Behind Ffs Economic

Comic policies rests on the belie! thet the cleud of econemic zloon that has shrouded the international econeey for the last few yeara is about to dixsipate, ds a result an autematic decrease in inflation and a Major expansion in international trade is anticipated, In this con= text the essence of Fianna Failts policy is ta gear the ecomomy uP for an export=led boom, ECONOMIC BAC KOSOCE Oo the face af at Fianna Failts policy seen well-founded, The I9T4=75 a : international recession 1s ower and “35! ] and an eesioe off af inflation. Thi: if, has bean acommpantied lay a IS upsurge ‘in international trade last Vert.

So fer the Irich ecanemy has been responding favaurably ta thia inter aotdensl chanec, An exceptionally high growth rate of Sis expected this yeer and the value of ax= ports is expected increese by 2148, waile infletion is down ta below 15%.

The general upturn is the only lever Fistuia Fail resliy has, If their praposals fer reducing inflati BE qext year are looked at carefull it will be seen that only 22 is expected ta ome fram their moch acclaimed tax reductions while the renginter is expected ta occur ag a result of international change. Likewise their proposal to docreage |_| the level of exports In 10% , chow: the :cutrent. high rate for the next three years is dependent on the continuation of tha baom in international trade, . tonal cenfuneture in the alert Ss leavine aside the feasibility of Figona Fallts proposals in the lang term, a Lavirable interoat= term is indiepensible if° any Neadwey at all is to be mode, TRTERNATIOONAL CONTIADICTIONS Dehidd the international econ— omic vecoyery Lies a series of wureselyed cantradicriai, This cen he geen Gn the fivslry be teen the Inited States on the ane hand amd the Western Oraup (especially cemtaoy} an the other which surfrond last sAile at the annual meet= ing of Finance Minigters fram the QEOD (frwanisation af Econamic CaOperation & feyvelopment) cogntrdes, The Cited States, when Le cowldott really afford te. helped the warld Rcamone gut af the T3475 pracession Oy baring and barrow fren the reat at the world, Tt ran up a: tecerd: deficit of #497 million, Tf the 16 fails to aet rid of this deficit its eqanomy threateos ta erind to a halt dh the second half of this year, Thte would henefrit oeither the UY or its capltalist partners, |S a result the [6 weots countries such aa ih pmany ‘ane Japeo, wiich have built wo surpluses aut af the recovery, to «send? «ome af it and this give the CS sam: scape for costising ite ov ecanomle activity.

Kot the Weatern Eurepesan capitalists aod the Japagese are dubious about this salution, They believe that ‘Ay Ba jor new impetus to the ioter= dational economy, that would resdlt

atintine cights far the MouT, ahd te improv: conditions acd facilities in the vard, WEAKNESSES At the game time the strike rey= caled serigus weaknesses io are ahisation and direction. Orizinglly management claimed the strike Was an intercimian tugsle, between the MOWI and the Ataleomgted Trang= pert & General Workers? (mion (ATORU); they claimed te have a clased-shop agreement with the ATOWU, This wad 4 lie and as the strike showed signs af gathering manentum , the ATGWI formally gtated that they would not stand in the way of the MGWU's sttempts ta secure Toacornitaoag, The ATW did nat hiwever actively auppart the strike, and refused to order their members in Fagtwpod's gut in solidarity. Thouch in the event this betray el did not drsstic ally affect the outcome, the demoralisine sight of workers doy after dar crossime the picker Line wold have worn down the strikerst militancy in the ab semen af outelde support, Ia fact, the ATGWO has a diseraceful record in the ¥ard; the MOWD members are all former members of the ATOR, atd eventually left in disgust at the unwillineness of their leaders to accomplish any real isprowo= tent in their conditilons,.

The HOWO leadership is mot mech beteer, Minnis refused strike pay, using the membership timean industrial tribunal which ltmnt f Jgoscement ir be put on the inexperiecord workers, but mast be a . export seenario cagld wll cura clause = a wapoo jo the hands of the union horraucracy to seriously weaken any upeurue in nilitancy in tewly unianiged Javers. Minnis alse refuged te waee any hattlo tea have Mike Colling rednstated, Instead he represented? him at not surprisingly rejected Call= ins' cage. Minis!’ excuse was that he had not boon at such trike | unel before! Furthermore the strikers decided ta return te on their word at the firar alec of a decline in workers! militaney. The blam foc this cane dairy BASTS FOR FURTHER ACTION LAL Despite the passivity of the boreaucrats the strike wagt anl. ach= lewed its principal woal, but has laid «a sound basis for wacing a feferal struggle at Eastwood's for all-round leprovement, Mere importantly, it has shew that the only way formard for workers in Wert Belfast is their own indep— endent capacity to struggle outcide the rigid confines laid down by the union leaderships, The formation of the Workers! Action Council (WAC) = drawing together the shep =<tewards who mobdlised Fingnge " lametits "This optimistic suppecet for the gtrike - iz pate entiallr » Aue; gtep Porward io an area oF fiass unemplae at. dew wees aod hargssmnt ar wickers te gtd front work by the British acmr, curently the WAC ie ctacentratine on conusalidgtine itself wing rank znd file workers in West Belfast, trying ta increase its repress entetion, amd encourage unionigation; it has not yet worked out any pro= gram of action te present to workers.

THE ROLE OF THE wat To a climate of riging imdustrisl militancy in Britein god Irelard, wiere previously demoralised Layers are leakine to the Trade Unions for Leadership for the firet time,

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