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We Won't Be Thatcher's Slaves

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We Won't Be Thatcher's Slaves ff'.· ~- " , .! i .~ WE WON'T BE THATCHER'S SLAVES MASS UNEMPLOYMENT IS central wage rates and push up profitabil­ to the TOries' plans to restructure Ity. It Is youth In particular who the labour market. They are using have to pay the price for the cal­ It to undermine the strength of the lous policies of the Tories. eking trade unions In order to push down out their lives on miserable benefits. Now the Tories are set to turn the screws even tighter on the young unemployed. In April the Monthly paper of the Workers Power group NO.91 March 1987 ISSN 0263-1121 30p/10p strikers government will introduce the Job Training Scheme (jTS) aimed In particular at 18-25 year olds who have been unemployed for 6-12 months. It Is clearly a form of slave labour. It Is one step nearer the 'work for your benefits' system operated in several states of the USA. The youth will receive mini­ mal 'training' - In theory six hours a week - in exchange for a worth­ less certlfic;:ate guaranteed never to be any use In getting them a real job, and six months slave labour for the employers. The JTS is not simply another device to help the Tories launder the unemployment figures In elec­ tion year. It Is part of a system­ atic attack on the already paltry rights and meagre benefits of the unemployed. It coincides with the laughably named Restart scheme. FAKE SCHEME Under this scheme claimants <lre offered the alternutlves of THE TORIES ARE preparing the a special government commissioner either going on a fake job creation scenes for the great charade that to help and encourage scab-union scheme or being intimidated Into they Intend "Election '87" to be. members to take their unions to de-registering. The only thing you They have unveiled a mix of un­ court. are likely to have to restart after characteristic (and Insincere) Last but not least the proposals It Is the tedious process of filling concern for the health service - will extend the principles of bosses out new claim forms after your an extra mllllon or two for AIDS 'democracy' even further Into the course or scheme has finished. At research and breast cancer screen­ unions. They are not satisfied with the same time the Department of Ing - with plans for more union the balloting system that can be Employment Is Introducing new bashing laws and promises of more held at the workplace where rigid 'availability for work tests' sell-offs of state assets. workers can experience directly designed to frighten claimants Into The Tories need to appeal to their collective strength and where enlisting for one of its slave labour a broader stratum than the few they can listen to the arguments schemes. million yupples of the Thames put by their own union representa­ While thousands ()( youth are Va\\ey who think they are entre­ tives. Instead they want to Impose being condemned to enforced preneurs on the basis of juggling postal ballots so as to give the - her declared life's ambition. But the worst option would be for labour at supplementary benefit a few BT shares and owning a Murdochs and the Allstalr Burnetts Can she be stopped? The workers to follow his recipe for level (£27.50 plus rent for a single personal computer. Recent scandals a monopoly of the argument and answer Is yes, but not by the 'victory', abandon~g their struggle person) for the sake of profit, the In the City have not done much to make sure that each worker methods that the union and Labour and moderating t elr demands and labour and trade union movement good for capitalism's Image. Once feels Isolated and weak when she leaders are resorting to. For them expectations. On he contrary, we has disgracefully connived in the the flash and smoke of the 'Big or he makes their decision. Soll­ winning the election Is the only should step up t e resistance to super-exploitation of the unemploy­ Bang' cleared it was revealed as darl,ty action between unions, way to stop her. To win the elect­ the Tory and empl yer offensive. ed. In Birmingham, for example, an unsavoury thieves kitchen where either In the form of support on Ion they think they must woo the The telecommu Icatlons workers the Labour council Is planning a Thatcher's share holders are more the picket line or loans and finan­ yupples, who voted Tory or - sold short by their treacherous submission for 1,000 JTS trainees. likely to lose their shirts than cial donations, are also to be Alliance In 1983, by stealing their right wing leaders as they were The TUC welcomed the Restart make their fortunes. banned. poliCies and adding a 'caring, - showed that workers are willing programme. It should have denoun­ The 'greed and selfishness The unions are to be further sharing' approach. They will top to fight and have the power to ced it and organised to stop It brigade' do not form a majority hog-tied so that the Tories can this up with a bit of Image-making give their eXPIo] ers more than from ever being Implemented. of the electorate - they never did press ahead with bringing about a and media hype to make the medi­ they bargained for. The New and they never will. But In circum­ fundamental and Irreversible shift cine go down. But Klnnock's Realists are com letely wrong If stances where the Alliance has In favour of millionaires and their approach Is likely to lose potential they think that a opting a humble INSULTS robbed Labour of at least five to hangers on. Another way they working class Labour voters whilst posture and ask I g for next to ten per cent of Its traditional vote Intend to do this Is to attack still failing to win the yupples. nothing will touch the bosses and where the British electoral 'progressive' taxation. A 'progres­ Why vote for second hand Alliance hearts and dlsuade them from their A few unions have been pre­ system grotesquely under-represents sive' tax Is one that Increases In policies when you could have them most outrageous plans. A Fleet pared to recruit the unemployed the Alliance's 20-25%, Thatcher percentage terms the larger your first hand, will say the young Street boss descriged Brenda Dean or have attempted to organise stands a real chance of pulling off Income Is. The main such tax Is 'middle class' voters. as the "acceptabll face of trade those on MSC schemes. But In the the treble. Income tax Itself. The Tories plan unionism". Yes I deed, a union case of the TGWU unemployed to slash It, perhaps by half. But leader carrying th white flag has members never meet or receive they Intend to double VAT. That RALLY THE CLASS always been a we come sight. But mallings. In the EF.TPU you get WORSE Is they will make everyone - the once the job has been done and free membership with no voting unemployed, pensioners, the these Judases have nothing left to rights and . have to leave the union Iow-paid and the lawyers, stock­ In order to rally the working sell they will be driven away from when your scheme finishes! In fact, Left phrase-mongers might say brokers and Industrialists pay the class, and turn out the millions of the bosses' door. so frightened is the TUC of giving 'what does It matter?' So too same rate of tax on their pur­ unemployed and their friends, a voice to the militant pent up might the unemployed; and the chases. This Is regressive taxation families and relatives from the anger of the unemployed, that It oppressed victims of racism In the which shifts the hurden even more vast areas of deprivation and PLATF RM Is helping the bosses build up a Inner cities say that things can't dramatically onto the backs of Industrial destruction, Labour needs potentlaly massive conscript scab get worse. The truth Is that they ordinary people. a credible and massive programme labour force. can. No thoughtful worker can or of re-employment and reconstruc­ The protracted election cam­ The unemployed will be expect­ should remain Indifferent to the tion. This Labour dares not promise paign should be u ed by militants ed to endure even more Insults In prospect of another lease of life because It fears the question - and socialists as platform from May with the obscene. "Hands for Thatcher. PRIVATISATION 'who Is to pay for it?' It fears the which to stlgmat e the Tories' across Arltaln Campaign". Minister for Unemployment, question because It would not dare record and as an Indictment of GM13ATU, for example, Is forking Kenneth Clarke, has already out­ Another wave of privatlsatlons give the only answer that can be capitalism and I s Inability to out £25,000 to underwrite a spec­ lined the basis for a fourth wave and carve-ups Is Inevitable If gl ven - the rich, the cap Itallsts provide a decent li e for the great tacle of Labour leaders, trade of anti-union laws. These will hit Thatcher wins again. British Coal whose system caused and Is causing majority of peopl It should be union bigwigs and the few unem­ at the closed shop by removing Is an obvious target with the the misery' and destruction In the used to warn rkers of the ployed workers who might be con­ legal Immunity from prosecution profitable super-pit areas being first place. attacks to come a d the need to ned into joining hands in a for any strikes In favour or In handed over to private ownership Of course such an answer won't fight them tooth a nail.
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