From: Adam Rose <Adam-AT-pmel.com> Subject: M-I: Some titbits of information Date: Wed, 22 Jan 1997 11:39:55 -0000 Following the announcement of 1,300 redundancies, workers at Ford Halewood are due to take unofficial strike action this Thurday. This makes the Labour leadership's worst nightmare - a high profile national strike in the run up to the election - far more likely. The union officials are under intense pressure from both above and below. Public sector workers in France, inspired by the lorry drivers victory, are taking one day strike action demanding a reduction in the retirement age from 60 to 55. [ Jon has argued, correctly, that the dominant trend is militant battles to protect reforms already won. In France, these defensive strikes have spilled over into offensive demands. The French government could only just afford to concede this to one small section of workers, the lorry drivers. I can't see how it can possibly afford to give it to all the public sector. It's almost a transitional demand in the classic Trotskyist sense ! Only mass action can win such a demand. And the bosses would be forced to try and take back such a concession immediately - echoes of 36 etc ? ] Around 50 British lorry drivers are stuck in Greece because of a dockers / seafarers strike against the left wing government's budget cuts ( inspired by the convergence criteria for the European single currency ). This was due to be a one day strike. However, it has been extended for two days and may well be extended further. Greek farmers are threatening to restart their blockade, which they suspended for Christmas. Adam. Adam Rose SWP Manchester Britain. --- from list marxism-international-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
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