The decision of the Labour Government and the Labour-controlled Glasgow Corporation to send in troops to break the nine week old unofficial strike of Glasgow dustcart drivers is an open act of class betrayal. This decision must be smashed by the organised strength and solidarity of the working class. unofficial strikes, nine in the public sector alone. Corporation electricians are also on strike ut the present time. It was the leader of the Corporation Conservative Group who described Glasgow as the anvil for Scotland and the United Kingdom on which organised labour in the public services has struck hammer blow after hammer blow' (Glasgow Herald, 17 March).
It is to smash this militancy that the Labour Government and Corporation is sending in the troops. If it was seriously concerned about the health hazards of 70,000 tons of rubbish in the streets it would have paid the dustcart drivers the liver they are demanding nine weeks It would also be pouring massive amounts of money into Glasgow's decaying public services It would be carrying out a crash buiding programme to pull down the tenement buildings which have been a health hazard, a tire hazard and an eyo-sore tor nearer ninety years than nine weeks The Labour Government's action server warning that if the kid gloves of the social contract fail to allow the trade union bureaucracy to smash strikes and to control the workers' fight for better living standards, then they will be removed to reveal the iron fist of the capitalist state: By picking on an isolated group of workers like the dusreart drivers and using the hypocritical excuse of "health hazards' the Labour leaders want to sconstou the workers movement to the use of troops in industrant disputes.
The fact that the icaders of the labour movement in Britain have campaign of terror, assassination and mass murder by the British army in the North of Ireland, and have failed to condemn the juint police army exercises at Heathrow Airport, has opened the way for this.
Mass working class action must be mobilised against the use of troops in Glasgow, John Reidford, Secretary of Glasgow Trades Council, has said: "If there are strikes, and I'm certain there will be they will be spontancous and natural sympathy crysrallised into direct action.
The General Secretary of the Scottish TUC, James Milne, has stated that the ise of troops could lead to a spate of sympathy strikes." Not only 'could' this happen, but the Scottish TUC and Glasgow Trad es Council should make sure that it does happen and that worker stay out cill the troops get out.
SCAB LABOUR
Ten Labour Councillors and three Labour MPs for Glasgow, including Hurry Selby, MP for Govan. have also opposed troops going in. They should now help to organise ass pickets by Glasgow workers wnen the troops move to shift the rubbish, and leaflet the soldiers to explain chat they are being used as scab labour.
All workers in the public sector in Glasgow should come out on immediate strike against the Corporation and the Labour Governnent. Benn Foot and the labour lefts should oppose the measure in the Cabinet and come out in public opposition to cne sending in of troops. Resolutions of support and financial donations must food in to the dustcart drivers from all areas of the labour mosement. Labour MPs should be picketed to demand they oppose the use of troops, and action demsnidad Iron the TiD hammering public sector struggles be the first step to their wider use working class. in total disarray. of this prospect.
If the dustcart men are beaten, the Labour Government will have been allowed to establish the precedent of through the use of troops This will against the working class as the cap italist crisis deepens. Archie Hood, the leader of the dustcart drivers, has called on workers throughout Britain capitalist system. to support their struggle, The labour movement must ensure that they get dustcart driver strike is necessary ber
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In recent months Glasgow has been the scene of many militant
THESE TROOPS ARE SCABS. THEY ARE BEING SENT IN NOT TO PROTECT THE HEALTH OF THE PEOPLE OF GLASGOW BUT THE HEALTH OF THE CAPITALIST CLASS.