forward within the labour movement. But on the most crucial question of all-how to reap the gains of big working class victories such as the miners strike and the Freeing of the Fiveprogress has been very small. After the miners strike last year, instead of finishing off the job and hammering the Tories into the ground, the TUC let the government off the hook by starting up negotiations with it on an incomes policy. To make it worse, after the magnificent struggle to Free the Five, the TUC went back to the negotiations again and continued them throughout Phase 1 and Phase 2. The result was the defeat of the gas workers and the hospital workers, and a fall in workers" living standards. The tremendous position of strength built up. after the miners strike was wasted, If the struggle against Phase 3 is to be successful an entirely different type of policy has lo be put forward to that wilich has been guiding the working class in the past year.
The coming struggles are going to be met with fierce resistance from the ruling class. The economic situation of British capitalism means that the employers cannot afford, from the point of view of their profits, to make any important concessions on wages and conditions. The tough tuctics of the Chrysler management show what is in store.
Throughout the summer, preparations have been made by the employers for the coming battles. Hugo strike funds running into millions of pounds, have, for example, been established by the Engineering Employers Federation (who last year paid out E2 million in profits compensation in the Manchester engineering strike alone). The press is all tuned up to attack strikers, as it was in the power workers dispute in 1970 when it encouraged people to beat up strikers. A whole series of tricks will be pulled to get round the strikes, as has happened in the past, During the gas strike ordinary homes were cur off bur firms were not, In the elect-