THE 17 NOVEMBER DEMONSTRATION is undoubtedly the biggest demonstration organised by the trade unions which has taken place for some time. Twelve unions in all supported it, including at the last minute the Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers, and tens of thousands of workers from the public sector have shown their willingness to march against the cuts.
But is this massive show of force the first step in forcing a halt to the cuts, or the last grand gesture of defiance before surrendering to Callaghan and Healey? Where do we go after the 17th?
The answer given by leaders of the public sector unions like Alan Fisher [NUPE] and Geoffrey Drain [NALGO] is 'keep the pressure up why they consistently refused to call for strike action on 17 November -show of force. They have refused to take the kind of action needed to prepare the ground for a united campaign by the public sector unions of strikes and demonstrations, through which workers in other industries could be drawn into action against the cuts.
Because they have committed themselves to support for the Social Contract, they have committed themselves to making the working class pay for the crisis through falling wages, unemployment and cuts. Fighting the cuts means breaking with the Social Contract and taking on the Government and TUC leaders who defend it. That requires national action.
Instead these 'leaders' offer their members local action. Whether it be the militant sounding 'guerilla action' of NUPE, or the local action against redundancies NALGO, it amounts to the same thing you must, but we will leave you to fight the Labour