March 11 1997 was a day that deserves be remembered for a long time to come.
housands of German miners occupied Bonn in protest at the threat to their iobs from Kohl's pro. posals to slash subsidies to the industry. The sight of the Free Democrats, Chancellor Kohl's coalition partners who are always championing the "free marker" being locked out of their offices by miners chained round the building was very uplitting Perhaps the most telling image from Bonn was when the miners built a mock grave outside Kohl's office with the inscription "Three, tour, hive six, seven millton unemployed, that's not important. But the European Union is".
There could be no doubt the miners were clear on whose altar them. ers from across Burope were gatherne use ne connect office near Paris to object the closure of the Vilvorde plant in Belgium with the loss of 3100 jobs. The protest followed Europe wide strike action on March 7 Joint protest Workers from Renault plants in France Spain, Portugal and ever Slovenia joined with the sacked workers in protesting. Other sup porters included Belgian supporters from Volvo, Volkswagen, Ford and Gerferal Motors.
This manificent dislav of solt. darity led to the media telling us that the "Euro-demo" had been born. While this may he because they have ignored previous events, ccrainly tae mood is bullding The sharpening competition in the car industry which has led to the closure at Vilvorde is as much a product of the bosses' Europe as the attacks on the welfare state and the withdrawal of subsidies from the German coal industry. The battle for the single currency leads to restructuring of private industy too.
Other signs of this are apparent Rover to move into the small car ternational solidarity, against this relentless drive for profits.
In the steel industry too the baltle lines are being drawn. It is being prcalcica that octacen ov.woy and 70,000 jobs in the industry are under threat as more companies succumb to takeovers and cut capacity. This would bring numbers in the industry down to below 200,000 the lowest since the industrial revolu. tion.
British Steel announced on March 21 that it would he "acceler ating" its planned job cuts from the nied that it would be cutting 10,000 a quarter of the workforce a ISbn hostile, Anglo-American would lead to the biggest firm in Europe. Thyssen say this will lead to the loss of 10,000 jobs but Krupp deny this. Crommer, Chairman of Krupp has to be protected from angry Thyssen workers by riot shields when he met them at Essen in March. Krupp workers have also joined the protests.
he kuropean steel trade as sociation (Eurofer) explains the man (sic) said "the restructuring with costs having to be cut to The message of bosses and natant - the need to answer In building on the gains of the last weeks we can begin to do
IO BOROPE