into operation in August. But equal pay for women, which was to have been implemented immediately, has now been put back to the end of the year.
The deal means that British Rail has conceded the NUR's claim to restore pay relativities with surface miners. But it is also clear that the size of the deal and its step by step implementation will do little to protect rail workers living standards against raging inflation over the next year.
There is no new threshold deal and no proposals for a new claim in the autumn to offset the effects of inflation. A united claim and fight by all the rail unions, as opposed to the short-sighted and sectoral approach of ASLEF and TSSA, could have won far more.
British Rail has already spelt out that it will attempt to pay for the deal through an onslaught on jobs. Richard Marsh, British Rail chairman, is already talking of the close monitoring of recruitment The Observer (22/6/75/) reveals that Marsh would 'like to see the workforce down from 240,000 to 190,000 in three years.
The Observer also talks of the 'private fears of BR sacking as many as 100,000 railwaymen, making substantial cuts in rolling stock replacement programmes, axing many evening and late night services, and reducing weekend traffic to a minimum. On all but major trunk and freight routes, British Rail could become a Monday to Friday 8 a.m.- 7 p.m service.' This in an industry where the labour force has been halved since nationalisation and 200,000 demonstration against the James White Bill. About 200 people mobilised by the Salvation Army, the Festival of Light and the Order of Christian Unity attobjective reporting.
To rund Drive or rentonvie noad. concon-Iv.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES DOMESTIC: £6 per year FOREIGN:
NAME... Last Saturday over 25,000 people marched on the National Abortion Campaign ended a service in Trafalgar Square to support this reactionary attack on women.
One Michael Hickling of the Sunday Telegraph reported the two events. To the miserable and pathetic crowd of 200 anti-abortionists he gave nearly four column in ches. To the 25,000 abortionists he could only muster two column inches. That is what the Sunday Telegraph and its servants like Hickling mean when they talk about Last week our Fighting Fund got £151.00. We still need another £154 to meet our montniv taroet. make sure unar vou rusn in every penny inat vou can. DERel wise you might finish up reading people like Hickling all the time. All donations £3.00 for o months 49 per year surface mail /12 per year airmail Write to RED WĘEKLY (distribution) 182 Pentonville Road, London N.1. ENGLAND.
UNT ENCLOSED.
----- pull-quotes -----
RED WEEKLY SUBSCRIBE