At long last, the trade unions have called strike ballots amongst steel workers in Port Talbot, who are fighting for their survival.
This change has clearly been the result of pressure from below.
The union leaders are still dragging their feet, however, with talk that possible strike action will not materialise until April. Why wait so long?
Unofficial action should have been organised much sooner, given the seriousness of the situation. Such action should be tied to an occupation of the plant, in order to keep the furnaces going and prevent the management from running down the site.
The snail-like response of the trade union officialdom must be replaced with direct action by the workers. After all, we are fighting for our lives and for those of the community. We must take the struggle into our own hands.
Demonstrations, while important, are not enough. They must be tied to a real campaign of action.
This should include the call for mass meetings of workers, and the election of rank-and-file action committees.
Where official strike action is planned, it should not be of the one-or-two-day variety that has been called in other disputes in the recent period, but all-out action.
The bosses must be shown that we really mean business. This also means spreading the action to other areas.
If we are to save the plant and the jobs, we need to take a leaf out of the book of the French farmers. They have blockaded Paris and other towns, scaring the living hell out of the establishment, and winning important concessions.
As one Port Talbot steel worker brilliantly put it:
“These local rallies are not staying in the news or making the world talk. We need to look at our French neighbours, and start hitting the government and Tata with some haymakers. Put them on the ropes to make a decision!
“Let’s get out there, and shut down the M4 and the Severn Bridge! Let’s get up to the Tata bosses’ other businesses – such as Jaguar Land Rover and Tetley – and paralyse production to hit them in the pockets!
“Let’s give social media and the newspapers something to talk about that has a real impact.
“I keep hearing that we are still at the table, but we are sitting on the defensive. Let’s put the pressure on the politicians to do what they say!”
This is the authentic voice of the workers – of those who want to fight.
There is no more time for mealy-mouthed talk. It is time for decisive action. It is time to rekindle the militant spirit of past generations.
All out strike! Occupy the plant! Spread the action! Hit the bosses where it hurts!
Only in this way can we save our jobs and our livelihoods. Forty years on from the Great Miners’ Strike of 1984-85, we cannot afford to repeat the disasters inflicted upon working-class pit communities.
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Steelworkers march – time to escalate and occupy
Jonathan Lees, Swansea Communists
Last Saturday saw ‘save our steel’ demonstrations in both Port Talbot and Newport, organised by the trade unions: Unite, Community, and the GMB.
Tata announced the closure of the Port Talbot blast furnaces over a month ago. Job losses are due to start in the coming weeks. Yet this is the first such protest that has materialised on this scale.
Both rallies were comparatively well attended, with well over 1,000 in Port Talbot and 300 in Newport. South Wales communists attended both demonstrations, walking through the crowd to talk to steelworkers about their thoughts and feelings on the situation.
The devastating impact on the town and wider region is apparent to everyone. There is a strong feeling that it should not be allowed to take place. Talking about his own area, a rep from a linked site in Llanelli told us:
“Trostre is not seeing the same job losses as in Port Talbot yet, but we know if Port Talbot goes then we’re next. This would be a huge loss for future generations.”
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Where’s the lead?
There was also irritation from rank-and-file workers towards the union tops. The workers we spoke to noted that their leaders seemed to prefer negotiating behind closed doors, leaving them in the dark.
“The lads are frustrated with the unions not cooperating,” one steelworker lamented. “They all want to be in the lead, but all the while jobs are going.”
“What I don’t get is why the ballots are taking so long,” another commented. “By the time they are done the jobs will be near enough gone. We need to fight back now!”
Because of this, the prevalent mood in Port Talbot has been one of demoralisation. Many see the closure as a foregone conclusion. This is, of course, what Tata is hoping for.
“They’re trying to build into people that this is inevitable, so they won’t fight back,” a retired steelworker at the Newport rally said. “But we need to keep going.”
Strike ballots
The speeches by union officials in Port Talbot were largely lacklustre. Most of the speakers pinned their hopes on a future Labour government in Westminster.
But with Tata planning to begin slashing jobs before the next election, and Keir Starmer intent on cosying up to big business, this is a hell of a gamble to take.
Both Community and Unite have now formally declared their intention to ballot members for industrial action. This is a positive step.
As the steelworkers we spoke to stated, however, this comes very late in the day. Due to the unions’ foot-dragging, considerable effort will now be needed to break through the current mood of despondency.
Nevertheless, a strike ballot is a welcome move. The task now is to mobilise and campaign to ensure a vote for action, and to use this to galvanise members for a determined fight.
This should include the perspective of workers occupying the plant, as a real blow against Tata.
South Wales communists raised this bold demand with protestors on Saturday’s demo, carrying our banner that called for such militant action, as we marched alongside steel workers through the town of Port Talbot.
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Time running out
The movement against the Tata bosses is at a crossroads.
Under the surface, there is a genuine desire to fight these job losses. Whenever we have spoken to people in Port Talbot – whether on our stalls, at this rally, or while door-knocking over the past few weeks – this anger has shone through. And it is still possible for this mood to explode into the open.
But for this to happen, workers must rely on their own strength, and begin properly organising and mobilising amongst themselves.
Mass meetings of workers should be called to discuss the way forward. And these should elect rank-and-file action committees, open to workers of all unions, in order to coordinate a campaign that can deliver the biggest possible ‘Yes’ vote in the upcoming strike ballots.
Following this, these bodies could then provide workers with a platform for organising a real fightback – including hard-hitting strike action, an occupation, and calls for solidarity walkouts across industry.
Tata and the Tories should be shown just how determined and powerful these steelworkers can be. Further delays will be fatal. If this town is to be saved, the time to act is now.
