Workers Press no. 1005

workers press

ARMED POLICE-A

TORY CONSPIRACY

POLICE FORCES through units. These death squads: wear plain clothes, travel i the authority of the Special The Special Patrol nothing Groups have whatsoever to do with protecting embassies and diplomatic. staff. The government has secretly, and without the approval of parliament, decided to arm the police for political reasons. In taking these desperate steps the Tories are pre- paring for a Northern Ire- land situation in Britain.

This is completely in line with the statement Heath made at the United Nations in 1970 shortly after his election when he said the next decade would be the era of 'civil wars'. The government's advan- for this ced preparations war on the British working class were revealed on Tues- day morning when two gunned teenagers were down while demonstrating inside the Indian High Commission. The police who were on the scene within minutes opened fire on the young- sters, shooting one through the heart and the other through the head. The officers who fired the shots are SPG men in the London region. They have nicknamed their unit the 'Central London Commit- ment. It was formed two months ago without any public or parliamentary de- bate and without any state- ment from the Home Secre- tary Robert Carr, the man behind the Industrial Re- lations Act. The administrative head- quarters of the London SPG is in Hounslow and there are sub-depots at Gipsy Hill in south London, Cavendish station Road police Balham and at Whetstone. There are not many em- bassies in these localities!

Each unit has 28 const- ables, three sergeants, an inspector and a woman con- stable. All are given inten- arms training and using shooting practice human-shaped targets.

INCORPORATING THE NE

DAILY ORGAN OF THE

BY ALEX MITCHELL

throughout Britain have set up s squads are armed with the latest travel in civilian vehicles and c Special Branch. THE MOVE towards 'mili- tarizing' the police is the favourite theme of Briga- dier Frank Kitson, who was appointed head of the Infantry Training School at Warminster by the Tory Cabinet. In his book Low-Density Operations' who Kitson, collected medals for his counter-subversion activities in Kenya, Malaya, Cyprus- and Northern Ireland - campaigned for openly closer links between the police and the military in Britain. He argued for a 'supreme council' of army and police to meet their 'obligation for maintaining law and order within the United Kingdom.

*If the government is to This week the Tory gov- its ernment announced peace-time highest-ever budget-£3,365m, almost 6 per cent of the Gross Na- tional Product. Much of the increased ex- penditure is directed to- wards internal security and peace-keeping" while there is an expensive drive to in- crease the size of the newly- reorganized Territorials, the part-time army. These developments can only be understood against the background of the rapidly deteriorating econo- mic and political position of the British capitalist class. This parasitic clique of bankers, money-lenders and asset-strippers want to pre- serve its profits and privi- leges by destroying the basic democratic rights of the working class and thereby reducing it to a state of poverty and op- pression. But the British working class won its rights-the right to a decent standard of living, the right to strike, to picket, to organize-in bloody struggle against the enemy class.

S THE NEWSLETTER • FRIDAY FEBRUAR

F THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF

e latest automatic weapons, s and come directly under be successful, therefore, it must base its campaign on a determination to destroy the subversive movement utterly and it must make this fact plain to its people' Kitson's book contained an enthusiastic foreword by General Sir Michael Carver, Chief of the General Staff.

He said: This book is written for the soldier of today to help him prepare for operations of tomorrow.

could be better Nobody qualified than Brig Frank to write on this Kitson subject.' It was announced last week that Carver is to be promoted to Field Marshal in July and in October he will become Chief of the Defence Staff—in charge of all three services. The working class will defend these rights with the same determination. To resist the police death squads and the spies, the build working class must a strong and unflinching. re- volutionary leadership. This week the Labour Party leaders raised not a whimper about the killing of the two young Pakis- tanis. Can we expect them to defend any of us in the workers' movement in the coming weeks? Precisely because the bankrupt reformists cannot withstand the violent con- spiracy of the Tory govern- ment, the Socialist Labour League has launched a cam- paign in defence of basic democratic rights. Episodes of working-class history will be re-enacted at a Pageant, The Road to Workers' Power', which will be presented at the Empire Pool, Wembley, on Sunday, March 11. Inseparable from this anti-Tory rally is the strug- gle to transform the Social- ist Labour League into a re- volutionary party in the coming weeks. 4р

FEBRUARY 23, 1973 •

No 1005

TEE OF THE SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE

A 15-YEAR-OLD Pakistani schoolboy was charged with attempted murder at Hammersmith juvenile court yesterday.

Police objected to bail and the boy was remanded in custody. He was charged following the demonstration at the India High Commission on Tuee.

H& I Block wards Chest clinic Childrens outpatients - Royal Postgraduate Medical School Admin.

C.S. S 0.5

Wolfson Institute → Medical Research Council → Shop stewards (above) at Hammersmith reception to the Tory splitting tactics yesterd theatre domestics: The government should be us at today's prices they're killing us!

workers yesterday cold-

HOSPITAL

shouldered a Tory attempt to split their planned industrial action against the state pay laws. In hospitals up and down the coun- try they refused to accept, tore up or burned letters from Sir Keith Joseph, the Health Minister, urging them to ignore union plans for selective stri- kes, overtime bans and withdrawal of co-operation. Not a single one of my members has taken one of the letters,' said Jim Ewing, shop steward for the National Public Employees Union of at Bethnal Green Hospital, east London.

He had warned management that if the letters were inserted in workers' packets, the pay as government would planned, union members re- fuse to sign for their pay.

So piles of bearing letters, the One were left Take slogan Please the wages office. They remain near untouched.

LEAGUE

day in which his two companions were shot dead. accused of attempting He was murder Anil Dutt, an embassy official, and conspiring to abduct eight people.

Lady Paget, the court chairman, re- manded the boy to Ashford Remand Home until next Wednesday.

Metabolic unit + "B" Block warde n Medical supt Dietetics dept. C Francis Fraser labs + Central supplies 2 Catering dept. → Treasurer's dept. rough rsmith Hospital, west London, gave a is yesterday. Said Ivy Pauleel, who represents should be shot for the wages they are paying JIM EWING ... Total strike Bethnal Green will be working-to- rule from March 1. But Jim says: "My branch voted for as did a majority of total strike, T&GWU also voted for NUPE. The total strike, but the union leadership in their infinite wisdon decided to go for something much less. • Hundreds of civil servants walked out yesterday in protest at official letters asking them not to strike next Tuesday.

workers press

ARMED POLICE-A

TORY CONSPIRACY

POLICE FORCES through units. These death squads : wear plain clothes, travel i the authority of the Special The Special Patrol nothing Groups have whatsoever to do with protecting embassies and diplomatic staff. The government has secretly, and without the approval of parliament, decided to arm the police for political reasons. In taking_these desperate steps the Tories are pre- paring for a Northern Ire- land situation in Britain.

This is completely in line with the statement Heath made at the United Nations in 1970 shortly after his election when he said the next decade would be the era of 'civil wars'. The government's advan- ced preparations for this war on the British working class were revealed on Tues- day morning when two gunned teenagers were down while demonstrating inside the Indian High Commission. The police who were on within minutes the scene opened fire on the young- sters, shooting one through the heart and the other through the head. The officers who fired the shots are SPG men in the London region. They have nicknamed their unit the 'Central London Commit- ment'. It was formed two months ago without any public or parliamentary de- bate and without any state- ment from the Home Secre- tary Robert Carr, the man behind the Industrial Re- lations Act. The administrative head- quarters of the London SPG is in Hounslow and there are sub-depots at Gipsy Hill in south London, Cavendish station Road police Balham and at Whetstone. There are not many em- in these localities! bassies Each unit has 28 const- ables, three sergeants, an inspector and a woman con- stable. All are given inten- sive arms training and shooting practice using human-shaped targets.

INCORPORATING THE NE

DAILY ORGAN OF THE

BY ALEX MITCHELL

throughout Britain have set up s squads are armed with the latest travel in civilian vehicles and c Special Branch. THE MOVE towards "mili- tarizing' the police is the favourite theme of Briga- Frank Kitson, dier who was appointed head of the Training School Infantry at Warminster by the Tory Cabinet. In his book 'Low-Density Operations Kitson, who for his collected medals counter-subversion activities in Kenya, Malaya, Cyprus- and Northern Ireland - openly campaigned for closer links between the police and the military in Britain. He argued for a 'supreme council' of army and police to meet their 'obligation for maintaining law and order within the United Kingdom'.

'If the government is to This week the Tory goy- announced its ernment peace-time highest-ever budget-£3,365m, almost_ 6 per cent of the Gross Na- tional Product. Much of the increased ex- penditure is directed to- wards 'internal security' and 'peace-keeping' while there is an expensive drive to in- crease the size of the newly- reorganized Territorials, the part-time army. These developments can only be understood against the background of the rapidly deteriorating econo- mic and political position of the British capitalist class. This parasitic clique of bankers, money-lenders and asset-strippers want to pre- serve its profits and privi- by destroying the leges basic democratic rights of the working class and thereby reducing it to a state of poverty and op- pression. But the British working won its rights-the class right to a decent standard of living, the right to strike, to picket, to organize-in bloody struggle against the enemy class.

G THE NEWSLETTER • FRIDAY FEBRUAF

F THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF

set up special 'shoot-to-kill e latest automatic weapons, s and come directly under be successful, therefore, it must base its campaign on a determination to destroy the subversive movement utterly and it must make this fact plain to its people?

Kitson's book contained an enthusiastic foreword by General Sir Michael Carver, Chief of the General Staff.

He said: This book is written for the soldier of today to help him prepare for operations of tomorrow.

Nobody be better could qualified than Brig Frank to write on this Kitson subject.' It was announced last week that Carver is to be promoted to Field Marshal in July and in October he will become Chief of the Defence Staff-in charge of all three services. The working class will defend these rights with the same determination. To resist the police death the spies, the squads and build working class must a strong and unflinching. re- volutionary leadership. This week the Labour Party leaders raised not a whimper about the killing of the two young Pakis- tanis. Can we expect them to defend any of us in the workers' movement in the coming weeks? Precisely because the bankrupt reformists cannot withstand the violent con- spiracy of the Tory govern- ment, the Socialist Labour League has launched a cam- paign in defence of basic democratic rights. Episodes of working-class history will be re-enacted at a Pageant, "The Road to Workers' Power', which will be presented at the Empire Pool, Wembley, on Sunday, March 11. Inseparable from this anti-Tory rally is the strug- gle to transform the Social- ist Labour League into a re- in volutionary party coming weeks. FEBRUARY 23, 1973 • No 1005 • 4p

TEE OF THE SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUI

A 15-YEAR-OLD Pakistani schoolboy was charged with attempted murder at Hammersmith juvenile court yesterday.

Police objected to bail and the boy was remanded in custody. He was demonstration charged following the at the India High Commission on Tues.

I & I Block wards → chest clinic → Childrens outpatients Royal Postgraduate Medical School Admin. +

C. S. S. D.

Wolfson Institute → Aedical Research Council → Shop Hammersmith stewards (above) at reception to the Tory splitting tactics yesterd theatre domestics: 'The government should be us-at today's prices they're killing us.'

HOSPITAL workers yesterday cold- a Tory attempt to split shouldered their planned industrial action against the state pay laws. In hospitals up and down the coun- try they refused to accept, tore up or burned letters from Sir Keith Joseph, the Health Minister, urging them to ignore union plans for selective stri- kes, overtime bans and withdrawal of co-operation. 'Not a single one of my members has taken one of the letters, said Jim Ewing, shop steward for the National Union of Public Employees at Bethnal Green Hospital, east London.

He had warned management that if the• letters were inserted in workers' packets, the government pay as union members would planned, re- fuse to sign for their pay.

So piles of bearing the letters, 'Please Take One' were left slogan near the wages office. They remain untouched.

LEAGUE

day in which his two companions were shot dead. accused of attempting to manded the boy to Ashford Remand Home until next Wednesday.

Dietetica Francis Fraser labe Contral supplies Catering dept. → Treasurer's dept. → rough ramith Hospital, west London, gave & is yesterday. Said Ivy Pauleel, who represents should be shot for the wages they are paying JIM EWING... Total strike Bethnal Green will be working-to- rule from March 1. But Jim says: 'My branch voted for total strike, as did a maiority NUPE. The T&GWU also voted for total strike, but the union leadership in their infinite wisdon decided to go for something much less.'

• Hundreds of civil servants walked out yesterday in protest at official letters asking them not to strike next Tuesday.

PAGE 2 Workers Press, Friday February 23, 1973 ABU DAUD, captured by Jordanian intelli.

gence while on a mission against Israel for the Palestinian Al commando organizalon Fatah is being barbarously tortured by his captors, Fatah reports from Baghdad.

His health has seriously deteriorated since he was captured as a result of the ugliest forms torture and constant interrogation the officers of all intelligence and military intelligence

BY JOHN SPENCER OUR FOREIGN EDITOR

Abu Daud member of the revolutionary movement. A former commander of the Palestinian militia in Amman, THE SHOOTING down of a Libyan airliner death in absentia sentenced was massacre by Israeli jets over the Sinai desert is a clear Tine September 1970 when commandos were demonstration of who the real terrorists are in attacked by the Jordanian ally. the Middle East. The Jordanian authorities want to frame Abu Daud plotting King. The Zionist leaders who were so indignant about charges This is a fabricated charge with the aim of dis- the Munich Olympic shoot-out now have the blood of crediting the commandos the eyes of the 90 innocent passengers on their hands.

The Israeli air force shot down the airliner as Marine One aim of Abu Daud's torturers is to force Tel Aviv of officers were boasting in their success in him to agree to appear on television and 'con- fess' to the trumped-up charges. Prince Hasan, a raiding camps in northern Lebanon, killing relugee fighters and blowing member of the family, refugees and guerrilla the Royal up person with a group of army officers to try and extort offices of Palestinian orga- such a confession. nizations. and Russian leaders for the These official, cal- Shortly after Abu the Jor- plans Daud's arrest, WeLC V locke

BLAST

danian radio and television broadcast atrocities aimed at counter-revolutionary to culatea inter- provoking the Arab states purported to the a confession by VIew De new round Abu Daud. Fatah has stated that this interview of con- 11L0 in fact recorded by They are lizing Israel was member of Jordanian status fully 'Passin, the tradition of and Mohammed, who im- end to

ALCHELONE

BULLIE

Arab personated Abu Daud. Deir war situation by a new par- LiC 1948 tition of Palestine and by Village muraered in spread terror and drive out the Palestinians from Israel. legitimate national demands of the Palestinian Arabs. They expose the reaction- of the deace aıy characiel Massacre manoeuvres being under- taken Egypt's president by plans can Sadat, brought to fruition only Ismail, currently Hatez wholesale massacres talking with the Tories be- Arab Washington revolutionaries and wor- fore kers and peasants the Nixon. with President Arab countries The arrogant Israeli pro- Sell-out vocations designed to are open the door for

BUSE SUICI

TWO STUDENTS were seriously injured in This which trip, simultaneously peace has already taken Ismail to giving the the Naples on Wednesday when police attacked Moscow for talks with the they demonstration LusC Wallu against new laws giving territory and power Doviet senders. concide Taelt more power to the police.

with the plans of both US even further. student leader reading letter from was left-winger Mario Capanna. mass nOW meeting in Matteotti Place, local Oliviero magistrate ordered Luncieon tear-gas attack. Vincenzo Caporale (19), a medical student, had his crushed

DULLD

a10

•OCLON

DIGBY JACKS, President given up all hope of saving his life. of the National Union of EIGHT youths were Students and a Commu- impri- Rome after nist Party member, has 3.000-strong against repression of the written to Tory Foreign movement, and Secretary Sir Alec Dou- the particular murder glas-Home, calling on the Roberto Franceschi Bocconi University, Milan.

British 'to government IN MILAN, 10,000 students assert its influence to alter demonstrated and fought the repressive policies of «l-

THICKS.

the Greek government.' mass-meet- Dockers at al ing outside the Bocconi Earlier this week eight called release all Greek students were given imrisoned suspended sentences of 8-11 condemned Stalinist months for 'insulting the Federation Communist authorities'. Youth which boycotted the protest demonstrations This followed demonstra- In a Naples tear-gas fired a

COLON

tions the Athens rON- debate Wednesday the technic against calling up Communist lined up Party with and Iberals democrats praise social the police Mayor

BOTH

SIDES

Vier- nute enor Conces in peace in Vietnam was Prince public order who took nam have accused the Phouma, hailed tremen- head of the dangerous weapons from dous victory of the Royal Laotian govern. 'anti-constitutional and anti- the ceasefire agreement most glorious resistance ment, has grow as fighting bomb- «enochac orces. and ing. wal Staiti (MSI-National people A Tine ternamese mixed commission Right): "The mayor parts of the country. against foreign aggres. to made cautious state- sion'.

DULLIC

on the country's Protests have been they do not con. political future. The cur with the given with joint South by the the vio- military commission. has now come into effect and US bombing President Nguyen lence of the The National Assem- Thieu welcomed bly oratona Vietnam Laos Terzi (Communist Party): end yesterday. Goosedle unanimously approved 'We forms not the Parls on officials agreement Government stop North Vietnamese violence, pro- the Thursday saw infiltration. Visualk vocation and politica hooli- a report agreement victory iner conse Cambodia ganism, but we must ask In heavy and ment's activity on the for the Pathet Lao why there is this spiral new military and diplomatic feared a quick take violence. life the Phnom Democratic only nine miles must be re-establisned In tae renin, the university. The restoration of Righl-wing opposition from city centre.

GOLDA MEIR

•.. Scared of own workers. Sadat and the other Arab bourgeois leaders who have been promising to avenge the defeats of 1967 are now being called on to match their words with deeds. Pinpricks Beyond token diplomatic acts and military pinpricks.

however, they have no in tention of doing so. Sadat differs only in degree from Hussein of Tordan, who openly proclaims his inten- tion of making peace with the Israeli murderers. Mrs Golda Meir, General Zionist Dayan and the leaders do not want peace in the Middle East. They are terrified of the hostility Zionism building to • up within their own working class. of The wave militant strike struggles by wide sections of Israeli workers, if they students boycotted Ninety-six students ordered into recently been the army. Thousands of students have refused to attend cla SS es in the last three weeks in opposition to the Papadopoulos government. On Wednesday night 2,000 occupied the upper floor of the Athens Law Faculty and began a hunger strike in a campaign for greater academic freedom.

In Britain the National Union of Students, tegether with the Coordinating Com- mittee for Overseas Stu- dents' Organization, is hold- ing a demonstration today.

It assembles at 1 p.m. in Malet Street and will march the to Royal Hellenic Embassy. Support is promised from Warwick, Cambridge and Oxford. Yet the Stalinists seek to divert this act of solidarity with the oppressed Greek students and workers by spreading illusions that the Tory government can be persuaded to oppose the dictatorship in military Greece. Sir Alec recently declared his total support for another regime of torturers - in Turkey. 'Allegations [!] of torture' he said, 'would encourage the unrest among the ex- ploited and oppressed Oriental Jews, as well as among the Arab population in Palestine, have all shaken the Israeli government. They have been forced to admit the participation of young Jewish men and inalliance with women Arab fighters against the Zionist regime. Backing The Zionists know that any form of 'social peace' in Israel is only possible on the basis of the con- tinued generation of a war psychosis among the popu- lation. Despite American ges- tures of annoyance over the Sinai massacre, it is clear that the Israelis have the full backing of US imperial- ism in their shooting down of the Libyan plane. The Americans want a in settlement the Middle East which will keep the entire region firmly domi- nated by imperialism. They want a pretext for the physical elimination o° the hundreds of thousands of Arabs who refuse to knuckle down to the re- quirement of the Us 'energy crisis' Wednesday's attack on the Libyan airliner is de- signed to open another phase of the campaign against the Arab revolution.

This is the real signi- ficance of the much-vaunted American 'peace initiatives' now under way. ted disruptive forces in Turkey'.

There are over 1,000 poll- tical prisoners in Jali under Turkish martial law. Yet the man Jacks is now appealing to went on: 'I think the Turkish authorities deserve support and understanding in their determination retain to their democratic institutions in the face of ruthless ter-.

rorist movements.' Does anyone on today's march seriously think such a man is going to 'use the [Tory] government's n. - Aluence' against arbitrary goalings in Greece? Jacks has also urged the Tories to support a Council of Europe resolution to set up a fund to help Greek students. The last time the Stalin- ists got enthusiastic about the Council of Europe was in 1969 when they called for the expulsion of Greece. nothing But they said at all about the visit of Soviet Ambassador to Greece which coincided with the Council's meeting. Levitchkin's visit was in- tended to strengthen cul- tural and economic ties between the Soviet Union and Greek regime. Stalinist countries now involved in close cultural and economic deals with the colonels' Greece include the Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Rumania, Hun- gary, Albania and China.

Sunderland jobs fight against Swiss WHEREVER the Pageant committees are operating - and Merthyr Tydfil Jarrow, South Shields, Middleton they have taken the fight for basic democratic rights of the working class into local struggles. Big local actions are centred on the shipyards, the pits and the occupation of a large firm called Coles Cranes. When they are not rehearsing, the Pageant group in the north-east has been campaigning for support for 'The Road to Workers Power' these sections of workers. In this special report among STEPHEN JOHNS visits Coles Cranes to discover the reasons behind the determined eight-week occupation by the work force. WILLIAM Alphonse de Vigier is a veteran of the class war. He is a Swiss millionaire who has left behind him a trail of bitterness almost un. industrial relations. Sometimes he gets his workers together and throws a party with free beer. But often than not he's more fighting them. His latest field of battle is Coles Cranes, the Sunderland cranemakers, where 2,500 wor- kers have been on sit-in strike for over eight weeks. De Vigier, who describes his "hobby', invited business as industrial unrest at Coles when he summarily declared 300 men redundant on November 25 last There were no consulta- year. 'the tions, just the news of Coles' sack' from managing director Don Hassall. He followed up this initiative by trampling on all union agree- ments at local and national level.

On key of piecework the issue prices, for example, he decided to scrap mutual agreements. Stewards were told virtually that the prerogative of rates were management. As a bonus Mr de Vigier in- flexibility of sisted on complete labour, the end of staggered the of holidays, introduction of Measured-Day Work form 'the right of and management to manage'. Even the most naive captain of would realize industry that lines- arbitrary such a charter of demands, demarcation flexibility of labour... troduced the of two space be guaranteed months, would Other signs of his persuasions provoke strike action. the £5,000 his are That is exactly what de Vigier Acrow (Engineers) Ltd, gave to Tory Party in 1971 and the On January 2, the got. an exasper- £250 it poured into the coffers ated work force declared in- and occupied of the extreme right-wing Mon- action dustrial Club. The red-hunters not for for day of pay, not conditions, Coles Cranes. Some of the young women workers from Economic League have also but simply to defend the most the minimal industrial rights. benefited from Acrow's gene- rosity. question all Coles' wor- The kers 'What is Alphonse's Vigier arrived in the ask is: De May 1972 when angle? north-east in Acrow Engineers added the Steel Clearly he a with Ltd. Group owners of Coles, to ideological motivations. strong their fast-growing engineering His with the communications empire. work force have that Heath-like Slowly his reputation has tinge. filtered to Wearside from his His latest the message other main seat of activity- 2,500 is typical: and Stockport. Manchester 'What discussion and needs One senior official of the are the follow- agreement upon Amalgamated Union of Engineer- The of points: (1) right ing Workers has been watching Is this management to manage. de Vigier with interest. fair not? (2) The request or of management to His follows right employ expansion 1973 study Acrow would buy in modern works pattern. methods. Fair or not? No then begin almost company, Above: A recent meeting of the Coles at which they voted to continue their mittee secretary Matt Wake ... we n immediately to change conditions without any negotiations.

Invariably a strike would break out and the whole future of trade unionism would be at stake. If de Vigier won, a badly organized shop would result. If he lost, he might close the plant.

In October 1964 he bought Adamson and Hutchett, Dukin- field. Conditions were changed, the union threatened. A stoppage occurred. AUEW councilman Bob Wright, the then Manchester organizer, finally reached the agreement. director he dealt with resigned.

The struggle went on, but the trade union organization teriorated. One section is now completely non-union. In 1968 Acrow bought S.H.

Stock- Heywoods of Reddish, repeated. port. The pattern was But this time the membership firmly behind the union. stood Conditions and pay were advanced. In 1971 the factory was closed. In 1971, 55 people at Thomas Storey's, another Acrow plant in Stockport, were declared redun- dant. Among those for the axe convenor and other were the union militants. Workers at Storey's at this time were at- tempting to build a strong union.

The result was another strike from April to May. Eventually but the 55 were re-instated, weeks later de Vigier came to the plant and sacked the con- venor on the spot. Talks were held, but de Vigier refused to re-employ the convenor. 'He is a difficult individual to deal with, and can only be approached from a position of strength,' says one union official.

The workers at Coles use less diplomatic language. Strike com- mittee secretary Matt Wake says the Coles men are fighting for conditions throughout the Acrow group. 'Our own investigations and meetings have with stewards revealed that de Vigier's be- haviour at Sunderland is by no means unique.' Research by national union officials has revealed some spec- Workers Press, Friday February 23, 1973 PAGE 3 his substantial 789,750 ordinary but has unloaded a fifth shares, of 'A' shares his non-voting from 552.932 to 460,383—this is from a record of share transac- tions to October 1972. The growth of Acrow. which £17.2m has of and pre-tax profits of £2.6m, is very fast. City have observers described these share transac- tions, carved out in lots ota hundred a week, 'very few odd' The Coles workers are clearly in the midst of a vital struggle for democratic rights-primarily the right to make free collective agreements that are honoured.

Though Vigier is obvi- de ously flambuoyant in his ap- proach, he is not a rare animal but very much a man of his time. One of can imagine the nods Tory at his approval circles all he approach. After is only doing in Sunderland what the Tories are doing all over Bri- tain. 'Of course we don't have any he Coles Cranes workers in Sunderland proof, but we are bound to think nue their occupation. Left: Strike com- the government is turning a blind eye from The Depa Bment o- .. we must broaden the struggle.

from Pimployment dowD here, but they Department tacular selling of Acrow shares have done nothing,' says Matt in October, a month before the Wake. Sunderland trouble began.

'What we must do now is to His wife Betty Agnes de Vigier broaden the struggle, the whole 34,978 ordinary shares, principle of trade unionism anyi 35, so with terenge diares.

IS at stake.' preference shares. Vigier has Miss Anne Betty de Contributions to support Coles Cranes can be sent to: sold her holding of entire 65,250 ordinary shares and 2,500 N. Jackson, preference shares. AUEW House, De Vigier himself has kept Roker Avenue, Sunderland. Dotend trade unionism and basic living standards Unite in action to make this Tory government resign The road to power is through the building of the revolutionary party

YOUNG SOCIALISTS AND SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE

APAGEANT OF HISTORY - THE ROAD TO WORKERS POWER

EMPIRE POOL, WEMBLEY,

SUNDAY

MARCH 11

I would like to take part in the Pageant/come to Empire Pool.

Please send me further details.

NAME..

ADDRESS..

No. of tickets required Amount enclosed (£1 each £.

Complete form and return to: Pageant Office, 34 Hamilton Gardens, London, NW8

SOUTHAMPTON BRANCH GIVU.

PARITY WITHPOWERMEN

PAGE & Workers Prose, Phany Februar The first of four articles on The gasworkers' present struggle against the state pay laws is not just an action over an isolated claim. It is a defence of the rights, conditions, jobs and living standards of every worker against a pernicious government attack. Faced with a calamitous crisis world-wide economic of capitalism, reflected in its most immediate form by the devaluation of the dollar, the Tories seek to extend to every employer in Britain the right of unlimited exploitation and control of the labour force.

This is to be achieved by driving down every worker's ability to resist the attack and to maintain himself. manual gas- The 47,000 workers were specially chosen to be made an example of because: • A vicious campaign of slander and intimidation could be launched by the capitalist Press on the basis of alleged danger, particularly to pen- sioners-remember the similar scaremongering used against electricity supply workers in 1970? • Because the right-wing lead- ership of the main gasworkers' union, the General & Muni- cipal Workers', has a history of prevarication, class collabo- ration and—certainly in the gas industry-the servile ac- ceptance of low pay, the des- truction of jobs and the most blatant systems of intensifying and speeding-up work. The dangers of freezing to death which exist for pen- sioners stem not from work- ers' action, but from years of contemptuous treatment by successive Labour and Tory governments. Anyone unfit for full exploitation-the old, the sick, the unemployed, the dis- as being abled-are regarded fit only for the scrapheap.

Thousands are not given enough to pay for gas or any m 1973

OFFIC

ST F

TORIES SET OUT TO

CLOBBER GASMEN

The first of four articles on the struggles of the gasmen. By Bernard Franks.

other fuel in reasonable quan- tities. Only during strikes are they wheeled out by Fleet anti-union publicity Street tor After the action they stunts. are invariably dumped back out of sight. Incidentally, history shows that the on v real advances In and for pensions the aged have been won by the actions of the working class— including the gasworkers-and owe nothing to Fleet street the charity distribution, pid- dling middle-class do-gooders. Last year the Gas Council was for already preparing increase in the price of gas. This was being discussed long before the gasworkers' claim was put in, but no doubt the employers are now hoping to blame the increase on any pay rise won by the industry's em- ployees. Manual gasworkers carry out a variety of important and res- ponsible tasks in the industry, including the production the conversion gas, natural gas, the maintenance of mains, services and appliances, the operations in appliance and meter workshops and also in transport, warehousing, property calering maintenance and cleaning.

Over the recent period they had to methods master 1C W and equipment in keeping with the changes in the industry.

TAKEN ENTIRELY

FOR GRANTED

During the past 161 years of the industry's existence, gas- workers have learned to con- trol town gas to such an extent that safe domestic situations, of what is in effect a highly-toxic and lethal sub- stance, is taken entirely for granted. Unfortunately, the gaswork- ers' pay has also been taken entirely granted. Basic TOlE range from a lab- rates now ourer at £19.10 to a crafts- £22.87. man's Extra money may be tied to all manner of gasmen. By Bernard Franks.

fake bonus schemes and to overtime; £30 total pay for 60 hours and £40 for 88 hours are two recent examples. Prior to the 1960s the gas- workers were already facing speed-up and rationalization of town gas production. At the same time they were being told that they could not ex- pect too much in the way of job security because the gas industry would probably deter- iorate as atomic energy and other systems improved. The same sort of story was being told to miners about coal.

Between 1952 and 1966 the number of gas production cut from 55,000 workers was to 28,000. The discovery of natural gas under the North Sea in 1959 did not lead to secure jobs, an easier work load or better hours, holidays and pay. On the contrary, it gas employers a chance to make huge profits for both the nationalized concerns and for the private prospecting com- panies, while kicking thou- sands more workers out of the industry. Today the gasworkers are faced with many more sack- ings; 11,000 by 1977 at least.

At the same time, they know that with present soaring prices-and more to come with Value-Added Tax (VAT), rates and council rent rises-then acceptance of the Gas Corpor- ation's £2.24, or any other pay- ment in line with Tory policy would, in real terms, constitute a savage wage cut. They, like everyone else, know that food prices • have risen faster since the 'price freeze' was introduced than before it. On the other hand, the use of these cuts and new methods in the industry have brought substantial returns for the em- ployers. The results in October 1972 for the previous financial year were: sales of gas up 30 per cent, employment cut 10 per cent, profit before interest deducted £139.9m, a return of in

CENTRAL AND NUN

WORKERS' UNI

NIC

ON 7.2 per cent on assets. The increase in productivity over the last five years has been 200 per cent! Workers' demands have been for £5.50 to £6 on the basic rate, increased shift pre- miums, plus longer holidays, fewer hours and a definite stop to redundancies. How- ever, the union leaders are said to be aiming at increases of 'around' £3 a week and some reduction in hours. Thousands of gasworkers had already been in action for weeks before union officials were finally forced reluctantly to concede the need for any activity. In December 1972, gas stew- ards representing 14,000 men in London and the west Mid- lands called for strike action following Prime Minister Ed- ward Heath's letter of Decem- ber 15 ordering that pay nego- tiations be broken off. Unofficial strikes occurring in January included gaswork- ers on Merseyside, Rotherham, south Lancashire, Nottingham, north London, the Midlands, Hull, Wigan and the whole of Scotland. Other workers sup- ported and refused to cross picket lines. Works-to-rule and overtime bans were started in south London, Sheffield, Don- caster, Lincolnshire, Manches- ter and elsewhere. In London and Yorkshire 'flying pickets' were set up to visit outlying areas. On January 30 1,000 gas- workers marched from the Gas House negotiations to the House of Commons to lobby union-sponsored Labour MPs where, after two hours, only one turned out to see them.

More than • 500 workers lobbied the G&MWU execu- tive meeting a few days later and met gas section organizer John Edmonds' announcement of overtime bans and non- co-operation starting in week's time with chants of 'sell out' and 'what a load of rubbish'. The gasworkers' activity is in stark contrast to that of union officials. The G&MWU's new general secretary, David explaining Basnett, was on December 28: "This union struggled has for good relations in this in- have coped with redundancies of in manpower greater than any

AND MUNILI

KERS' UNION

other nationalized industry in the last five years, 20,000.

Local officials put great energy and effort into trying to block workers' action. This continual delay gave the Tories plenty of time to prepare for the inevitable fight. When a decision was finally taken it 'non-co-operation', over- was time bans and some selective action in certain places-mean- ing where the great floodtide of angry trade unionists could not be held back. 'We are allowing our mem- bers to do their own thing rather than give explicit in- struction', i, said one G&MWU regional organizer. At the same time the Trans- General Workers' port and Union-with 5,000 members in the gas industry-called tor a slow build-up' of one-day strikes in each area in turn.

COLLABORATION

AND LAW

The main preoccupation of Victor Feather and the TUC months, when during recent the Tories were fining unions, sending men to prison for de- fending their jobs and prepar- ing to destroy collective bar- gaining, was a series of talks with the government and the employers on collaboration to police the working class and avoid disputes. Today, the worsening condi- capitalism tion of can only mean an intensification of the onslaught on workers and an even greater rationalization of jobs and conditions. The statement by Home Secretary Robert Carr about his contact with Chief Con- stables on curbing picketing is a straight provocation with a view to condoning police vio- lence against trade unionists, then calling a General Election on the issue of 'law and order' The activities of the union officials in the face of such acts totally confirm that the construction of a new leader- ship in the trade unions is of paramount importance. This must be a leadership that single-mindedly dedicates itself to the defence of work- ers and the cause of revolu- socialism with even tionary more vigour than the Tories on their side use to attack workers and promote the case of capitalist reaction. any CONTINUED TOMORROW

MEET THE NEW

US AMBASSADOR-

BY CHARLES PARKINS

Israeli military 'advisers' may be going to South Vietnam soon, as part of a US-backed scheme to help the Saigon regime maintain itself in power.

The proposed aid mission fits in with a general build-up involvement of Israeli in south-east Asia. In Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines, Israeli aid programmes and investment, and Israel military instructors, are assisting re- actionary regimes and acting as a front for US imperialism.

The possibility of military aid going to South Vietnam was disclosed in the Israeli newspaper 'Ma'ariv', in a report headed 'Saigon expects Israeli advisers to come after Ameri- cans leave', which it published on December 15. According 'Ma'ariv's' to correspondent, Saigon Gil Kesari, sources in the South Vietnam government said that the question of Israeli aid was an urgent need. The Israeli paper reported: 'A government source Saigon stressed that South Vietnam's military situation— now and more in the even future-will require help in the form of military advice, if the to withstand the country is communists' subversion and aggression. Saigon will need advice on non-conventional methods in the defence field, and the creation of self-defence rural areas.' After reporting that US troops would be withdrawn from South Vietnam under cease-fire agreements, the 'Ma'ariv' correspondent went on to quote his Saigon govern- ment source as saying: 'Yet the United States is not planning to abandon South Vietnam completely. The idea by Israel of being helped knowledge is not only known to Washington, but it was in- spired by it.' It is quite evident from this that, as in African countries, so in south-east Asia, the role of Israeli military and tech- nical aid projects is not only to serve Israel's own business and diplomatic drives, but, above all, to serve as sub- contractors for the main 'firm' at work there-United States imperialism. This relationship is also demonstrated in the case of Singapore. There, a project has been set up by the Israeli elec- , which is tronics firm 'Tadiran' part of the Israeli Ministry of Defence's industrial consor- The Singapore govern- tium. ment is backing this project, and is responsible for provid- ing 49 per cent of the invest- ment. "Tadiran' has investments in the Far East, Latin America, Persia. and But it itself is dominated by a 60 per cent controlling interest held by the American corporation General Telephones. Besides being involved in developing an arms industry in Singapore, Israel also has 14 military personnel acting as advisers to the Singapore gov- ernments forces; and Singapore officers have been attending training courses in Israel.

Another country in which the Israelis have been active, and have close connections with the government, is Thailand. With its corrupt military re- gime and impoverished pea- santry, and its important American bases, Thailand has been seen by some observers as Indo-China's next major war zone, potentially another Viet- nam. In Thailand, helping the re- gime in its efforts to make itself secure, the Israeli experts are busy in a number of fields.

northern regions, In the which is vulnerable to guerrilla activity, they have been re- sponsible for preparing a comprehensive development plan. Elsewhere they have been involved in technical aid, irri- gation and agricultural pro- jects. Alongside this, they have been running training courses for the Thai army. Other countries where the Israelis have been engaged in this kind of activity include Cambodia, South Korea, Laos and the Philippines. From the point of view of the Israeli government, expen- diture of financial and . human in maintaining resources widespread network of military and technical aid projects around the world is seen as worthwhile because it develops trade outlets, and diplomatic links to counteract the growth of sympathy for the Arab cause among Asian and African peoples. But it is also one of the ways in which the Zionists demonstrate their usefulness to their master, US imperialism.

So far is as Washington concerned, the Israelis are use- ful to employ as 'sub-contrac- tors' in the aid business, both technical because of their expertise-whether it is in irri- gation, counter-guerrilla cam- paign training, or how to in- tegrate trade unions into the state-and because of their comparative cheapness, not only in the literal sense, but also in the sense of providing a politically expedient substi- tute for open, direct, US involvement. As sometimes happens in in- dustry, so also in international 'sub-contractor' politics, the acts as a front for the powerful interests which hide behind it.

It is not only in the 'aid' field that Israel's Zionist rulers have been assisting US im- perialism and its oppression in south-east Asia. Workers Press, Frid Israeli political leaders Golda Meir and Yigal Allon went on record last year in support of Nixon's resumption of bomb- ing of Hanoi, and as the US elections approached it became that Israeli an open secret diplomats and Zionist leaders were attempting to manipulate American 'Jewish vote', rooting for Nixon. At the meeting of the so- called 'Socialist International' in Paris, Mrs Meir, once again, had a job to do for Nixon.

According to David Leitch, reporting the conference for the 'New Statesman' ', (January 19): 'It was Mrs Meir's interven- tion in the Vietnam debate, as as her lobbying in well the corridors of the Luxembourg Palace, which resulted in the Press, Friday February 23, 1973 PAGE 5 Above: Nixon and Golda Meir.

The Israelis are useful lo em- 'sub-contractors'. ploy as toning down of a motion con- demning the Americans for the breakdown in the talks, as well as the resumption of bombing.'

If Israeli advisers are sent help Saigon's reactionary to regime and strengthen military forces-and remember, 'Green the first American Berets' sent to Vietnam were I 'advisers'-then it also styled is fully in line with the policy up to now of the Meir govern- ment. The fact must be faced up to by any worker who has been taken in by Israeli Zionist pro- paganda; and thrown in the face of those self-styled 'lefts" such as are to be found in the Parliamentary Labour Party, who have helped to spread that propaganda: Zionism in an agency of imperialism, with all its bloody aspects.

PAGE

Workers Press, Friday Fabruary 23, 1973

THE ROAD TO

WORKERS POWER:

PETERLOO AND

THE RISE OF

THE CHARTISTS

I think you look at the present, then you look at the past.

You see what the rulers did in the time of Chartism and you know it's beginning to happen again. So we must fight now. If the working class slips once rore they will pick us all off one by one. We would pay the price. But it would not just be us that failed, it would be the whole working class.'

"This thing has changed me because I am fighting and I am prepared to lead the working class. I am taking part in the pageant to say that at Peterloo young lads like me got slashed and they are coming for us again, to slash us agarn.

'We are trying to do something that a lot of people have tried to do and failed. If we put on this play, and a lot of people come and see it, things will carry on. People won't just stand there, they will want to do something about what they have seen-they will ask, well how can we fight the bosses then? On the left are three views on the 'Pageant of Workers' Rights' from Manchester. The first is from a schoolboy of 15, the second from a young unemployed worker of 22 and the third from a girl who works in a chemical factory. They are part of the 15 or so hard-core who will make up the team that will present the Peterloo massacre and the birth of Chartism to 10,000 workers at the Empire Pool, Wembley, March 11. At first many of them could not see the point of reviving history. But when the strug- gles for rights in the past were linked with the fight to defend rights today, people came for- ward. Corin Redgrave, director of the Manchester operation, said that the most common response to the first explana- tion of Peterloo, the massacre of workers in Manchester in and the birth of the 1819, Chartist movement was: 'But this is happening today.'

of the The development 'acting' and the Manchester part of the Pageant, therefore, has been directly political from the start. The primary task was to convince those interested that the Pageant was not a play, but a preparation for building a movement to deal with the Tories. Once this had been achieved the importance of history be- came clear and the Pageant rehearsals themselves a power- ful vehicle for political de- velopment and understanding.

At this point the 'actors' look forward to passing on their understanding to the thousands of workers who will watch the finished Pa- geant on March 11. Like the girl chemical worker, they become people who want to take a lead—-to change the working class and show them how they can take power. Last Friday's rehearsal was typical. The scene was the mass meeting where the Char- its with millions of ter, signatures demanding the vote and a political voice for all working men, was presented.

Thomas Attwood, the Bir- mingham MP and radical, speaks first. He is followed by George Julian Harney, repre- senting the working-class and revolutionary in tendency Chartism. First the scene is discussed.

But not merely as history. The young workers (the people in the Pageant are mainly young, like the militants who man the picket lines-the gasworkers age group is from 15 to 25) discuss Attwood and Harney as figures who are politically 'alive' today. Victor Feather, the TUC leader, with his talk of 'nego- tiation', 'persuasion, is an obvious candidate from • the Attwood faction. Harney is a little more difficult-there are not many true revolutionaries in the labour movement. But everyone would like to be Harney. This kind of approach com- pletely absorbs the people in the Pageant. The scenes are really felt. If you join in, shy- ness and embarrassment are forgotten—you are listening to political speeches, you have views and opinions on them- you hear them every day from men like Feather, Wilson and friends at work and school.

This deep involvement with

the by scene produces remark- able results. Lines are learned re- ind very quickly -perhaps after When three readings the discarded the script quality of presentation imme- diately improves. People ima- in gine themselves in the situa- and they react naturally.

tion Often changes are sug- gested. Harney the the crowd of Chartists with his denunciation of fiery reform- You must take the ism. for it, he tells them, not ask UC 'But, asks one young wor- go- ker Harney, would an playing he win them over completely?'

the The answer no. It takes IS more than one speech to win are workers from reformism, ies political But Takes novener- a revolutionary leadership. be end of rehersal the At the night's work discussed. 100- Political lessons drawn, in dIC suggested and are improvements on. "ly" This is the way the Pageant are develops. side But there is another ave It takes place to the campaign. outside the rehearsal room om labour ind the working class of Man- l. and ith chester. Without fight to workers to Wembley to bring Pageant-without see the struggle to bring workers round the revolutionary move- through the Pageant— ment effort be 'acting' would futile. Moreover the 'actors' take part would never unless they thought they were build- ing political movement to draw on the the Jessons trom past and forward. go Work therefore be- begins fore dawn. The same Friday that ended with speeches from Harney Attwood and started the picket lines. The idea Pageant of the discussed first of Man- a group Witne chester gasworkers on the picket-line. Arrangements are made for a delegation. Later the splits. the group on shopping A mothe centre Middleton Others contact hospital workers. Tickets sold, arrange- made to send speakers is promised. The cam- money paign has been going for on will three weeks and con- tinue right up until March 11.

but it It's a hard sulugoie, gets results. of the Manchester was one Left: Actor Corin Redgrave directing the Manchester section of the Pageant. Right: The team in rehearsal. working birthplaces of the The first unions were class. built in the textile towns like Middleton-the centre of the Pageant campaign. The Mid- at Peterloo is dieton banner still displayed in the local library. Today, unemployment is high because of the depres- sion in cotton and the reces- sion in engineering. The enormous Langley estate, home of workers from the older, decrepit parts of the city, is full of people who want a way to get rid of the Tories for good. There are many people with Irish ancestry and the parallel between Peterloo 1819 and Bloody Sunday 1972 is only too clear. They all watch the Pageant campaign closely. Finally it is the sheer-determination of the young workers and the orga- nizers that wins them .over.

People who talk about building a revolutionary party to take the power must prove it by their actions. Then they get support. Workers Press, Frida JOHN COFFEY, one of the older workers in the Pageant.

Listen to the words that are in this song as we go along. And what happened then at Peterloo field The same could happen today Chorus : Then the Tories, yes they had their way They kept the workers down. "The Man- (To the tune of chester Martyrs'.) The first verse of a song on Peterloo written for the Pageant by John Coffey. I think the Pageant is a great thing. We should get at the Tories and finish with them once and for all. I knew a bit about the his- tory of this period, but its real importance for the working class has always been hidden.

People suffered then for their rights and people sufier for them today. The Tories and the bosses are just the same only worse. I have suffered twice for my rights. At one firm they were not paying me the wages they should have paid me. They said: 'Well you can't want your job,' and they sacked me. The other place was the Co-op up the road. I was just going to get the union man in and they created a redundancy to get shot of me. Most workers who have fought at all have had these experiences. Now the times of Peterloo are coming back. I think there could be a revolu- tion because people just won't stand round and let Heath rob them of everything they have The housewife is being got. kicked in the teeth all the time and the worker is getting it in the teeth. It's hard to convince work- ers. Some of them are dubious about what is happening and how they can change it. A lot of workers might say they are ready to have a go, but when it came to the crunch they didn't stand together like they did at Clay Cross. It will be the young ones who will give the lead. Then the older ones might come along later. CORIN REDGRAVE is leading the Manchester campaign with six other actors. It is not the experience of doing a play that is primary.

As you saw last night, there is always development when you discuss what you are doing and why you are doing it and what are the connections with the past and the present. In the rehearsals there is the opposite of what you would expect of actors. The profes- sional actor wants to express something as an individual. Here, when you do a scene, what is expressed is the feeling of a class and a group of people who want to find a way to fight the enemy. The importance of Peterloo is direct. Because what hap- pened at St Peter's fields is happening today in Ireland. A lot of people around Middle- ton draw this direct compari- of course, realize employers, when they are des- perate, are quite prepared to do exactly the same now as they did at Peterloo. Chartism is again very close to the people here. Manchester and Middleton were Chartist strongholds. And the rights and concepts of rights that people 058, Friday February 23, 1973 PAGE 7 have are a living representation of those struggles. This ex- perience is turned over in the present hostility and struggle with the Tory government. By presenting history in the way we are trying, we want to make people make the step forward to revolutionary politics in defence of their rights. The way we got support is perhaps surprising. At first we got a lot of people round through the cabaret. These people came on a very general basis. They agreed with us because they thought what we were doing was a good thing.

But it didn't go much further than that. It was the other people, who at first thought the thing was silly, or who just couldn't see the point of the Pageant and re-enacting history, who have really formed the backbone of the campaign. Really their resistance hid a serious approach to politics.

They wanted to be convinced that this was a movement and a campaign that would really fight to get rid of the ruling class-that something impor- tant could come out of the Pageant. Once we took up the poli- tical task of convincing them the Pageant had begun.

CATHLENE HARKIN

(16) works at a Middleton washing- up liquid factory: At first I thought it was silly. They seemed to be trying to do something they could not do. But they didn't talk about the play at first, they just talked about Heath and what he was doing. I agreed with this. But then I couldn't see how a play could change what Heath was doing it seemed a funny way of going about things. But this changed when we saw the play going back 100 They were fighting years ago. for their rights. I thought, well we are doing this as well right now, so there's no harm in having a bash. This was when I began to realize there was something in it. Now, after a few rehearsals, I know there is something in it. We have these speeches in the play. In these speeches there is nothing we don't really know already, but people have been turning a blind eye to them. It's when you start do- ing it that it really comes out.

We are trying to do some- thing that a lot of people have tried to do and failed. If we the put on this play and a lot of people come and see it, things will carry on. People won't just stand there; they will want to do something about what they have seen-they will ask, well how can we fight the bosses then? Sometimes I feel silly. When we have to fall down when the soldiers charge at Peterloo it makes me feel silly. I really want to escape and run away.

But you have to remember that at Peterloo the crowd couldn't run away as they were all packed together. These things are important for today. Heath has gone back every promise he made, on everyone knows that on Lang- ley. But it's hard to get people together. If people got together I think they could get Heath out. Heath is a con man, just a plain con man, and we have to get rid of him.

THE EMPLOYERS' TOP MAN

PAGE & Workers Press, Friday Fobrun CBI director-general Campbell Adams

TV REVIEW BY ANNE BLAKEM

The television cameras which followed Con- federation of British In- dustry (CBI) director- general Mr. W. O. Campbell Adamson around for a day last autumn had to miss the best bits because they were not allowed in. The programme-BBC l's 'One Day in the Life' on Mon- day—was one of the best adverts for ending secret poli- tical intrigues and publishing all the records of government- conspiracies big business against the working class.

was first of all Adamson with Sir Douglas closeted Allen of the Treasury. Then with British Steel Corporation boss Lord Melchett. The sub- ject both times was: what can we put across the trade union leaders in the coming tripar- tite talks at Chequers? The cameras were excluded the talks were 'con- because fidential'. One good point did emerge from Adamson's day. The importance to the ruling class of manipulating the news.

All day long, full-time staff worked on the problem how to get maximum publicity effect for another bit of union-bashing on the subject of 'violent picketing'. And to cultivate news- papermen, the director-general announced two or three small dinner parties he had orga- ay February 23, 1873 ll Adamson (lett) hosting a luncheon-no 'm

BLAKEMAN

nized 'with the media' at the top level. He explained that he was not going to ask crudely for more of the CBI's views to be put across in the Press and TV. He would merely put it to them that the country was not getting a sufficient amount of information about business interests. The importance of com- panies making bigger profits was one point that had to be across, Adamson said. got And he reported that there was already a good response.

We are getting a lot of feed- back'-an appropriate remark after a round of lavish dinners. Not that it is all that neces- sary to corrupt the bourgeois Press and television. Lytton Strachey re- As marked: 'Why bother bribing the British journalist, considering what he will do unbribed.'

An excellent example of this came right in the opening lines of the commentary, which, roughly paraphrased, ran: In the current industrial turmoil, the trade unionists blame the industrialists and the industrialists blame the unions. 'Here's Campbell Adamson seeking a middle-road, seeking a way to get peace, pros- perity, and profits' The organizer of the British industrialists' political lobby can hardly be regarded as steering a middle course when the political party of British capitalism, the Tories, is mak- ing a historic offensive on all onno 'middle-of-tha-road' course for British en democratic rights, aided • by the CBI, to drive down wages.

Adamson's background— public school and Oxbridge- came over continually, no- where more pointedly than was commenting when he patronizingly on the dilemmas facing the trade union bureau- crats who readily act as door- mats for the ruling class to walk over. 'We sympathize with the union leaders' problems,' said the big man. 'They are looking for moderation, but they are faced with demands for mili- tancy from the rank and file following the success of the miners' strike' • The class-collaboration that goes on at the top-behind closed doors-betw e e n bureaucrats and capitalists was implicit in this concern to help union leaders out.

But the, overall picture far from a happy one for the ruling class at this time of economic and poli- growing tical crisis. The cracks, strains and weaknesses are showing through more and more as their capitalist system dis- integrates. Adamson may still have two fivers to pull casually out of his jacket pocket to give to the chauffeur to go and buy a new shirt (he didn't have a clean one in the office to put on). But as a class, the British capitalists are being squeezed mercilessly between inter- national competitors on the one hand and the British wor- king class on the other. The frantic attempts to "sell' their cause to the public British employers. -to be allowed to make more profits-showed • how desper- ate they are getting. industry leaders may The still imbibe the wine over and recall fondly their lunch public school days, but right in the middle of the picture is Dr Barry Bracewell-Milnes, economics director, now sacked because of the serious split in the ranks over anti- inflation policies. The divisions in the ruling class about how to deal with the unbroken strength of the working class were also hin- ted at in Adamson's remark about the parliamentary wing of the bourgeoisie. 'Parliament is still there, I suppose?' making he said, a comment about the apparent untameability of the shop stewards' movement. "They're there, but their reaching speeches are not people,' his president Michael Clapham (ICI) replied. "They make such poor speeches, commented Michael King, chief Press officer, and of the eminent diarist son Cecil Harmsworth King. The ruling class is, in fact, preparing to dispense with parliament as part of the need to crush all democratic rights in order to settle accounts with the working class. Only this way can profits be in maintained to fight the great trade war successfully. It was, perhaps, significant that Campbell Adamson asked for a plain white shirt with- out frills. The ruling class is getting down to the serious business of winning the class war, if it can. and the 'The rich'll live die--that's poor'll what Heath's trying to do!' This of Chesterfield comment worker cut through all the earnest platitudes of Monday night's 'Panorama' (BBC 1) on reactions to the Tory pay laws. Richard Lindley's filmed re- port from the Derbyshire town revealed an extremely sharp polarization of class attitudes; when it came down to it, the local businessmen their hands up for Heath put almost as solidly as the gas- workers voted to strike. So clear was the division that the programme retreated hastily from into a the film stagey, set-piece studio dis- cussion which had little to do with the film-but demons- trated the fawning capitula- tion of the Labour front-bench to the Tories. The most interesting tion of Lindley's report was a public-house discussion with a group of gasmen and other workers affected by the in- dustrial action. Support for the gasmen was 100 per cent. Came the comments: 'We've got our own claim in, we must back them.' stick 12 out months. £2.40 wouldn't feed a blind moggie' 'There's no- thing worth working for in this country any longer' It's going to lead to a General Strike and revolution.' Even trade union local offi- cials caught the feeling.

'There's an undercurrent of discontent', said General and Municipal Workers' Union regional organizer Don Norry.

'With the dispute in gas this could explode and become a serious situation.' At the Chatsworth Round Table, where the young ex- ecutives gathered, opinion was verbally far less unanimous.

But although about half interviewed disclosed those that they thought Phase Two unfair, on a vote as to who backed Heath most hands went up. A local employer des- cribed the policy as 'rough justice' Yet in the studio discus- sion, Reginald Prentice, the 'Opposition' shadow of the Employment Secretary, crawled to Tory Consumer Affairs Minister, Sir Geoffrey Howe. Most workers would reject a General Strike, he said.

With the Labour Party they would accept the view that change should be through the ballot box. There could be unity between the parties on restraint if VAT and com- pulsory rent increases were withdrawn. Below: Sir Geoffrey Howe.

PIN-UP MR HEATH

course, no bar to being lion- ized by the Beaverbrook press Horobin's fact, just the need now. sort of hero they So despite the somewhat of his disap- abrupt manner from public life pearance 1962 (he was jailed for three for homosexual prac- years tices), the publication of is book of the new poems for whole-page occasion a 'Standard'. interview in the The of the exact purpose interview is not clear, although Horobin does let drop a heavy hint that he wouldn't mind Japan's Premier Tanaka Who said nobody loves Ted Heath? We can reveal that Premier Tanaka, the Tory of leader Japan, has three photographs on his office wall.

One is of Emperor Hirohito, the other is the Empress and lastly . • • yes, you guessed it, Heath. People are starting to ask questions....

CAUTIONARY

TALE

cautionary A tale about politics-right-wing coalition Philip Snowden: Invitation.

Labour style-from Monday's coming back from exile in 'Evening Standard' London Tangier to take the life up An interview Sir lan with his jailing deprived Horobin, peerage admittedly about as him of 1l years ago. 'All my a Conservative right wing as experience and knowledge is it's possible to be, revealed thrown away, the complains that he entered politics on one-time Parliamentary Secre- the invitation of Philip Snow- tary at the Ministry of Power.

Labour Chancellor den, the As a child he was dandled who, with Ramsay Mac- on the knee of W. B. Yeats, deserted Donald, to the the right-wing Irish poet who National government in 1931.

was later to the fascist Join When the Whole country educated He Blueshirts. was in 1931, going bust he was at Highgate School and Cam- [Snowden] said would I like bridge. His sister Norah was to fight a seat', Horobin told for 20 years headmistress of columnist 'Standard' Valerie the pukka girls' public school, Jenkins. took 15,000 Roedean. socialist majority to a 15,000 The introduction to his new National Extra- majority. book is by Poet- ordinary? written Laureate Sir John Betjeman. As an earnest of the right- wing views Snowden found so Another interesting side- former MP light from sympathetic, the the interview admits wanting to restore the that Horobin the pet was penalty destroy pupil' at Cambridge of econo- death and Guardian' Keynes, The mist John Maynard newspaper. of whose theories the reform- His racial opinions can be de- duced from the ists have made so much comment: use 'Half England's black and the attempting to confuse the in rest knocked down.' in the period working class Such of following the last war. opinions are, Where is Britain Going? Paperback 374p Problems of the British Revolution Paperback 35p Lessons of October Paperback 60p In Defence of the October Revolution Pamphlet 15p Marxism and the Trade Unions Pamphlet 25p Death Agony of Capitalism and the Tasks of the Fourth International Pamphlet 10p Postage: 10p per book, 5p per pamphlet.

Order from: NEW PARK PUBLICATIONS 186a Clapham High Street, London SW4 7UG

US ROUND-UP

BY JACK GALE

After the Watts riots of August 1965, in Los United Angeles, the States Federal Govern- ment, business corpord- tions and trade union bureaucracy rushed in to "pacify' the black popu- lation. All the tensions were to be eased away by a few timely reforms. The Watts Labour Com- munity Action Committee was set up under the direction of a pushing entrepreneur called Ted Watkins. At its peak this organiza- tion was turning over $30m supermarket a year trom chain, five manpower training programmes, a chain of ser- vice stations and restaurants and a construction company.

The Federal Government had almost entirely subsidized work-training programmes, community-improvement pro- jects, youth programmes and the like in WLCAC's first years. And it was the government and its hired business consul- tants who came up with the bright idea of black-owned supermarkets. The notion was that black people would be happier in black-owned shops-—and, be- sides, they would be bought dirt-cheap from white up owners anxious to move out of Watts. The unions joined in. To- gether with the Federal Gov- ernment's Small Business Administration, the United Auto Workers and the Team- sters' Union put up $900,000 for the project. And the United Auto Wor- kers paid Watkins' salary.

But, after an initial boost, sales rapidly declined. Neither service nor prices were any better in black-owned super- markets than they had been in white-owned supermarkets.

Within a short time the supermarket chain was losing $40,000 a month. Then Watkins into ran trouble at his WLCAC work camp at Saugus, California, 35 miles from Watts, which has been set up in 1969 with the help of a $2.6m, two-year US grant from the Labour Department. Labour The Department's 1971 review gave the camp a glowing report and • last year the grant was raised to $1.5m a year to train 300 black ghetto youth in a trade. But the bubble was soon to burst. This year's Federal Review showed that the camp had no known personnel policies, no

MONEY

ORDERS

Workers Press, Friday Above: Mr Ted Watkins, an entreprene of the Watts Labour Community Action supermarket-an abortive attempt to g people would be happier in black-owi regular reports of expenditure, job descriptions and no no staff-training officer. Only 170 of the camp's 300 student places were filled. The main course-carpentry and auto-mechanicshad not prepared a single student for certification or appren- job ticeship. The Labour Department chopped off the Saugus pro- gramme forthwith. Now • the ss, Friday February 23, 1973

PAGE 9

entrepreneur who took up the direction Below: A WLCAC ity Action Committee. empt to give the impression that black black-owned supermarkets.

supermarket chain has gone bankrupt. And, deciding to cut its losses, the United Auto Wor- kers stopped paying Watkins' salary. 'reform pro- The Watts gramme had failed. But these collapses should not be described as failures, according to Watkins. They should, he says, be called 'learning experiences'. 2... Hennari

PAGE 10 Workers Press, Friday February 23, 1973

TODAY'S TV

BBC 1

9.38-11.45 Schools. 12.25 Y 1.00 Pebble Mill at garej. 12.55 News. Edward. 1.35 1.45 Television doctor. one. 1.30 Teddy Ring ding. 2.05 Schools. 2.25 Children talking. 2.35 Parkinson.

3.25 Tomorrow's 4.00 Noggin the flying world. and machine. school. Jackanory. 4.50 Deputy 5.45 News. Weather.

6.00 NATIONWIDE. 6.45 TOM AND JERRY.

7.00 THE VIRGINIAN: MEN FROM SHILOH. The Regimental Line.

8.15 MORECAMBE AND WISE SHOW. Guests Wilma Reading, Springfield Revival. 9.00 NEWS. Weather. 9.25 THE REGIMENT. Ambush.

10.15 MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS. Silver Rose of Montreaux winner.

10.45 THE DIMBLEBY TALK-IN. 11.30 LATE NIGHT NEWS.

11.35 FILM:

"THE LONELY PROFESSION'. Feature film made for television with Joseph Cotten, Harry Guardino, Dean Jagger.

1.05 Weather.

ITV

9.30 Schools. Mr. Trimble. 12.25 Happy house. 12.40 First 12.05 report. 1.00 Time was . 1.30 Crown court. 2.00 General hospital. afternoon.

6.00 TODAY. 6.35 CROSSROADS.

7.00 THE PROTECTORS. It could be practically anywhere on the island. 7.30 HAWAII FIVE-O. Engaged to be Buried.

8.30 ON THE BUSES. The Ticket Machine.

9.00 JUSTICE. A Libel Amongst Friends.

10.00 NEWS AT TEN. 10.30 POLICE FIVE.

10.40 FILM: 'THE MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM'. Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray. Thriller. ANYTHING TO SAY? 12.15 JASON KING. A Red Red Rose 12.10 Forever.

BBC 2

11.00-11.25 Play school. 5.25 Open University.

HAMMER IT HOME.

7.05 Making a wall unity. 7.30 NEWS. Weather. 7.35

GARDENERS' WORLD.

MONEY AT WORK. The Tortoise and the Hare. Jumbo and 8.00 Concorde. 9.00 FILM: 'THE INDIAN TOMB'. Paul Hubschmid, Debra Paget Fritz Lang's adventure set in Rajasthan. 10.35 FILM NIGHT. 11.15 NEWS EXTRA. Weather.

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BBC 15

having another attempt at stirring up every possible in the 'British' breast with a new series of stories of what the Army; gad sir! Denis Hill is the wounded I Empire and the British by Brennan the Colour Sergeant, captured by the Boers in the Dragon eather. and the lion. 11.45 UFO.

REGIONAL TV

12.45 as above except: 6.15-6.30

CHANNEL:

9.30-12.00 London. Report West. News. .30 London. 2.30 08a. 300

ANGLIA:

9.30 don. 3:30.30 Dick bout Film: "The Trackers'. 3.00 London. women. Van Flintstones. 4.50 London. 3.55 4.21 News. News. Dyke. Romper 6.10 London. 6.00 News. 4.50 Merrie me ocles. London.

FBI.

6.35 LOndon 5:00 Who vou 00. 19 9.00 London. 10.35 About Film: News, weather.

WESTWARD.

L P.0 Film: As Channel extent 12.05 12.57 1.00 Probe. Doctor'. Lon- NeWS. 6.00 don. + 6 0.32 Honevbun. Diary. ATV MIDLANDS: 9.30 London.

12.00 12.15 Faith 6.25 Sport. News. 3.30 Danger Today. 1 12.05 London. for life. Forest ran: 5. 50 4.50 Lon- man. don 6.3s Lon

SOUTHERN:

9.30 Londor. women 12.00 Today:,.30 London. 6.00 12.05 2.30 London. ky's News. 3.00 3.25 limit. Comedians. 8.00 Pro- Galloning Tee Sim: Adventurer ung Weekend. 9.00 London. tectors. 4.50 London. 5.20 10.30 Film: Lions'. •ne Lon- Weather. Univer- 11.00 1.32 News. London. the challenge. Schools. ' 3.25° Romper

SATV

can- room Once Film: 3.00 London. Women only. 3.55 moved'. 9.00 London. 10. 30 weekenr. Rainbow Yoga News. 4.25 Film: "The Evil Franken- 4.50 5.20 country. London. 12.25 News. 12.35 Weather. hosnital. 5.50 6.00 Reports Guideline. 6.35 7.00 the limit Pathfinders. 8. Upper or sts.

HARLECH:

9.30 London. 2.30 Womer London. 4.25 Name 3.00 Rovers 4.50 only. Chuckleheads. up. noon. game. Crossroads. 5.50 6.01

YORKSHIRE:

9.30 London. 3.30 Doctor West. 6.15 • 7.0 FI 4.25 Merrie Danger man. mandiac charge. 4.50 London. 5.20 Me and the Darling Daughter' London. London. 6.00 Calendar 11.00 Press 11.30 6.35 Sky's London. Weather. 12.30 Weather. 7.30 London. 8.30 Upper 10.30

HTV

Cymru/Wales except: Indon North country. 4.25-4.50 Stesion cantamil. 10.55 Film. 3 seather. • Tham dydd. 0.30 Sports 11.00 my's Tomb'. arena. 27, Fight rising rents and prices Defend basic democratic rights 8 p.m. Force the Tories to resign February 27, February

SCUNTHORPE:

Sunday Hotel', Selkirk 25, 7.30 p.m. The Kingsley Hall, Road, Broadway. 'The Cole Street. rise of Italian Wednesday Feb. CENTRAL LONDON (Press and

EDINBURGH:

Graphic Entertainments branch): Sunday, ruary 28, p.m 7 p.m. London Film Club, 15 Street, February 25, School, 'Workers' and the fiaht Langley Street (off Long Covent WC2 against the Garden, The of Working-Class History_The Road to Workers' 7.30 p.m. Power. George's March BASILDON: Sundav

DERBY:

Mechanics February 25, 5.20 p.m. Barnstable Community 7.30 p.m. Centre. 'Road Workers' Premises, to Power'. Coombe House, Monday 8 p.m.

WANDSWORTH:

Feb- 'King's ruary 26, 8 p.m. Arms', High Street, S.W.18. 'Defend the work' right to 8 p.m. Road Finsburv (near Park WATFORD: Monday February 26, Station). 8 p.m. Trade Union Hall. Wood- unions' ford Road, near Watford Junc- Station. 'Rise of fascism in tion 'Liverpool Arms', Cam- p.m. Italy' bridge Road. Support the gas- CLAPHAM: Tuesday February 27, men and hospital workers'. Clapham Manor Baths, 8 D.m.

GLASGOW.

Sunday, March 4. Clapham i S.W.4. Manor Street, Burgh Hall, near 3 p.m. Partick 'Defend Democratic Rights' Merkland Street Underground. 'Hospital workers and the Tory PADDINGTON: Tuesday February government. 27. •Prince 8 p.m. of Wales' of Road and corner Harrow

BRIXTON:

Tuesday March 6. Great Western Road. 8 p.m. Brixton Training Centre SW2 Control Room, Effra Road.

KIRKBY:

Tuesday February 27, 'Forward to the Pageant'.

Southdene Community p.m. Centre, off Broad Lane. 'Crisis of Socialist Labour capitalism and the future of the unions' trade March 5, SHEFFIELD: Monday

CAMDEN:

Tuesday February 27, 8 p.m. YS PREMISES, Porto- 8. Prince Albert'. p.m. Wharte- bello (near Jessops hospital).

Road Kinas Cross *Les- dale 'The Revolutionary • Party in fighting the Housing sons of Britain'. Finance Act ble chauvinist and patriotic quiver Corporation's blurb calls 'the late vounded Major Slingsby and Michael n the first story, 'Ambush' GRANADA: 9.30 London. 12.00 Hand- 1.05 3.25 London. songs. Shirley's world. 3.50 Cartoon. 4.00 Crossroads. 4.30 Merrie melodies. 4.50 London. 5.15 Please don't the eat 5.50 London. News. daisies. 6.00 6.30 Upper crusts. 7.00 Film: "Three Came Home'. 9.00 London. 10.30 Kick off. 10.55 Film: "Bedlam'.

TYNE TEES: 9.25 Our total well being. 9.30 London. 2.30 News. 2.13 Yoga. 3.00 London. 3.30 Dangerman. 4.25 Merrie melodies. 4.50 London. the chimp. 5.50 5.20 Me and Lon- don. 6.00 Today. 6.35 London. 7.00 Sky's 7.30 London. thrustsit 2.00 8.30 Upper crusts. London. 10.30 10.55 "The North Film: country. Curse of the Fly. 12.30 News. 12.35 Lectern. SCOTTISH: 9.30 London. 2.30 Date- line. 3.00 London. 3.30 It takes and the professor. Crossroads. Chardon. 6.00 in cham: East of Sumatra. .00 London.

Sky's the limit. Film: 10.30 Friday night: 11.00 Late call. 11.05 Man in a suitcase. 12.00 Love American style.

GRAMPIAN:

10.58 London. 1.38 2.40 Cartoon. Schools. 2.53 News. 3.00 London. 3.25 Good atternoon. 3.55 Shirley's world. 4.20 Dave Cash.

4.50 London. 5.20 General hospital. 5.50 London. 6.00 News. 6.10 Gram- 6.35 London. 7.00 Film: pian week 8.30 Upper 'Quebec'. crusts. 9.00 London. 10.30 Partners. 11.00 Job Film: "Kill Her Gently'. 100k. 11.05 1225 Meditation. 27, DAGENHAM: Tuesday March 6, 8 p.m. Barking Co-op Hall, Fan- 'Common shawe Avenue. Mar- ket Conspiracy'. EAST LONDON: Tuesday March 6, 8 p.m. 'Festival Inn', Chrisp 'Support the Street, E14. and hospital workers, gas- men TOTTENHAM: Wednesday March 1, 8 p.m. 'Bricklayers Arms', Hart Lane. 'Forward to the Pageant. WOOLWICH: Wednesday March 'The Castle', Powis 7, 8 p.m. Street, SE18. 'Support the gas- and hospital workers'. men SLOUGH: Thursday. March 8, 8 p.m. Community Centre, Farn- 'Support the gasmen ham Road. and hospital workers' •STEVENAGE: Thursday March 8, 8 p.m. 'Red Lion' ', Stevenage Town. 'Forward to the Old Pageant. LEWISHAM: Thursday March 8, opp New Cross Station. 'Marx- ism and the trade unions'.

WILLESDEN: Thursday March 8, 8 p.m. Labour and Trades Hall, High Road, NW10. 'Support gas- Tory men and civil servants'.

HACKNEY: Thursday March 8, 8 p.m. Parlout Room, Central opp. Town Hall, Mare Hall, 'Support gasmen and Street. civil servants' our League Lectures February 5, GLASGOW: Sunday, 25, 7.30 p.m. WOODSIDE HALL, George's Cross. 1933-1938.

St From the German defeat to the Fourth International. Speaker: Tom Kemp.

Briant: Legal pressure off for deal?

MACHINE-SHOP workers at the Triumph engineering plant at Meriden, near Cov- entry, meet today to decide future action in their week- old piecework dispute. The dispute came to a head when management told machin- ists they would only be paid on supervisors' assessment of a their effort, instead of average earnings. A black was imposed on the job concerned, the drilling of a motor cycle steering yoke. And when the 37 men again refused to work on management's terms they were taken off the clock.

A work-study of the job had resulted in a time of 3.75 which minutes per component, operator having to meant an produce 17 components an hour to maintain his old earnings level. This amounted to 63.75 minutes work in every minutes, or one component an hour more than it is possible to produce. Operators had claimed that 14 hour-or components an 53.50 minutes' work-should be the production rate to maintain existing earnings. With 1,400 men laid off at the factory stewards on by management as an opportunity to hold down and even cut wages. Last month management summoned 70 shop stewards to a meeting to tell them of a nine-point plan to tighten up on earnings. "The full nine points consti- tute every management's dream,' said one steward. With the company reportedly £13m in the red and seeking government aid, a loudspeaker system was rigged up so man- agement could address the whole plant about its plans. 'Management is out to break the machine-shop section-the most militant—in order to show the factory no one else can win, said shop steward Fred Smith.

'We have to support the lug section. That's the only way we have got anything at Triumph.'

Special ATUA

ANCILLARY WORKERS

and

CIVIL SERVANTS

No state control of wages!

Support the gasmen, hospital workers and Civil Servants!

Make the Tories resign! Tuesday February 27 7.30 p.m. Norfolk Room Caxton Hall Caxton Street, SW1.

SOUTHAMPTON

THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 8 p.m.

Joiners Arms Hotel St Mary's Street Speaker: ALAN THORNETT (Deputy senior steward, Morris Motors, in a personal capacity).

OXFORD

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 27

8 p.m. Clarendon Institute Walton Speaker: G. HEALY (SLL National Secretary)

MEDWAY

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 27, 8pm Aurora Hotel Brompton Road Gillingham Workers Press, Friday February 23, 1973

PAGE 11

Further legal moves against cery Division of the High to the detriment of them- in which he was 'very, very two-thirds of the 105 men Briant Colour printworkers Court the liquidator selves and the creditors.'

near a deal". and women at the factory.

obtained judgement against Have The judgement estab- The potential buyer The problem their Old Kent Road the five man work-in com- nas seen lished the right of the factory mittee after they Mr Peter late of Mr David Bentley was pre- for liquidator to act on behalf ness associate of to pay. aelayeu ретинь Brockdorff who, until now, a deal with a buyer. them to quit the premises.

taking full. control of the But he said at his home LaN canet di occupied factory. spokesman for the H. Blandford liquidator, with daler los week liquidator Granville Baker, who is in charge of now seeing 'eye to eye' He is now free to apply White, said: with the liquidator. the added: "I am try- to the court for an order 'If ing instructing the workers to are as near to a sensible Workers has Outstanding issues turn my timing. Press deal as we appear to be leave ine plant. on convincing Mr Granville don't want to go the don't evict But Mr Blandford Baker agreement-still to be offi- White of the soundness of added walll expense getting be reluctant his financial fellows, even though said he would cially backers these approved and, al order 10r evictione Lave been all? donake lus course wnen Lulu. Last week in the Chan- wholly against the law and position had been reached mean the sack for tor convincing creditors. PRISONERS in the Maze Prison, Northern

LOIC

€2.20 Ireland, cost week feed- which is 31p a head more than the guard dogs there.

30p less than security dogs at WORKERS at the Hoover factory in Merthyr Tydfil, Leicester Prison. South Wales, yesterday agreed to start negotiations These are among the facts obtained from une cover men with management for a pay increase based on the by Miss Bernadette Devlin (ind., Mid Ulster). Phase Two ceiling laid down by the Tory government.

She was given Leicester figures This means that the basis for discussion will be El plus 4 last November, when a Home per cent-giving Hoover workers a possible £2.40 increase.

Office Minister said dogs

TAL LLOYD

•. recommen cost £2.50 to teed and the pri- The recommendation to proceed under these terms was put state pay celling. soners £1.20. to a mass meeting yesterday by Tal Lloyd, a district official Workers. of the Amalgamated Union of Engineering Lloyd, a right-wing Labourite,

BY OUR OWN

maneur chalcox on is an amalga Welsh TUC which

CORRESPONDENT

of many political amalgam Tories. tencencies He said the feeling of the Communist Party members, the £20 a week gross mentioned.

meeting, however, was Labourites and nationalists.

teacher | was interested However in 1972 a further award without leadership the from gave a basic gross of over €1,200 He is a councillor on Merthyr Council and was resoundingly could not start campaign defeated a few years ago when against the government and its stood as official Labour can- figures about S. The shop stewards Davies. wItn an overal Day colo

LOI

more or less correct the around £1,750, after ten years' menced meeting By recommending negotiations there should be complete rejec- the of fl Dius tion of managment attempt ciple the Tory peptino impose higher ngures give ludicrous v Lo mouse a bonus scneme wandi

SALD

ciple Tory plan impose would inevitably involve pro- low net salaries, wages - ductivity. high rents charged in all Slalt poratism. not only London. As a minimum, in the present situation.

There have been simmering Fred Sullivan, vice-chairman Lo CODe will brices ar wel problems the factory in since of the shop stewards' committee, sent annual wage agreement

LAC

Tat said was out at the end of 1972 and the ncreases in prices planned recommendation'. company refused to negotiate future. A claim such as this.

a new one for three months.

ATUA meetings • HOOVER, the domestic appli- view «state- Even So-cancelod

POSTAL

WORKERS

ances gall, yesterday announced The crisis of capitalism and another year of record profits.

the future of the trade unions.

Pre-tax profits up at were more Sunday El6m, compared with £9.4m in Call mUSL 10.30 a.m. all Hall 1971. Conway Smi pay square

LIOT

With the share scales. let alone those of of earnings Holborn. but. unless stale united deto Hoover Holland, the total profits 1c the £17.8m,

BUILDING

WORKERS

to an increase The crisis of capitalism and of some £6.8m over the previous a years nonsense, parucularly the future of the trade unions. sections can acmeve Tuesday March 6 7.30 The also announced oll. Nortok Room handsome dividend for all well below ₺1,000 •a V Was Caxton Hall shareholders, with rear. (Take home was about force Tories Caxton Street, SW1 after the end of Phase One of €13.50 a award made the basic 31055- Fraternal greetings, a reader Bill. the or ant miation Speaker: CLIFF SLAUGHTER speaker: MIKE BANDA (SLL Central Cttee) (SLL Central Cttee) about

SLOUGH

WEST LONDON

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 28

MARCH 1, 8 p.m.

THURSDAY

8pm Lyndhurst Hall Britwell Community Centre Grafton Road. NW3 Long Furlong Drive Speaker: M. BANDA Britwell Estate

HEALY

(SLL Central Committee) speaker: (SLL National Sec) Fill In the form below and send to NATIONAL

LUTON

DAGENHAM

FRIDAY MARCH 2, 8 p.m.

SECRETARY,

SOCIALIST

LABOUR

LEAGUE,

Assembly Hall INURODAY MARUN 1, opm 186a CLAPHAM HIGH ST, LONDON SWA TUG.

Manor Park Library Town Hall Romford Rd/Rabbitts Road Speaker:

M. BANDA

(SLL Central Committee) oop Rabbitts Pub Namo... speaker:

TOTTENHAM

(SLL

National Sec) TUESDAY MARCH 6, 8 p.m. Addross.. Lord Morrison Hall

HULL

THURSDAY

MARCH 1,8 p.m. Chesnut Grove Windmill Hotel'

G. HEALY

Witham (SLL National Secretary)

$90 gold rush PAGE 12 Workers Press, Friday Febr

FEBRUARY

FUND £934.18

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LET'S CALL & halt to this slow campaign for our Fund. We have only just passed our halfway mark-leaving still £815,82 to raise by next Wednesday. Use the next six days in the best possible way. Help us turn the situation completely around and make our £1,750 target in good time. The urgency of this political situation demands It. • The arm- ing of the pollce, today being used against demonstrators and tomorrow against the working class, warns us all of the dan- gers ahead. Only Workers Press is pre pared for the nature of this fight against the Tories. Use our paper, therefore, to reach out to all those trade unionists and youth joining the struggle for the first time. Warn them of the fight ahead. All the great strength and working determination of the class lies behind our paper. We are confident that you, dear readers, will do everything you can to puil the position around for our Fund. A great spurt now and I we will make It. Rush all donations Immediately to: Workers Press February Appeal Fund 186a Clapham High Street London SW4 7UG.

CAMBRIDGE

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 25

Mawson Hall Mawson Rd

SPECIAL SHOWING OF

'RIGHT TO WORK' FILM

RALLY, 3 p.m. Speaker: Maureen Bambrick (YS Nat. Cttee) CHINA and the United States are to establish official links as a result of the rapid im- provement in relations which has taken place since Presi- dent Nixon's visit to Peking last year. . 300-word follow-up to Dr A Kissinger's mission released yes- terday says that they will estab- offices each lish liaison capital expand other's and trade and other contacts.

The Chinese will release two American airmen as a goodwil gesture and are considering the POST Office workers have been instructed not to join the civil service pay strike next Thursday the Tory hard line -despite against their own £5 pay claim.

The request for them to join came from the the stoppage of the Post Office section Public Services Clerical and the five Association, one unions with which the Union of Post Office Workers is involved in the claim. But although leaders of all six unions received a rough handling from Employment Secretary Maurice Macmillan last week, the UPW is appar- ently still hoping to do a deal with the Tories over pay.

newspaper at the Registered as a Published by Workers Post Office. Clapham High Street, Press, 186a 7UG. Printed Plough 01-622 7029. riday February 23, 1973 THE GOLD rush was on in earnest in London yesterday.

Buyers from all over the world pushed the price of gold to a record official fix- ing of $83 an ounce, and after lunch the metal was selling at $90 an ounce. The price has gone up by more than 15 per cent in less than a week. It has increased almost a third since the begin- ning of the year. RIP-ROARING inflation has led to the fall in the number of people unemployed. Figures for February show 753,293 out of Kingdom work in the United —a drop of 70,483 on January.

The Great Britain total of 717,520—or 3.2 per cent of the population-included working 6,599 school leavers, a drop of 2,427 over the previous month.

Department of Employment statistics show there were 274,376 vacancies for the un- employed, 42,668 up on January. At the same time it was re- vealed for the first time that 900,000 workers have been made redundant in the last four years.

The fall in wholly unemployed -the biggest from January to since the war-does February underlying reflect not any strength in the economy. The fall has been stimulated by the massive rate of inflation which • led increase to an • this basis a number credit. On of companies, mainly of a com- parasitic mercial nature, have provided more jobs. At the same time, any drop of unemployment in the pool can only strengthen the working class against the Tories.

release of a Central Intelligence Agency man later this year.

shows the The agreement anxiety of the Maoist regime to do a deal with American imper- •

BRIEFL

BRIEFLY

BUILDING workers at the Mc- Alpine luxury hotel site in the their Aldwych, London, say strike will continue until labour- only sub-contracting is ended on the site. Yesterday strike leaders union officials, to see went demanding the dispute be made official. The three tower cranes The UPW leaders are meeting their opposite numbers early in the fond belief next week government's Phase that the Two pay code may provide a loophole for such a deal.

Tom Jackson,

UPW

general secretary, has told branch secre- he has that the taries reason rejected the call for next Thurs- day's strike is that it would only dislocate Post Office ser- time when vices at a we are trying to win more traffic.

A circular signed by the 'Furthermore union chief adds: the UPW does not believe that a one-day strike will have any effect on government policy. In circumstances we see the no why members reason our should lose a day's pay.'

Yet Jackson admitted on Feb- ruary Il that his 200,000 mem- bers have suffered a serious drop in their relative living standards during the period of Tory government.

BY JOHN SPENCER

buying gold with the Gold the 'free' market— tically on proceeds. now the only place where it is gold indi- bought Yesterday last rush in fact and sold-is at week's dollar more than the 'official' cates that twice putting final end devaluation, price. The gold rush means that the to the ricketty Smithsonian cur- structure agreed In real value paper money December 1971, has undermined melting away at a rate of almost 10 per cent a day! all confidence in paper money. full And the price has by no means The stampede is now in hold of value by reached its peak. The big inter- swing to ge buying gold giving the lie to national companies which and switched their dollar funds into those capitalist revisionist proclaimed who that last week are now fran- pundits marks

BY ROYSTON BULL

FURTHER signs of the tension now gripping Britain's insoluble economic crisis have emerged in the row hetwee and industry leaders in the Confederaion of British In Phase Two price restraint proposals.

THE TUC yesterday published their official decision to co- operate in the setting up of corporatist institutions in Britain.

In a memorandum to the government, they give their approval to the Common Market plan for putting worker-directors on to company boards. The trade union leaders are thus taking part in the gros- sest deception of the working class. At a time when the capitalist ialism at any cost and the final is in the deepest crisis system Tory and the government is collapse of any pretension making the greatest onslaught support for revolutionary move- basic rights in order to cut in south-east Asia and ments the TUC bureaucrats try wages, the Pacific area. sell class collaboration. to Worker-directors achieve

BRIEFLY

BRIEFLY

nothing for trade unionists ex- occupied on Monday morning cept confusion. A picket line have been vacated. It is the irreconcilable conflict broken by only vesterdav was of interests between capital and 10 out of the 150 direct and in- labour that makes difficulties for direct workers. the working class right across the board - rents, wages,

SOUTH

WALES

steelworkers and through inade- pensions, a 24- decided yesterday to hold schooling, housing and quate protest strike and lobby of hour health care. 14

BSC

headquarters on March plans to make 4,500 men Despite the lying official fig- The decision redundant. was million workers ares denied the right to roers.

over of taken at a meeting mass steelworkers at Ebbw Vale who The new laws now make crimi- are facing a 50 per cent cut in nals out of workers demanding the labour force. or organizing freely in wages unions. MORE than 70 London fire Instead of fighting to remove stations were hit by industrial action yesterday against the the capitalist class from power, he TUC now want workers to Edmonton decision to sack sack an Hayward become permanent corporatist fireman. described by his collenues and appendages of the capitalist sys- tem by serving on their boards.

quiet. unassuming man certainly no militant—was sacked A forthcoming series of by the Chief Officer of the Lon- articles next week will deal in Brigade after he had re- don detail with the ruling class's ceived two adverse probationary attempt to reintroduce corporat- He will now be inter- reports. Britain. viewed on Monday. ist ideas into Unite in action to defend

BIRMINGHAM

SUNDAY

FEBRUARY 25

7 p.m Digbeth Civic Hall Digbeth, Birmingham Speaker: MIKE BANDA ¡sil Central Committee gold was no longer of any sig- nificance in the international monetary system. These people are now discover- ing that gold occupies a central because nas no intrinsic unlike role, paper money which beyond the cost of paper value and ink, gold embodies large amounts of human labour and the universal thus serves as standard of value under capi- talism. • LOOK OUT for ECONOMIC

PERSPECTIVES

tomorrow on pages 5, 6 & 7. ritain's rulers because of the hetween the Tory government itish Industry (CBI) over the So badly hit are British firms by the sharpening condi- tions of trade war and infla- tion that even the mildest of price controls envisaged by the government is filling them with alarm. At the CBI Press confer- ence this week, the dramatic divisions in the ruling class produced some dramatic lan- guage. President Michael Clapham, (ICI), and Lucien Wigaor, deputy director-general, said the CBI 'would fight to the last ditch' to stop firms being "penalized"' It would be 'intolerable' if the voluntary price restraint the CBI introduced for 15 months was not now taken in- to acount in allowing new cost increases to be offset.

The basic CBI position is that no cost increases at all are 'absorbable, " in the gov- ernment's phrase. They must profits, come either out of wages, or go on prices. But if profits are squeezed any fur- ther investment will plunge disastrously yet again. The Tories' real intentions, of course, are to eventually put all of the burden on to wage cuts and make the work- ing class pay for capitalist in- flation. But in the politically- delicate situation of introduc- ing Phase Two, some lip- service has to be paid to price restraint too But the industrialists have their own balance sheets to work out-and many of them are facing bankruptcy. The revolt is on. Things had not gone as far as to whip up a new Peasants' Revolt yet, said Clapham, but the industrialists were belli- gerent. "They require the collabora- industry, Clapham tion of added. 'The government would be ill-advised to antagonize it.'

d basic rights

CASTLEFORD

SUNDAY

FEBRUARY 25

6.30 p.m. Castleford Civic Hall Ferry Bridge Road Speaker C. SLAUGHTER : SLL Contral Committee)