ACTION SHELVED UNTIL EVE OF PHASE TWO THE TUC ABANDONS HOSPITAL WORKERS

LEADERS the TUC have the hospital workers' strike. take urgent action in their support.

Already ten days have passed since the Special Congress emergency resolution to 'organize and lead co-ordinated action' in support of unions fighting the pay laws was carried.

The latest hammer blow to the hospital workers hopes came with yesterday's TUC Economic Committee decision to defer acting on this resolution so that a report can be submitted to a Finance and General Purposes Committee meeting next week.

This scandalous time-wasting will go on until the General Council meeting of March 28 without a finger being lifted to help the hospital workers, civil servants, or anyone else. It means that the men and women on the picket lines will have had to battle it out for a further three and a half weeks in complete isolation since the opinion of the trade union movement about giving support.

It also means that the issue will be shelved until just before Phase Two becomes law. At that point, the hospital workers will not only have their own union leaders to fight, but also the full force of the state legislation as well, including criminal proceedings, fines and imprisonment.

This is a record of downright treachery, a deliberate betrayal of the wishes of the working class by its leaders.

Where does the left-talking engineering union president Hugh Scanlon stand on this crucial issue?

In words, he correctly states that if the hospital and gasworkers are allowed to go down to defeat, it would mean 'the end of trade unionism as we know it' But in deeds, he takes part in the disgraceful charade being acted out at Congress House.

In the case of the hospital and gasworkers, a defeat for one will, in truth, mean a defeat for all.

The Tories will go on a rampage of wage-cutting if they can drive these workers back without paying them a penny piece more. At the same time, price inflation gets completely out of hand. (See prices story right).

And if they break these strikes successfully they will be encouraged to introduce even more ruthless methods to break the next strikes that come along.

The present campign of threats to victimize strikers, the police disruption of picket lines and the propaganda war in the Press will be replaced by full-scale intimidation, organized strikeconsciously invi Yesterday they Special Congress voiced the Congress voiced breaking and military repression.

The time to defeat the Tory corporatist plans is now, while the government is still hesitant and divided. If the unions wait until the right wing has the bit between its teeth and has shown some real steel, it will be that much harder a task.

TUC secretary Victor Feather has promised 'urgent action' once a decision is finally reached, but explains that this takes time.

If he had spent the last few weeks on a hospital picket line, he would quickly get the message of the need to take urgent decisions too.

He has no time for emergency meetings, apparently, but plenty of time to go to businessmen's lunches.

On Tuesday he treated himself to the City men's 'Comment Club' lunch, enjoying the wine, cigars, and pleasant chat with enemies of socialism.

The truth is that Feather wants to hold up any developments in the workers' movement that might lead to a General Strike situation.

That is the reason for the delays in solidarity action or any decision on the one-day stoppage, also postponed till next week.

Feather is a reformist, a believer in the 'mixed economy' system-an agent of the status quo. And when this requires wage restraint, Feather is a willing collaborator.

He is determined to disrupt the fight against state wage controls.

If the working class is to avoid bearing the crushing burden of capitalism's uncontrollable inflation, it must take political action to defeat the Tory government by forcing its resignation through the General Strike.

Tori! erately Prices free to crash Phase Two MASSIVE increases in food prices are on the way and the government has admitted it will do nothing to stop them.

A warning that eggs will cost 50p a dozen by autumn has been issued by Co-op chief Gordon Lounsbach and United Biscuits, the cake and biscuit monopoly, will pui up its prices by 5 per cent in July or August.

These latest signs of the soaring cost of living come on top • of figures in 'The Grocer' magazine.

These show food prices are now rising by an incredible rate of 28 per cent a year-that is 24 per cent more than wage inEbbw Vale workers storm steel HQ - see page 12 ONT VANT creases allowed Tories' Phase Two state pay laws.

The truth about Tory policy was revealed late on Tuesday night in the House of Lords. Government spokesman, the Earl of Gowrie, turned down an amendment requiring all price increases to be reported to the Price Commission before they occurred.

Gowrie said that this system would be impossible to handle. Instead firms are to be allowed a free hand with increases.

If investigations are made, they will come much later-this privilege is not extended to hard-pressed workers fighting for decent wages.

first in the next of increases which follow record wholesale prices are likely to be eggs.

They are expected to increase immediately in price by 2p to 30p to 32p a dozen in the shops. But by November prices could have rocketed to 50p. Shortages are blamed for the increases.

Prices of the most po. pular brands of biscuits

KILL

OURTowN, will also rise. United Biscuits, producer of McVitie's, Crawford's and Macfarlane's ranges, has applied for a second 5 per cent increase this year.

On Monday 50 per cent of UB's products were increased in price and the combine, which controls 60 per cent of the UK biscuit market, wants the other 50 per cent increased in June or July plus more increases on the ones already adjusted upwards.

UB's total profits for 1972 increased by {2.8m to a new record of £21m. Shareholders will pocket an 11.2-per-cent dividend compared with 10.67 per cent for 1971.