Over 6000 railway workers and trade union leaders are now being held in prisons all over India by the Indira Gandhi regime, in an attempt to smash the national rail strike which began over a week ago.
of the more essential trains going, and unless solidarity strikes by other workers begin immediately there is every danger that the the strike.
ing to deal with the strike for the last two months. But the two major rail unions, the All-India Railwaymen's Federation (AIRF) and the National Federation of Indian attention to the real problems of organising a rail strike in a country the size of India.
put it:
Troops and seabs are keeping some their time in brelding up a cosy relationGovernment will succeed in smashing The Government Has been preparRailwaymen (NFIR), bave paid scant The AIRF buresucracy, headed by Goorge Fernandes, tas beeo so discrodited to sec the strike primarily as a quick manoeuvre to salvage its powerin among Tallway workers As the influential Bombay Economic god Political Weekly Both the unions have spent mest of ship with the railway authorities with a viow to securing all manners of privileges for their office-hearers at dil erent lovels It Is this persistent nepect of the workers' THESE OU LOSING RECORDSEN unions which has been responsible for the rapid emergence in the last few years of the category-wise unions as well as for large bodies of workers disaffilating Over the last two years the Goreenmeat has openly and deliberately violated agreements entered into with some of the carceon-wise maions, such as the Staff Association (AILRSA)
The latter Jed a sucoessful 25 day strike last July-August during tac course of which the Government accepted neers working on one of the Chileas frigates at the Clydeside vard or arrow There is also lalk of similar actien at the Scott-Lithgow yard in Port Glasgow, where two suhmarines are being built. strike was called off the Government reneged on its promises, chango-shooted 1000 workers, and dismissed 20 strike AT CVETES SHOWCE MAIN TEC Goverment was likely to react to an all-out national rail strike, and preparations should accordingly have been made. But the AIRF Icaders were not serious. Through conment of their desire to accept a settle With gencrals such as these the railway workers didn't scand much of a chance The Government decided to smash the strike tand this entailed the arrest of even It seems from all accounts that tbey are on we verge or succeeing Dily a display of massive solidarity by workors and students and the emergence ol broad hased support commitrees or toe Gujarat model to the major citie:
enormous miracies of organisation would be necessary, and given the fact that the Indian C.P is still han ping on to the coat-tails of Indira Candhi, such a national Nevertheless, the mail strike has raised Many Unporlait questons such as lik despite the likely defeat of this particular action, tons of thousands of workers with not be slow to leato The lessons Ten tEH they are not alone in their fight, that they can rely ac portive support from dieir brotbors and sisten across the world.
Such support is urgently needed at