.
Way out
It is clear that middle management are exasperated and are looking for a way out. Informal, semi-secret meetings with local signal worker representatives have been taking place around the country.
But rather than encourage strike breaking the meetings have only shown to managers that the workforce is united. In some areas the strikers want to see escalation of action, elsewhere they want to maintain the present pattern of one and two day strikes, buy all agree that there can be no going back before Railtrack put forward a meaningful offer of money upfront to pay for past productivity.
In two weeks signal workers will be meeting at their Grades Conference. It will be the first time that the rank and file have had a chance to discuss the way forward at a national level. The RMT and the broader labour movement have to send a message to the Sticking to strategy of short strikes: Jimmy Knapp conference - "you can win, and we will do all to help make your victory possible".
Support groups have now been set up in many areas. The RMT is currently trying to draw up a list across the country and is encouraging its branches to help set up new groups.
But in many areas the RMT has, even now, not made any moves. What we need to see is broad groups based on the local RMT and local labour movement. Continued inside,