*Talking to the people bore | ser thnt 'Ht is no use relying on Bern and Foot Only by taking their own netion can Re will try and organise support in Ebbw Vale was the first major steel plant to have a united works' council. Its setting up in 1959 was a big step towards overcoming the of pay. traditional divisions between craftsmen and production wurkers.
In 1973 the council spiit in theo One group consisting of a majority of craftsmen, plus the staff unions with a small number of production workers set up one concil. The other concil was mainly made up of the production workers.
The split came over differencos on how to oppose the threatened jobs.
Workers faced with redundancies at Ebbw Vale, but also eventuully throughout the British steel industry.
will confront not only a hostile management and Government but they also face an extremely conserclosures. The craftsmen said they did not mind the works closing providing that alternative jobs were made available at an equivalent rate DEAD They daim Ebbw Vale is dead as far as steel production is concerned and that the quantity and adaptability demanded by steel buyers is provided by Lianwern and Port Talbot. Their main criticisms is that the Labour Government has reneged on its promise to provide alternative The largest union in steet is the British Iron & Steci & Kindred Trades Association-BISAKTA (as i is still known in the industry, al though it is now formally the iron Steel Trades Confederation-ISTC)
we ront at Rritich etaslumeters
----- pull-quotes -----
THE STEEL UNION METTLE