Thatcher's Tories under fire | “Weare. Tne. | waiting’ tired of or three weeks, 40 homeless Chileans have occupiea the Swedish embassy in Santiago again focussing on the intolerable conditions in that country. This account of life in Chile was carried in the British Morning Star. It was Written by Morna MacLoud of the Chile Committee for Human Rights who just returned from Santiago. ae * * - The problem of housing shortages in Chile is becoming More and more acute. According to church estimates, 25% of the Chilean population are homeless or living in OVer-crowded conditions. . : __ The military junta does not regard the problem as its responsibility. With a handing over of the construction business mainly to the private sector, subsidized 80vernment housing, which has traditionally existed in Past governments as an attempt to solve the problem of © homeless, seems a fading hope. During 1980, several land-seizures were planned. , OUr weresto take place at the same time, but due to Infiltration by the secret police in the organizing commit- tees, all but one stopped. The La Bandera group which decided to go ahead with its seizure organized nine dif- ferent sub-committees including legal defence, public Telations, hygiene, self-defence, health and security. For those people still living on the small chapel site at La\Bandera, conditions are shocking. At one point 39 _ families were crammed into one large tent, while smaller tents have held three to six families. . - About 42 families stayed in the chapel itself, but are Now living in tents. So far three children have died of bronchial pneumonia and there is growing malnutrition. Seven months later, the situation remains desperate. The inhabitants of La Bandera have tried everything in their power to seek a solution to their problem — letters to the government, peaceful demonstrations, hunger strikes and occupations of embassies. At present, 40 people (10 men, 16 women and 14 _. Children) have occupied the Swedish Embassy. They- Can bear the situation no longer. “We want to'live like human beings, not like animals. We've been living in nylon tents for six months. We’re Ured of waiting for so long. We’ ve only had promises. We feel now that perhaps it would be better to simply leave this country with our families,”’ says one. eir food supplies are running out, and they are being Made to camp in tents in the Embassy patio. The Swedish authorities are giving food to the children, and Medical attention to the most urgent cases. . ‘- ve undernourishment, diarrhoea and bronchitis have been reported. The Chilean government refuses to Teact to ‘such actions and pressures.” a ith no end in view to their drama, there is a rising hysteria and breakdown in family and community rela- “ons. Those who were employed have mostly lost their Jobs, due to. their participation in the land seizure. Some are earning $35 a month on the government's um Employment Plan. Others become street ven- dors — but have to pay a $40 fine, when they are caught. Most children do not go to school, as they can’t afford © enrolment fee. € people from the land-seizure of La Bandera ap- Peal for international pressure and support. Despite their © situation, they are determined to continue. _ We feel we can’t stop now due to lack of money. We Can't just abandon so many hopes which are vested in Our organization, and which have cost so much, so much 'n human terms. ee a It is a basic right to have somewhere to live. We “aren't asking for anything out of this world. We aren’t | Chileans wait inside Swedish embassy in Santiago. €ven asking that it be given to us. 4 have lost everything, everything apart from my aby, I can’t give up now,”’ says one of the women. PHOTO — TASS At year’s end, the worst forecasts yet have been made for the economies of the capitalist world. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and De- velopment, the authoritative economic coordinating body for the 24 leading capitalist countries, has pointed to a severe deepening of the economic crisis for its members over the upcoming 18 months, that is, to the middle of 1982. Normally, the OECD makes an assessment of the year ahead every six months. This time, in an anxious effort to find some hint of a favorable turn in the situation, it has scanned the period ahead for 18 months, but has failed to detect any definite sign of recovery setting in by then. : One of the -grimmest aspects of the OECD predic- tion is that unemployment in the 24 member countries will rise from the present overall figure of 23 million to 25.5 million. This will mean a 7.5% rate of unemploy- ment. Young people are and will continue to be hit hardest by joblessness. In the middle of 1980 the rate of un- employment for young people up to the age of 24 was 12%. By mid-1982 this rate is expected to go up con- siderably. The OECD had delineated a ‘‘cumulative deteriora- ton’’ in the employment situation in the seven leading capitalist countries (the U.S., West Germany, Japan, France, Britain, Italy and Canada). For these coun- tries the unemployment rate stood at 2.9% of the labor . force in the 1960s and 4.3% in the 1970s; it will rise to more than 6% by the middle of 1982. Inits analysis, the OECD report expressed concern and grave doubts about the policies to which the | Reagan administration is pledged, especially t&x cuts coupled with high defence spending, which it is felt could undermine U.S. monetary policy and set off ' repercussions throughout the OECD area that would make prospects worse than forecast. The predictions for Britain are the gloomiest of all those in the year-end survey. It is estimated that by mid-1982 British unemployment will soar to well over 3 million, which would be 12% of the labor force. This would exceed the actual number of those unemployed in the worst years of the 1930s depression. British growth rates have been sharply reversed over the past two years, falling by 2.5% in 1980. The OECD predicts another 2% drop in 1981, and zero growth in 1982. This can only mean very grave Britain’s labor movement has taken its struggle against the Thatcher government to the streets. Massive marches are planned by the Labor Party and Trades Union Congress leading up to a great May Day march. Leading capitalist countries facing gloomy economic times hha! a News Analysis William Pomeroy , economic and social conditions in Britain in the com- ing period. The OECD report has come on top of a series of reports from British business, banking and govern- ment circles last December. All have revealed a seri- ous and rapidly declining state of affairs for the economy. They were augmented by a statement by Prime Minister Thatcher in which she announced that there is a “‘hard year’’ ahead. The only “‘solution’’ she could clutch at was a call for workers to take lower wage increases. Manufacturing output was down by nearly 11% in 1980 and was expected to continue falling in 1981 as unemployment and lower incomes reduced consumer demand. Overall industrial output fell by nearly 10% in the past year. : An unpromising future for production and growth rate is indicated by the fact that British manufacturing investment dropped by 9% in 1980 from the 1979 level. For 1981, according to the Department of In- dustry, manufacturing investment is expected to de- cline by 15 to 20% below the 1980 total. _ Insum, the Thatcher policies of high interest rates and an over-valued pound, coupled with sweeping cuts in public spending, have enabled banks and other financial groups to realize huge profits while indus- tries have been pushed to the wall. It has produced the unusual situation of a Tory government being de- nounced by the Confederation of British Industries, the country’s biggest employers’ body. The big busi- ness protests have led to rifts and deep anti-Thatcher expression in the Tory Party itself, including govern- ment sectors. : It is in the labor movement, hit by severe un- employment, that the greatest protest is rising. The Trades Union Congress and Labor Party are project- ing massive marches and demonstrations against un- employment and government policies for early 1981, leading up to a great May Day national march. For 1981, the tide of working class action is the significant trend neglected by the OECD. PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FEB. 20, 1981— Page 9