development of the struggle against the Tory Government.
Tories — the miners and the railmen otiations and are discussing stepping up industrial action. At the same time the Tories have imposed a national, two day a week lockout in their fight against the miners, and British rail have adopted tough measures against ASLEF members in order to break their resistance.
The recent decision to put Lord Carrington in charge of energy policy is the latest sign that the Tories are preparing for a hard fight.
These struggles are not being fought over some trivial question-they are concerned with which class will bear the burdens of the crisis into which capitalism has thrown the British economy. The ruling class will adopt the most brutal methods to ensure that the crisis is paid for out of the living standards of the working class. The vicious sentences handed out to building workers in the Shrewsbury case are just a foretaste of things to come. But what methods will the workers movement use to defend itself from these attacks?
No body of trade unionists is under a greater responsibility to answer this question than next Wednesday's meeting: for this will bring together the people who hold in their hands the power to launch a powerful and united response to the Tory Govern The first step towards all-out strike action etaries called for next Wednesday comes at a crucial point in the Two of the trade unions in the forefront of the fight against the are deadlocked in their negment on behalf of the entire movement.
That Government-the most deter. mined and ruthless representative the ruling class has had for many years can only be defeated by a united working class movement prepared to use to the hilt its greatest strengthils industrial might. That is why the TUC meeting, if it is serious about combatting the Tory offensive, can only adopt one course of action: the calling of o general strike lo bring down the Tory Gorernment. This body should act immediately. There is no time for further delay: it is the workers who have to pay for every day that these refuse to act, and it is the Tory Government that gains from inaction. By all means, let us have a recall of the TUC but it should take place on the basis of a clear call from Wednesday's meeting for a general strike to bring down the Tories and for the establishment of Counciss of Action in every area to prepare and organise for this striggle. Congress would then meet, not as a grandiose talk shop, but as a working body concerned with finalising the details and co-ordinating on a nutional level the organisation of a general strike. action, Workers at the Wimpey. YorkCouncils of Action in every area to organise the struggle The International Marxist Group is under no illusions that Wednesday's meeting will take any such steps -but we insist that this is the only way to defend the working class movement.
If the TUC bureaucrats are not prepared to do the job, then others must take it on: individual unions, local trade union organisations, and unofficial, rank-and-file bodies After 16 January all those who are seriously committed to the light against the Tory Government must connals to give it their backing. Delegates at the TUC Special Congress on Phase 2 last March. Such gatherings have done nothing to stop the Tory attacks. If the TUC is to be a fighting body, rather than a useless talking shop, next Wednesday's meeting of trade union leaders must issue a clear call for a generat strike to kick out the Tories, and for the formation of redouble their efforts. The central tasks will be! 1. Build national strike action against Tory wage policy: especially by the miners, engineers and railmen; 2. Build a fighting alliance of miners engineers, and railmen at all levels: 3. Orgunise actions which will force the official trade union leadership either to end their collaboration with the Tory Government and take steps which aid the struggle, or to reveal their inability lo combat the Tory Teams of strikers shouk be formed on offensive:
4. Estublish Councils of Action representacive of the whole lahour more ment in every area to co-ordinate the struggles against the Tory lockout and prepare a united counter offensive; 5. Organise, out of all the current struggles in which workers are engag ed. a general strike to bring down the Tory Goverument This is the only road to victory -and it is also the only road to socialism,