DENMARK-More than 150,000 workers went on strike on April 20 in solidarity with bus drivers fighting The drivers have been on strike since February. This is a crucial test of strength in the government's privatisation programme.
Workers in the public sector saw this as a warning strike against planned tendering of industry. Local authorities have been encouraged to invite tenders for different services, especially those employing women on low wages.
The private sector also reacted to the anti-social logic of the policies. Most of the shipyards, bacon factories and large workplaces were part of the movement. Bus transportation was paralysed in all cities.
The Ri-Bus A/S company which won the city council tendering in Esberg proposed wage cuts of between eight and fifteen per cent. They have gone on to sack all the strikers no averse new workess.
An extremely successful picket has been operative, drawing in workers from all over Denmark. On March 27 the police responded. They broke through the picket and got out a number of buses.
This was a signal for country-wide solidarity. The wave of action has drawn in the SiD buses. - the unskilled workers federation - and the Danish TUC, who are organising support.
Danish labour market regulations penalise most strikes Flying pickets are chased all by fines on top of wage losses. around the town. Nevertheless after the April 20 arbitrarily arrested by police. strike action was stepped up. Although Trades union and support Schluter's right-wing governcommittees keep a supply of ment that first introduced neocoaches full of protesters run- liberalism in the 1980s, few ning to support the picket. public companies and services Every morning police break it were handed over to the priup and force out a handful of vate sector until Poul Nyrup Rasmussen led the Social Thousands of trades union- Democratic come back. Indeed ist now have direct experience the police attacks are made of the virtual state of emer- possible by the anti-union laws laid down under a Social Democratic government.
Minister of Justice Bjørn Westh has backed the police war against the pickets and Minister of Labour Jytte Andersen has warned that picketing bus drivers would be refused unemployment benefit.
Social democratic politicians and trade union leaders are eager to put a lid on the resistance to privatisation and tenders. Their aim is to limit the conflict to local level. But so far all attempts at compromise have hit a wall of refusal by the Liberals.
Bitterness
People are The increasing bitterness of the conflict was emphasised • was Poul on May 13 when 400,000 kr. worth of bus windows were smashed during the night. Although the support committees disassociated themselves from the action it is clear that the strikers are getting frustrated with the police's strong-arm tactics.
Plans are underway to broaden support further. A French hospital strikers picketing in 1988 new day of action is planned for June 1. This should be the occasion of a genuine mass blockade against the scab buses.
The Socialist Workers Party (SAP); the Danish section of the Fourth International, is calling for a 24 hour general strike and the SiD to launch secondary strikes and pickets against all firms delivering goods and services to the Ri-Bus company.
The strike may last a month or more. Whatever the outcome the struggle against wage cutting privatisation has fuelled a solidarity movement long unknown, reviving trade union networks and confirming a general rise in the level of class struggle.
Nevertheless, the Danish working class needs a victory over the privatisation pirates to set in place a positive dynamic encouraging other groups of workers to take on the liberal diktats. • Fax messages to the Copenhagen support committee +45 31 39 76 94.