London commuters got a taste of things to come last Monday, when militant train drivers, members of ASLEF, staged an anofficial one-day stoppage over their negotiations with British Rail for a new pay Beyiten okl fone ASLE enerl secte i the Tory pincers of wage contal anal tary, Ray Buokton (one of the leading lights of the TUC 'left"), not to take any action, train drivers from nine Esstern and Southern region public transport - due to the inabilily of depols struck. As a result commuter services were badly hit, with a majorty of the cily's 300,000 commuters being affecter in one way or another.
Further talks between the untion and British Rail are scheduled to lake place on 30 November, and there will be considerable pressure for all-out industrial action from the ASLEF membership if an improved offer & not furthcoming.
However, this is only hait the picture, ASLEF train drivers on the London underground are involved in wage negotiations, as are London bus rivers. Already delegate conterences of the They can then start to lay plans for jolnt strike bus and tube deivor bave called on their union executives to make plans for coordinated Indusirial action in support of their clains.
A joint tube-bus-rall sinke-in London would he a powerful How against the Tory pay laws.
Such an action, given the number of people in powerful weapon against the Tory Gorerment. Londun who depend on publi: transport and the lobming crisis in petrol supplies, could bring many of the functions of goverrment. banking and commeree to a virtal standstul.
The face that u transport strike affects so many people will be used by the Tory Government to whip up "public opinion" against transport workers: but this is a double edged weapon, Many members of this so-cailed "public are white-collar workers teachers, loca] povernment workers, civil servants, clerical workers — who are caught as much as anyone inflation, Moreover, the dristic deterioration of successive capilalist Governments to provide adequate finance for such services is of deep COLLETT IO OLTA Far frum rallying egerly around to back up the Torics in the event of a strike, many passeagers cuuld be won to support the striters. Students - most of whom depend on pulsiic transport and many of whom study in cntral London couid be an imsportant force in organising such support.
It is umportant that dose working links at the rank-and-file level be forged between all the unions involved in public transport in London.
aclion, no matler what moves their respective union exccutives are prepared lo consider, At the same time, they should seriously consider ammedinte steps to win support from passongers. An all-out London transport strike would be a If it came at the satne lise as industrial action by the miners and engineers, it sould bo an almast cerbain guuranter that a peneral strike to dove the Tories from office was underway.
trian Slocoe