The railways and a reversal of Tory CULS drew together over 200 delegates rail rail manufacturing sector.
After hearing national rail union leaders call for a introduction stealth, Serpell delegates both the NUR GEC stressed that the campaign was vital only if it acts as focus and base for a camto defend existing jobs.
Following the conference, GEC "Traction stewards Sheffield, Preston. Trafford Park discussed the company plans for compulsory redundancies on top of the Sheffield After Clusul C the largely successful imposition of a nil increase in 1982, the stewards No of employees 170,000 155,000 145,000 At the speaker after speaker referred to the link between Sheffield LaDOUI group's campaigning approach and the desire ol the Tories to abolish the metropolitan authorities.
In facing the giant GEC Dal Cull culuvally. stewards are under no illusions. The failure of the rail unions to date to prevent the closure of the rail workshops and the lack of fight by the engineering unions over shorter working week claim is a grim reminder obstacles Sheffield steward summed it up when he said that no-one had yet beaten Weinstock, but someone will and perhaps it will be Traction workers.
"Rate of profit (%) 22.4 26.7 27.3 THE CAMPAIGN for electrification of the rail system is supported by the national rail unions (ASLEF, NUR, TSSA); the GEC National Joint Shop Stewards Committee; the Sheffield, Manchester Preston Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering District Committees and Sheffield City Council.
It is based on two principles: • railways are a public asset which should provide the best possible service in transporting people and goods, • investment by ernment electrificaof the main railway network improve the service and also create thousands jobs. Directly, it help guarantee the jobs of railway workers; less directly it will provide work for those in the many industries that supply the railways.
The campaign organised through the movement against the Tories whose clear mining the rail network cutting spending slashing jobs.
Sune need tor transport is clear 60 per cent of the population de not possess driving The old, the young, the unemployed, women are most hurt by cuts in the rail system.
British Rail's diesel locos are ¾-way through their working life and no governmen decision replace them will be made rail operation on productivity and job cuts. In contrast to government job cutting, one transport consultancy argue for a package of electrification which • electrify 60 per cent of the network instead of the 24 per cent currently electrified • re-open 100 stations on freight only lines, thereby opening the network to an additional 2 million potential passengers All this would cost only £3.9 billion or the price of two Trident submarines!
The new BR Board ten year plan dictated by the Tories covers the 13 year period from 1983 to 1995 provisions contains £250 would generate million of equipment sup£200 million 10M view such commitments is that will continue provided the targets of financial fitability individual lines are met This target, tion railway workshops, is designed to break the power of the railway unions and templ the private sector like GEC Traction and Brush. To the public private sector unions around the electrification campaign required a comaction programme 1101 agreed at the 10 October conference in Sheffield.
• calling local conferences 4110 branches, ana orner organisations • establishing local campaign committees involving rail engineering unions and labour councils national mittees circulating campaign material, working alongside the Triple of rail, steel and mining unions.
the national demonstration and lobby in April 1984.
Socialist Action 4 November 1983
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• improve track, signall- ing and train speeds
with the planned prialisa, the