[page 2]
In Labour's Scotland one worker in every twelve is on the dole. Since last October, there have been on average 1000 redundancies a week. The so-called oil boom is over John Brown Offshore announced 300 redundancies in April. This rising unemployment is a result of Labour's policies of trying to manage capitalism better than the capitalists:
At Robb Caledon Ship-builders in Leith 237 workers have been laid off and fears are growing that the whole yard will close despite nationalisation on July Ist. As local Boilermakers official Tommy Blackhall pointed out, "the government are arguing rationalisation along with nationalisation."
As part of the deal to get nationalisation through, Industry Secretary, Eric Varley, increased compensation, With this blood
money guaranteed, Robb's Owners are content
to let the yard die rather than seek new orders.
In December, the government announced
the withdrawal of Regional Employment Premium which even the CBI admits will kill 10,000 Scottish jobs. * Cuts in public expenditure have thrown thousands of newly qualified teachers on the scrapheap.
Labour's policy of boosting industrial investment under capitalism is a policy of replacing workers with machines in already saturated markets, and throwing more public sector workers on the dole to find the
money to do it. Little wonder unemployment
in Scotland is now over 180,000 - higher than under any postwar Tory government,