The Charter of Basic Rights

[p034] THE CHARTER OF BASIC RIGHTS THIS IS the full text of the Charter of Basic Rights which was voted on at the December 19 conference of the All Trades Unions Alliance after several hours’ discussion, which had been preceded by several months’ discussion on the Draft Charter in the labour movement and pages of the Workers Press. A HANDFULL of bankers, big businessmen and property millionaires directly represented by the Tory government has launched an onslaught on the basic rights which the British working class has established after centuries of struggle. They are rushing to save themselves from the world economic crisis into which their system of society is plunging: They intend to solve this crisis at the expense of the working class. To do this they must destroy all the basic rights won by the people, which allow them to defend and improve their conditions. We call on the working class to defend these rights: 1. The right of every worker toa job FULL EMPLOYMENT is not a privilege, but a basic necessity of life, an elementary right. Unemployment is being deliberately created to divide the working class and weaken them. We are not against new technology—we want to eliminate dangerous and unnecessary jobs. But every worker's right to comparable and continuous employment must be pro- tected. In the fight for higher wages we fight for the basic right to a living wage, for the right to improve our living standards. Only this consistent struggle establishes the right of the worker to the fruits of his labour. Every wage settlement linked to a produc- tivity deal means loss of jobs. We must demand : @ No Measured-Day Work, no intensifica- tion of working conditions. 2. The democratic right to strike and organize THE STANDARD of living and everything the working class has is based on the right to strike and organize. No employer ever gave anything away, he sets out only to make the maximum profit. Without the right to force out of him what they are entitled to the working class have nothing. The Tory anti-union Bill aims to destroy the unions and leave the working class defenceless. It threatens the independent trade union and political activity of the work- ing class which is basic in their struggle. The working class must never give up these rights, they must not allow the Tories to take the road of Hitler and Mussolini. 3. The right of the working class to retain the gains they have made THE TORIES are hell bent, on taking away the gains of the past and the improved standard of living that the working class has won in struggle. The working class has an absolute right to 4. The right to a higher WE CANNOT stand aside while prices, rents and fares are allowed to rocket in order to maintain luxury living for a selected few. 18 maintain these gains. The power of the working class and modern industry have the capacity of pro- viding continuously rising standards of living. We cannot accept that living standards can standard of living The trade unions were formed to win a greater share of the wealth produced in capitalist society for the working class. It @ Full support for any group of workers engaged in wages struggles. @ No sackings; any firm which cannot give security to its workers must be national- ized without compensation and under workers’ control. Women must have equal pay as a right. We oppose racialism. Every worker has the right to live and work in the country of his choice. We must force the trade union leaders and the TUC General Council to mobilize the whole movement to defeat the anti-union laws. An Emergency Conference of the TUC must be called immediately, to organize a General Strike to defeat the laws. be driven down simply because the system of private ownership—capitalism—is breaking up in deep crisis and cannot harness the forces of production for the benefit of mankind. Only a socialist society can solve the crisis. is through this struggle that the living standards of all working people can be raised, including those of pensioners, the Fourth International. Winter 1970/71

[p035] THE CHARTER OF BASIC RIGHTS THIS IS the full text of the Charter of Basic Rights which was voted on at the December 19 conference of the All Trades Unions Alliance after several hours’ discussion, which had been preceded by several months’ discussion on the Draft Charter in the labour movement and pages of the Workers Press. A HANDFULL of bankers, big businessmen and property millionaires directly represented by the Tory government has launched an onslaught on the basic rights which the British working class has established after centuries of struggle. They are rushing to save themselves from the world economic crisis into which their system of society is plunging: They intend to solve this crisis at the expense of the working class. To do this they must destroy all the basic rights won by the people, which allow them to defend and improve their conditions. We call on the working class to defend these rights: 1. The right of every worker toa job FULL EMPLOYMENT is not a privilege, but a basic necessity of life, an elementary right. Unemplcyment is being deliberately created to divide the working class and weaken them. We are not against new technology—we want to eliminate dangerous and unnecessary jobs. But every worker’s right to comparable and continuous employment must be pro- tected. In the fight for higher wages we fight for 2. The democratic right THE STANDARD of living and everything the working class has is based on the right to strike and organize. No employer ever gave anything away, he sets out only to make the maximum profit. Without the right to force out of him what they are entitled to the working class have nothing. the basic right to a living wage, for the right to improve our living standards. Only this consistent struggle establishes the right of the worker to the fruits of his labour. Every wage settlement linked to a produc- tivity deal means loss of jobs. We must demand : @ No Measured-Day Work, no intensifica- tion of working conditions. to strike and organize The Tory anti-union Bill aims to destroy the unions and leave the working class defenceless. It threatens the independent trade union and political activity of the work- ing class which is basic in their struggle. The working class must never give up these rights, they must not allow the Tories to take the road of Hitler and Mussolini. 3. The right of the working class to retain the gains they have made THE TORIES are hell bent on taking away the gains of the past and the improved standard of living that the working class has won in struggle. The working class has an absolute right to maintain these gains. The power of the working class and modern industry have the capacity of pro- viding continuously rising standards of living. We cannot accept that living standards can 4. The right to a higher standard of living WE CANNOT stand aside while prices, rents and fares are allowed to rocket in order to maintain luxury living for a selected few. 18 The trade unions were formed to win a greater share of the wealth produced in capitalist society for the working class. It @ Full support for any group of workers engaged in wages struggles. @ No sackings; any firm which cannot give security to its workers must be national- ized without compensation and under workers’. control. Women must have equal pay as a right. @ @ We oppose racialism. Every worker has the right to live and work in the country of his choice. We must force the trade union leaders and the TUC General Council to mobilize the whole movement to defeat the anti-union laws. An Emergency Conference of the TUC must be called immediately, to organize a General Strike to defeat the laws. be driven down simply because the system of private ownership—capitalism—is breaking up in deep crisis and cannot harness the forces of production for the benefit of mankind. Only a socialist society can solve the crisis. is through this struggle that the living standards of all working people can be raised, including those of pensioners, the Fourth International. Winter 1970/71

[p036] chronic sick and the poorly organized. Wage agreements which accept the status quo or include productivity deals are a betrayal of this principle and lead to greater exploitation and worsened conditions for the whole working class. We call for trade unions to confront the employers and government in their attack against our living standards with straight wage demands, without the acceptance of any restrictive strings and conditions. Agreements must also contain clausés which increase -wages automatically in line d» The right to welfare benefits THE TORY government has taken the milk away from our children; they are threatening the right to a hospital bed when you are ill and the medicine you may need. ; As a result of their action children will be less healthy and the working class will have to put up with ill health, bad teeth and eye- sight, unless they can pay the price. Any government which attacks these rights as the Tories are doing, endangering the health and life of children and bring death to old people, must be destroyed. ; The Tory government has set out to deprive workers of their right to unemploy- ment and supplementary benefits, which they have already paid for, and to income tax 6. The right to decent housing PROPER HOUSING is not a luxury—it is a basic necessity. People have a right to proper housing at a reasonable rent. Working people have fought for this and paid for it many times over. Who builds the ouses anyway? Who creates all the wealth of society? The working class. And these Tories have the audacity to take away the right to a house unless you can pay a colossal rent. They must be driven out. The working class must not allow this to happen. Every trade union, every factory, mine and building site, all workers in privately-owned or nationalized or public industries and public services must organize in a united Struggle to defend these rights. Conclusion EVERY SECTION of the working class, trade unionists, housewives, youth, all Labour voters, must now work for the defeat of the Tory government and its replacement by a Labour government. Only the mobilization in action of the whole working-class movement will bring down the Tories. This movement Around the organizations of the working class we must rally the housewives, the young workers and students, the pensioners, and the middle-class and professional people who are being squeezed to death by the banks and the monopolies. The working class must drive this govern- ment out. It has the power to do So, only the hesitation of their leaders stands in the way of this. It is not enough to protest against this government, the working-class movement has every right to organize to force it to resign. There can be no question of leaving the Tories to run their full term, merely record- ing only a few protests. We have the right to bring them down. will demand of the next Labour government that it restores every cut made by the Tories, and immediately repeal all anti-union laws. Such a programme can be carried out only by taking the banks and major industries out of the hands of the capitalist owners. They must be nationalized without compensation with rising prices, in order that gains once achieved are not eroded by price increases. Trade unions must campaign for an immediate 50-per-cent increase in all pen- sions, and also for pensions to increase in line with any increase in the cost of living. rebates, in order to weaken their struggle. These rights must not be surrendered. The attacks of the Tories on school spend- ing, on comprehensive education and on student grants are intended to deprive the children of the working class of the right. of free higher education, and must be resisted to the end. Every trade unionist must fight to force the unions and the Parliamentary Labour Party to mobilize the entire workers’ move- ment into a general strike to defend the right for which the trade unions were founded. The answer to unemployment is the sit-in and occupation of factories threatened with closure, leading to expropriation of the redundant employers. Nationalization of the major industries, without compensation and under workers’ control is the only answer to the crisis We call on all workers to campaign for this charter of rights and fight for an alternative revolutionary leadership in the trade unions. and under workers’ control. The Charter of Basic Rights is the programme to unite the workers’ movement to bring down the Tory government. We must insist that it is the programme of the Labour government that replaces them LS SS st Sp PSPSPS IT would like to join/1 would like further details of, the All Trades Unions Alliance. Please post to A. Wilkins (Secretary, ATUA), 53 The Hirons, Styvechale, Coventry. Charter of Basic Rights 19

[p037] ; chronic sick and the poorly organized. Wage agreements which accept the status quo or include productivity deals are a betrayal of this principle and lead to greater exploitation and worsened conditions for the whole working class. We call for trade unions to confront the employers and government in their attack against our living standards with straight wage demands, without the acceptance of any restrictive strings and conditions. Agreements must also contain clausés which increase -wages automatically in line 5. The right to welfare benefits THE TORY government has taken the milk away from our children; they are threatening the right to a hospital bed when you are ill and the medicine you may need. As a result of heir action children will be less healthy and the working class will have to put up with ill health, bad teeth and eye- sight, unless they can pay the price. Any government which attacks these rights as the Tories are doing, endangering the health and life of children and bring death to old people, must be destroyed. The Tory government has set out to deprive workers of their right to mploy- ment and supplementary benefits, which they have already paid for, and to income tax 6. The right to decent housing PROPER HOUSING is not a luxury—it is a basic necessity. People have a right to proper housing at a reasonable rent. Working people have fought for this and emer for it many times over. Who builds the jouses anyway? Who creates all the wealth of society? The working class. And these Tories have the audacity to take away the right to a house unless you can pay a colossal rent. They must be driven out. The working class must not allow this to happen. Every trade union, every factory, mine and building site, all workers in privately-owned or nationalized or public industries and public services must organize in a united Struggle to defend these rights. Conclusion EVERY SECTION of the working class, trade unionists, housewives, youth, all Labour voters, must now work for thé defeat of the Tory government and its replacement by a Labour government. Only the mobilization in action of the whole working-class movement will bring down the Tories. This movement Around the organizations of the working class we must rally the housewives, the young workers and students, the pensioners, and the middle-class and professional people who are being squeezed to death by the banks and the monopolies. The working class must drive this govern- ment out. It has the power to do so, only the hesitation of their leaders stands in the way of this. It is not enough to protest against this government, the working-class movement has every right to organize to force it to resign. There can be no question of leaving the Tories to run their full term, merely record- ing only a few protests. We have the right to bring them down. will demand of the next Labour government that it restores every cut made by the Tories, and immediately repeal all anti-union laws. Such a programme can be carried out only by taking the banks and major industries out of the hands of the capitalist owners. They must be nationalized without compensation with rising prices, in order that gains once achieved are not eroded by price increases. Trade unions must campaign for an immediate 50-per-cent increase in all pen- sions, and also for pensions to increase in line with any increase in the cost of living. rebates, in order to weaken their struggle. These rights must not be surrendered. The attacks of the Tories on school spend- ing, on comprehensive education and on student grants are intended to deprive the children of the working class of the right of free higher education, and must be resisted to the end. Every trade unionist must fight to force the unions and the Parliamentary Labour Party to mobilize the entire workers’ move- ment into a general strike to defend the right for which the trade unions were founded. The answer to unemployment is the sit-in and occupation of factories threatened with closure, leading to expropriation of the redundant employers. Nationalization of the major industries, without compensation and under workers’ control is the only answer to the crisis We call on all workers to campaign for this charter of rights and fight for an alternative revolutionary leadership in the trade unions. and under workers’ control. The Charter of Basic Rights is the programme to unite the workers’ movement to bring down the Tory government. We must insist that it is the programme of the Labour government that replaces them ee I would like to join/1I would like further details of, the All Trades Unions Alliance. Name Please post to A. Wilkins (Secretary, ATUA), 53 The Hirons, Styvechale, Coventry. Charter of Basic Rights 19