SUBVERSION' Is Published by a Small Group of Revolutionaries Based ,In the North of Groups Like the C.W.0
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2'”! '" ('1 !.»=e- l-‘ii ‘Hi’ -=--Z1 FREE. 1 If you thought Nelson Mandela was a great There have been major strikes by both coal heroic leader of the oppressed masses of and gold niners, in the hospitals and on South Africa who, now risen like Christ the railways. This in addition to the after 27 years in the underworld and poised resistance in the squatter camps, the rent to lead said masses, if not to life strikes and school boycotts. All of everlasting, at least to freedom in the these struggles are a shining example to here and now, you might be a little workers everywhere and show that the puzzled. workers in South Africa are among the most anvanced in the world in combativity. Surely that can't be right. Mandela However, trey face a serious threat from condemning the schools boycott and the ANC. ‘ordering’ students back to school. Mandela THE CLASS NATURE OF THE ANC supporting the use of South African state forces to suppress riots. Mandela and de The ANC is one of many similar groups Klerk singing each others praises. Etc.etc. around the world, such as the PLO, IRA, What's going on? SWAPO, Sancinistas etc. who claim to be fighting against oppression and for, If you were surprised by all this, it's usually, ‘national liberation’. All because you didn't realize what the ANC was of these organisations are simply the all about. The ANC has always been a capit- latter-day equivalents of the nationalist, alist organisation. bourgeois democratic movements of the historical period following the French THE STRUGGLE IN SOUTH AFRICA Revolution. At that time the emerging capitalist powers needed an ideology which The working class in South Africa is would bind the whole population to the probably the strongest on the continent, ruling class. They found it in the idea of and has been increasingly showing this the ‘nation’ — a unity of both rulers and strength in the last few years. ruled, oppressors and oppressed, capital- ...... bud‘ ameetln9 Oi “Is of i¢"r¢v&’6?~‘isBéi2i ""“‘“ se~l.;.;.*.“1‘*"*- s°°‘a"°“"°‘ ’“;.~;*wlv.<.=.@ m... District_ COUOCII on Tuesday, if services for the mentally easttWe1or\Non 1 6 days last tlal victoFY. U tedm a par‘ '35‘ weeummaetivlsts- m Hal’rfl to wlntherelnstatemen 0 h‘{"d!°?PR?q.'°.w'" :~;e!$.__E",°.""§‘ smke 'n 5°”? _°"e clerical mée-' unfit no inqpll co All over the country small groups of public sector workers have been striking, occupy- ing council buildings, demonstrating and 5 * iii?” A W’ *2"; protesting against the impact of cuts in yrww we ml "cl their workplaces. if men H :.,) * WW" cw A5 fififl Against the background of a deepening econ- Mn omic crisis, a combination of grant cuts, gr-» changes in housing and education finance, 'fa-':.-L12"-.%-'=' ggifl51"’ competitive tendering and of course the Kl! i T ¥ poll tax is pushing gll councils, of what- ever political flavour, onto the offensive against their workers. iAs each of these attacks has come along the unions have argued for co-operation with the employers and "saving our strength" for the bigger battles to come. But each decis- ion to co—operate has simply weakened and demoralised us further. Only when councils SOPUS dire threats from both the have tried to make cuts "without fully con- employers and the unions. sulting the unions" have those unions pro- tested. Some token consultations conceded We have to understand that whilst the and they have soon been satisfied. They immediate causes of particular disputes have then united with the employers in might vary - poll tax capping in one place, trying to squash any flames of militant privatisation in another, grant cuts else- resistance by sections of workers most where etc. - that these are all part of 2&2 affected by the latest round of cuts. co—ordinated employers offensive. If we are not to be worn down by endless rearguard Many of the small groups of workers now sectoral disputes, attempts must be taking action to defend their interests made to link all the main disputes together have in previous years, or even months, in a single fight against the cuts. voted at union meetings {gr co-operation with the employers, only to find now exact- That doesn't mean passing resolutions ly what that means in terms of job losses, appealing to the union 'leaderships' to cuts in services, and reductions in organise something or sitting on our arses working conditions. This apparent contra- waiting for the next ‘big’ fight. It means diction is being exploited for all it's using the time released by being on strike worth by the unions who wave the flag of to go Qiggctly to other workers involved, "democracy" against anyone who refuses to or in dispute themselves, and arguing for co-operate, implying that these ‘refuse- combined and united action. It means con- niks' are "out of step" or "on their own". trolling any strike ourselves through The unions deliberately hide the widespread regular mass meetings, which cut across nature of the anger and revolt that union and sectoral divisions, and directly is building up, hoping to keep each elected strike committees. section of workers isolated and under their control. In this way we can turn the current defensive actions into an offensive against But workers are learning to combat these the employers and the government and take a union manoeuvres. In Barnsley for instance small step towards building the confidence, thousands of teachers went eon a wildcat solidarity and organisation necessary to strike against job cuts despite all ___ _ _ .__,_,.__ #41- g ___" _*________H_ _ |,|,,,__ _ - ' .. - -Q ---- - take on the whole rotten system. - - - .1., '1...-H - . 1' | ' ,,_ 1 ' I . I- I 1 - | | ;_ I "I I-'I- - nu up -q-1» .- I _ l I . 1 . > _- Q - 1 -._..-.r-- -. .. H r_.. .. ___. ‘.,._,,,q-.-qpv-If I _-up; "fi"@|': 3-1 -\-; 111- ,1-Y -Q Tm: Ul\ll0l\l’S CAMPAIGN _ —f' ,_ As Manchester City Council goes about implementing the government cuts a number '. NA!-/,6;Q,,t' of small disputes have arisen in the .<g§m libraries, housing departments and else- where over things like collection of the l;/’\l5\D\ poll tax, covering for vacancies and so on. In each case the union (NALGO) has sought to keep them isolated and avoid any general ised resistance to the cuts. Their job has been made easier because the majority of workers have previously been persuaded to co-operate with the Labour council rather _ - "g 1 ' IF 4 than oppose them outright. Q """""" 3* ‘F0 Gov!» M 11> Pggaggg 1146 696"59€ M Quorum en, _ "11-lg (u|¢.e1;u(;,. '-1'9 1' THIN! Ht .511!-It.) l '- . when you consider the effects of the current cuts this seems surprising, so how did the union pull it off? Basically beaten. That majority vote is now ritually they manipulated the membership in the produced anytime someone argues for spread- following way:- ing some action against the cuts. So far their tactics have worked, but they can't l. First of all they called a mass meeting keep the lid on the growing anger amongst early in the year before the practical council workers forever. We must turn the effects of the cuts were widely known. increasing number of small streams of resistance into an irresistable tide 2. They deliberately kept the membership of opposition. ignorant of those effects. 3. They suggested mass redundancies around the corner but only if the council wouldn't l' negotiate seriously to "sort things out". This~ tactic combined fear with an easy way out. 4. They made militant sounding noises about Uwwvp main concern of the East German working on strikes but only to secure negotiations not actually against the cuts themselves. the other hand is simply a straightforward struggle to obtain the basic necessities of life, with the cost of rents and basic 5. They warned that total opposition to the food-stuffs such as milk and bread council and the poll tax would leave us now doubling and tripling in price. isolated. This was a self-fulfilling prophecy to the extent that other union The strikes may be over for the time being, exec's elsewhere were saying the same thing but worsening economic conditions will force the East German working class to 6. They also warned against being provoked resume and intensify its fight - as the into ‘precipitate’ and ‘futile’ action ruling class know only too well. On lst bv politicallv motivated groups like the SWP, who are generally not very popular July the Sunday Correspondent reported that (conveniently ignoring their own political "East Germany's Minister of the Interior, motives in supporting the Labour Party Peter Michael Diestel, is taking no chances mainstreaml). given all the uncertainties surrounding monetary union in the East. He has anounced 7. They had their own ready made, glossy plans to equip the East German police with ‘do nothing‘ campaign against those more effective anti-riot gear". Let's hope who argued for non-implementation. A hisg lack of faith in the subservience of the East German working class is fulfilled 8. And of course they controlled the beyond his wildest nightmares... meeting in the usual biased way towards the platform, restricting opposition speakers and resolutions. This combination enabled them to ;get a majority in favour of their line, although a substantial minority refused to be brow- 3 Q C B1 1- C I II: ll l1 ‘H — All ,, mi Ever since the Berlin Wall was breached .