Rank-and-file support committees have played important part in mobilising solidurity kers were able to decide for themselves through their general assembly as to where their interests lay, and came to rather different conclusions from Seguy.
While the CT is openly trying to end the struggie, the attitude of the other union leaders has been little better, The CHIXT for instance, urged other groups of workers to express their solidarity... but its sole suppes tion was to 'send telegrams to the prime minister, the minister for cconomic develop ment, and the minister of labour'!
RANK-AND-FILE The respunsiblity for building meaning ul solidarity therefore rests on the shoulders of the rank-and-file, and particularly on the revolutionmajor revulutionary groups, Workers" Struggle (which has links with the International Socialists here), should bave chosen this moment lo opr our, trying to counterpose Lip, 'a defensive struggle', to the need for a working class offersie. They scot a contingent of less than 100 to the 100,000 strong demonstration in Besancon on 29 September, and have virtually abandoned coverage of the strugale in their paper.
However the struggle goes on despite its abandonment by many of the most important organised forces. The Lip workers calculate that they have already made enough money from their "illegal' sale of watches to carry on at least until Christmas. The task pow must be to develop Turther ways in which Licy can build on the continuing support from the mass of the working class while at the same time spreading the lessons of their experienos in preparation for the aut unin struggles, As their slogin rums: Lip for ail, ull for Lip' LIP FOR ALL, ALL FOR LIP' IMG Public Meeting, Saturday 20th Oct Speakers: Raymond Burgy (CFDT delegate at Lip!
John Ross (IMG) 7.30 p.m. at Beaver Hall, Garlick Hill [Mansion House tube). All walcome.