Part 5 - DW062 001 026 005

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THE BRITISH STEEL CORPORATION The Smokescreen and the Truth The news that the British Steel Corporation will make a "less" of something like £500,000,000 in the current financial year has shocked ma- ny people. We have been told in no uncertain terms that the whele future of the British steel industry is in doubt. This is obviously a question which no British worker, and indeed no-one with the future of this country at heart, can afford to ignore. What exact- ly is going on? The BSC was formed in 1967 as the result of the merging of 13 different steel compani- es, and represented the large- st industrial merger ever in the United Kingdom. It share of the UK market has, however, fallen from 70% in 1970 to 53% in 1976. This year the BSC needed to produce about 24,000,000 tons of steel to break even in fact it only produced about 17,000,000 tons. The situation where it matt- ers in the production of steel, the basic material of heavy industry is clearly grim. Now to get onto the question of the £500,000,000 "loss" - se who exactly is gaining from the grim situ- ation? it's an old saying that "my loss is someone elses gain." (1) B.S.C. FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS AND SOURCES 1977-78 in millions of pounds Capital requirements (a) fixed assets in UK: (b) other: Financed by 767 (a) total internal 346 resources: 1,113 (b) net borrowing: 231 882 1,113 (2) ESTIMATES OF B.S.C.'s TOTAL BORROWINGS, 1976-7 to 1980-1 in millions of pounds 1976-7 2,286 1977-8 1978-9 1979-80 1980-1 3,065 4,756 5,681 3,853 Based on government figures. These tables show that the BSC is not run as a self-re- laint business far from it! Of the thousand million or so pounds it will need to run its operations this year, three- JACK JONES UNION LEADER JACK JONES HOT IN SUPPORT OF THE 10% RESTRICTION ON WORKERS' WAGES, AGAIN REVEALED HIMSELF AS FIRMLY ON THE BOSSES' SIDE WHEN HE URGED BRI- TONS TO WORK... "AS HARD AS BEAVERS". In fact the bosses were so pleased with Jack's efforts on their behalf that one of their news- papers ran a contest to find the 'Beaver of the Year'. The Sunday Mirror in its own words received "sackloads of inspiring stories worthy of award" and that "judges had an agonising job picking the winner". (S.li. Dec. 18th 1977). A sample of these stor- ies reveals a nurse work- ing more than 100 hours a week for the last year, without overtime pay, un- til her final collapse with exhaustion. Then there is the gal- viniser at a wireworks, doing 86 hours a week to earn enough to keep his family in comfort. Said the Sunday Mirror: "Recently the acid he works with burned his quarters will be "borrowed", and the total amount "borrowed" will have reached over £5½ thousand million by 1981: This year, repayments of interest alone will amount to £210 mil- eyes and arm but he still went to work". 'BEAVER OF THEM ALL' Another 86 year old mirror sprayer, the 'Beaver of them all', works a 14 hour day in weretemperatures of up to 100 f for £62 a week. Mr. Jack Jones does not care a hoot about the well-being of workers. He and other labour bureauc- rats would be delighted if every one worked 100 hours a week creating more profit for capital. It is clear that they and their labour govern- ment are the puppets of the capitalist bosses. In China, the working people also work very hard, turning their country into a thriving socialist one. Unlike Britain, all the benefits of their hard work is reaped by them collect- ively. China has no external or internal debt, no unemploy- ment, men retire at 60, women at 55, and those in heavy industry (like miners or our friend the mirror- sprayer) retire at 50 if they wish. Retired folk are revered for their con- tribution to their country and get a pension of 70% of their wages. No-one within China pays individual income tax. Before the Chinese Revol- ution, inflation was run- ing at something like 1000 per cent. Since it was brought under control by the communists in 1953, the price of all basic necessities such as food, rent and staples, have been continually reduced. Today there is no inflation. Further, there is one doctor for every 50 families while contraception is free and abortion unrestricted. Yet China is still a rela- tively poor country when compared to Britain! Yet compare China's treatment of workers witn that of Jack Jones and his Labour government. Yes, we bet your capi- talist bosses are pleased with your 'Beaver' campaign Mr. Jones. We are pleased with you too...you have made it quite clear you are on the side of capital and what we workers can expect from you. WE WILL BUILD OUR OWN REVOLUTIONARY PARTY AND SMASH THE PHONEY LEADER- SHIP OF YOU AND OTHERS IN THE LABOUR MOVEMENT 5 lion, not to mention repayment of the capital borrowed itself! The picture that thus emerges is one of an industry, part of the basic fabric of an indust- rialised country's life, being driven to the wall so that fi- nancial interests can reap enormous" rewards". This, of course, is the real intention of the government's "industrial strategy", an in- tention never hinted at by the faithful press and TV of the capitalist class. In their picture of Britain, the problem lies in the work- ing class, whom they even call "greedy" (!) and whom they call on for "one more year of sacri- fice" and so on. And yet, the facts are that BSC's labour force has already fallen by one-fifth between 1970 and 1977, and that a tra- ditional steel town like Hart- lepools now has 15,000 men out of work! Ominously si- gnificant is the fact that there has, over the last twe years, been a 27% cut by BSC in their manpower engaged in Research and Development, and product technology. And se, we are faced with a choice: a choice to be made, quite clearly, on class terms. Do we support the finance ca- pitalists' line, presented in the recommendation of the Par- liamentary Select Committee, that "BSC should place the greater part of of its efforts on raising the productivity of existing works through the achievment of rational man- ning levels"... that is to say, further increase the rate of profit by squeezing more "les- ses" frem fewer workers and a stagnating industry? Or do we call for a new ap - preach, the approach which is in the interests of the work- ing class and of the nation? Release the strangleheld of finance from British industry, relying from now on first and foremost on the skills and cre- ative power of the working class. We must have a government which refuses to tee the line of the finance capitalists, dictated by the City. We must have a party, a new Party of the working class, which will be able to give a lead to the millions of people who are, every day, getting to see this more clearly. INFLATION.... THE 10% Falling living standards We know the problems, but how do we solve them, Please join in lively discussion at BATTERSEA LIBRARY, Lavender Hill, London, Thurs. Feb. 23rd 7.30pm led by South District London Branch of the COMMUNIST WORKERS' MOVEMENT.

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