public the full facts concerning the state of coal stocks and the effects of industrial action upon them. The Government have been saying that without the 3-day week, plague, famine and death would be stalking the country by the end of January. Yet it has released precious little information to back this up.
Since Benn's attack, Tom Boardman, Minister for Industry, has released figures which provide the following picture. When the miners' overtime ban began on 12 November, stocks at power stations stood at 19 million tons. Average weekly consumption of electricity results in the use of 1,5 million tons of coal a week by the power stations. Normally, weekly deliveries of coal from the pitheads cover this consumpton, so that coal stocks remain constant. "RED ALERT At this time of year, extra demand for electricity raises coal consumption to 1.7million tons a weck, The miners" full overtime ban has succeeded in cutting deliveries to the power stations to an estimated 1 million tons a week. This means that stocks would be depleted al the rate of 700,000 tons a week, allowing 17 weeks before they fall to 7 million tons, the danger level below which massive indiscrimanate power cuts become necessary. 'Red alert" would therefore fall in the first week of March, However, Boardman claims that the actual decline in stocks between the start of the uver time ban and the announcement of the 3-day week on I3 December, was 900,000 rather than 700,000 tons a week. This puts red alert' at the first week in February. But Boardman doesn't say what caused this unexpectedly large decline in stocks. Was it owing to an increased demand for electricity, or owing to industrial action on the railways? The chic of British Rail has declared that the ASLEF depute has had no effect on shipments of coal to the power stations.
It was also widely assumed that the NCB held at least a further 11 million tons of coal at the pilheads, most of which, if shipped to the power stations, would put red alert" back to late March or beyond. But now Boardman claims that only 4 million tons of this is uscabie in power stations, nearly half of that only in South Wales.
UNNECESSARY Benn's demand for information to clarify these matters is therefore very welcome. But Bean's. aim is to "prove' the Government's three-day week is "unnecessary', Its real aun is rather lo organise a massive deflation' by cutting wages by up to 40%. It is an alterative to a massive miners, isolating them in a strike. with the crisis factories blacked. activities of the struggle.
2402 deflationary budget, having the advantage that Laveris odium from Mr Barber and lays the necessary blame for the coming recession on the miners. However, Tuny Bean misses the point. The 3-day week is very necemary indeed for the Government, because its overriding aim is to smash the miners. Its aim is to conserve the existing coal stocks, so that should a minen strike break out, Heath will have several weeks in which to hreak it. By forcing the working class to pay the cost for this breathing space he hopes to either bring the NUM to a settle. ment or tum the working class against the Benn's interpretation, however, allows him to bash Heath without having to take a clear position on whether he favours industrial action by the miners and others to smash Phase 3. The Labour Party has been paralysed over whether or not to support illegal strikes against the Pay Laws. Benn's move allows the Labour Party to condemn the Turies in the name of finding a less messy way to dcal CANTUCHE.
couldn't the Government have avoided the 3-day week by settling earlier with the electricity engineers thus making rota cuts to consumers possible, ete? But Benn's researches show not that the Government are bad economists, but rather that their determination to smash the miners sponsor it.
committees and AUER branches in other LET Grins They should approsch the T&GWU to try to get the movement of components and stock out of ITT The second crucial question is the lack of mass ins. alvement of the workers in the running of the struggle. The drop in the numbers actualty turning up for the occupation shifts is due to the lack of information provided. Frastration has built up over the refusal to answer questiens, and to take votes on longer seough euch move at each stage of the strugple. The mass of workers must be involved in the blacking campaigur in gping our to explain what is happening at Maclaren's, in producing the strike bulletin inside the tactory, and in organising accurity und defence Mac as workers of the factory against a possible police attack. If the rank-and-file continue to be isolated from oncussions and decisions there will inevitably be demoralisation and isolation from the day-to-day The present crisis in the struggle is due to the Lack ol'any positive action from the AUEW along these In our feet issue we pointed out some of the tasks which confront revolutionaries in strike makes industrial action all the mone We believe there in a need for an investigation into the facts bebiod the Government's decision so that the nature of its tacties can become widely known. Benn has talked of independent and reliable sources such as the Central Statist ical Office relcasing information. There is no such independent source. The labour movement must curry out is own insestigation. This could besr be done by organising a workers' enquiry open to the public. Trade unions could prepare written evidence, collected locally, in order that specific questions relating to the coal situation could be answered. Members of the civil service and the Government could alsu be invited to give evidence (paying a certuin political price if they failed to show up). The enquiry would then publish its findings. This is exactly what is being done by Bristol Trades Counci on a local scale over recent pelice har The Labour Party is already gathering information from trade unionists to monitor the crisis. A worken" enquiry would allow a more informed discussion on the way forward to take place in the working class movement, Tony Benn is in an excellent position to lines Apart frous putting more resouroes and energy into the blacking campaign, and ensuring maximum involvement in the work-force, the AUEW should have mobilised all the resouros of the Disrict Committee to broaden and extend the stnigele in the West of Scotland, The recent AUEW Shop Stewards Quarterby in Glasgow discussed the occupacon to 8 mile: askin and made 22l for the funds. But fine words and money are no The AUEW should ballot the membership for a District Levy, and should organise through the Trades Council for a masive publie demonstration of trade unionists in Glasgow in sapport of the Actions like thea: would make the Maclaren's occupation the focus in Glasgow for the coming struggle against Phas: Three, and for the engineering claim. They would also pinpoiet the important of Кое Осерат аста WI Iou Bont acalst du! 3day weck at the present time.
Solidarity demonstration in Glasgow last month CONT