Workers Press no. 1069

workers press

NIXON SCANDAL

and Nixon (above) Dejected Chase dollars piling up in the Manhattan bank vaults (right).

£100,000 PARTY

BUILDING FUND

WE'RE keeping it up. Socialist Labour League branches sent in: Aberdeen £13.75; Castle- Edinburgh ford £8.50; £2.50; Glasgow North £5; Glasgow South £1; Oxford £65.16; Leeds £7.50; East London £15; Croydon £1.60; £5; Camden £5; Brixton Dagenham £50; Battersea {4; Chatham £5; Hull £50; Southwark £5; Holloway £6.15. Our total is now £11,757.72. Post all dona- tions to: Party Building Fund 186a Clapham High Street London SW4 7UG ON October 22 last year, 2,200 at the All Trades delegates Unions Alliance conference in Birmingham voted unanimously to proceed with the transforma- tion of the Socialist Labour League into the revolutionary party. At the beginning or February, published the Workers Press draft political perspectives and programme for the party, sub- mitted by the SLL's Central Committee. On March 11, the greatest day in the history of British Trotsky- ism so far, over 10,000 trade unionists and their families urg

INCORPORATING THE NEWSLETTER • FRIDAY MAY 11, 1973

DAILY ORGAN OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE SO

THE NIXON scandal in the United States may well be endangering the position of the dollar.

Over the past few days there has been a rush to sell dollars for European currencies, particularly marks, which could soon reach panic proportions.

This takes place despite the fact that the US currency has twice been devalued by international agreement in the last 18 months. There are estimated to be $100.000 in circulation outside the United States, and the country's short-term financial liabilities are seven times its external reserves.

BY JOHN

If the President is driven out of office as a result of the reve- recession could be triggered off lations there would be a consti- by talking about the pos- even which Vice- tutional vacuum sible effects that the Nixon affair President Spiro Agnew would be could bring about. too discredited to fill. There is no certainty, then, This could result in a run on that even if Nixon clings to office the dollar internationally which the international economic con- would reduce the world's money sequences can be avoided.

markets to chaos and lead to toall The crisis has produced a deep stock market crash on Street. division in the American ruling Yesterday the gold class. Behind the Washington price in and the 'New York London climbed $93.25 Post Times' to an stand powerful East Coast finan- ounce from the overnight record Nixon who level set Wednesday. Since cial interests want on Monday London share out. prices have fallen by over 20 points.

the 'new Nixon represents So tense situation that of the West Coast, is the money' gen- right. have crowded into the Empire Pool, leaders. left and capitulated to the Wembley, to see the Pageant of completely Behind the Tory state the History which presented pay

AWC

working backs of their members and great struggles of the Communist class in Britain. protected the Party hold dis- This rally was a gathering to- - they secret of the cussions with Heath. aether representatives of will the We all readers to the forces that build urge our join us now in the campaign to revolutionary party. Since then we have launched form the revolutionary party. Workers Continuing our £100.000 Party Building today, Press will the views of Fund publish And in every area the Social. workers from all parts of the League is holding country and all industries on the Ist Labour and meetings conferences to draft programme for the revolu- discuss. amend and improve the tionary party. We urgently ask all our read. on the resolution party. The task is becoming ers to study the resolution and more day. The

TUC

to participate in this discussion. urgent every 11, 1973 • No 1069 • 4p

HE SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE

displaying a similar desire to see the boom brought to

HN SPENCER

end Under their pressure the Brandt government has imposed an 11- erated during inflationary the per-cent tax on investment and boom and intimately linked plans budget cuts which will cer- crime and stock market manipu- tainly widespread generate lation. employment. him Against the entrenched Only a few days before these barons of East Coast finance measures were taken the execu- capital are pressing for an end to tive of the Dresdner manager the artificial - inflationary boom one of the 'big three' Ger- Bank. which is eating into their wealth.

man banks, said he would not be opposed to a recession to 'dam- They are demanding far greater inflation'. economic concessions be extrac- pen The main trend in the world from European capitalism ted definitely economy is now quite than are envisaged in the plan in the direction of deflation and for a new 'Atlantic Charter' put This throws sharp slump. into forward recently by Henry Kis- relief the phoney character of singer on Nixon's behalf.

the talk of boom from the Tory The Treasury statement government and the CBI. Schultz Secretary George that This talk may help to smooth the US will expect to gain more the way for the trade union lead- than it gives at the September ers to enter into class-collabora-

GATT

talks with Common the talk tionist with the Tories, Market and Japan is not enough backed. of course, by the Com- to satisfy this lobby. munist. Party. The big New York banks are But it certainly does not fool already taking action to put the financiers and of investors the City of London. The talk end to the boom by raising their of base lending rate. immediately boom today is nothing more than by* 1 per a façade behind which the most cent but with more substantial rises planned for the deflation and attacks on savage workers' standard of living are near future. The German banks are West being prepared. The Institute of Marxism-Leninism of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1972 issued a compendium extracts. of documents, articles. speeches and resolutions aimed at Trotskyism and distorting discrediting completely the truth about the between Lenin and Trotsky. The book is called 'On relations Trotskyism'. Workers Press will be serializing an extensive reply to this Stalinist attack. The series will commence next week. Be sure to order your copy now. Telephone circulation 01-622 7029.

workers press

NIXON SCANDAL

and Dejected Nixon (above) dollars piling up in the Chase Manhattan bank vaults (right).

£100,000 PARTY

BUILDING FUND

WE'RE

keeping it up. Socialist Labour League branches sent in: Aberdeen £13.75; Castle- ford 28.50; Edinburgh £2.50; Glasgow North £5; Glasgow South £1; Oxford £65.16; Leeds £7.50; East London £15; Croydon £1.60; £5; Camden £5; Brixton Dagenham £50; Battersea {4; Chatham £5; Hull £50; Southwark £5; Holloway £6.15. Our total is now £11,757.72. Post all dona- tions to: Party Building Fund 186a Clapham High Street London SW4 7UG ON October 22 last year, 2,200 at the All Trades delegates conference in Alliance Unions voted unanimously gre Birmingham to proceed with the transforma- tion of the Socialist Labour League into the revolutionary party. At the beginning or February, Workers Press published the draft political perspectives and programme for the party, sub- SLL's Central mitted by the Committee. On March 11, the greatest day in the history of British Trotsky- res ism so far, over 10,000 trade unionists their families urg INCORPORATING THE NEWSLETTER • FRIDAY MAY 11, 1973 • No 1069 • 4p

DAILY ORGAN OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE

SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE

SHAKES

THE

DOLLAR

380,000 4.000 50 $200.00 THE NIXON scandal in the United States may well be endangering the position of the dollar.

Over the past few days there has been a rush to sell dollars for European currencies, particularly marks, which could soon reach panic proportions.

20 S80.000 This takes place despite the fact that the US currency has twice been devalued by international agreement in the last 4,000 5 18 months. 520,00 There are estimated to be $100,000 in circulation otside the United States, and the country's short-term financial liabilities are seven times its external displaying a see sımilar desire to reserves.

BY JOHN SPENCER

Under their pressure the Brand …boom OrOC NE TO If the President is driven out has imposed an government of office as a result of the reve- recession could be triggered off erated during the inflationary ei -ceml Lax onuyestnentana talking about the pos- and intimately linked anons nere woud de a consti- 00m nans budget cuts which will cer tutional which Vice- sıble ettects that the Nixon attair tainly generate widespread un- cune dna slock markel maniou- President Spiro Agnew would be could bring about. lation. employment.

LOO

alscreantea to n. him the There certainty, then, Only a few days before these

ANASE

entrenched 1 his could result in a run on that even if Nixon clings to office barons East Coast finance were taken the measures execu. the dollar internationally which capital are pressing for an end to the Dresdner would reduce the world's money the international econonle Сон- Uve Manasen sequences can be avoided.

Bank, altlilid . imilallonary

DOOI

one of the Dig toree uer marKeTs EO chaos ane ede Wall which is eating into their wealth.

man sed ko said besin d d be market crash on

SUCK

recession to Street. division American ruling They are demanding far greater opposed to a Behind : concessions be extrac- pen Yesterday the gold Innauon price The main trend in the world $93.25 'New York Times" ted from London Post' and the European cim Ded callallsıl now quite definitely economy level fet on odesay. Sinre [tan nower canı ozcan Toan are envser in tae nan and Wednesday. Since cial interests who want Nixon for a new 'Atlantic Charter' Chanry list in the direction of deflation slump. Monday forward recently inrows IntO London silare orices vuL. the phoney oha race Tory have fallen by over 20 points.

Nixon represents 'new singer on Nixon's behalt.

the the talk of boom the from So tense is the situation that money' of the West Coast, gen- The of Treasury statemenı government and the CBI George Schultz Secretary that This talk may help to smooth the US will expect to Join our readers' discussion gain more the way for the trade union lead- the : September Unlall ll ves dl ers to enter into class-collabora- Common taks aitn TonIsI lalk wila Ine ¡ones. Market and Japan is not enough backed, of course, by the Com- to satisfy this lobby Party. munist the Empire Pool, left and right, have crowded into leaders, The big New York banks are it certainly does not fool capitulated completely to the But Pageant see the yemuoic. Behind the already takıng acton to put the nnanciers and investors History presented WiiCh Ine IOrV state laWs base l the bo mate inisiditheir the City of London. The talk of great struggles of the working backs of their members lending is nothing more than immediately boom today by the Communist class in Britain. protected dis- a tacade behind which the they hold secret • Del cent ouT Wild MOrE was a aatherina to- rarl substantial rises planned for the savage deflation and attacks on gether of the representatives cussions near standard of living are forces that will build the We urge all our readers to The West German banks are in the campaign to being prepared. revolutionary party join us now have launched form the Thlet revorutionary al ly our £100,000 Party Bulding Continuing lih ine Workers Tom munist Party arine Sovie Unin ine Central Committee of te Fund Press will publish views Communist issued a Soviet Union compendium all thi And in every area the Social- trom parts of wwincio • ocumens aucs. etects soeecne. anesa atons alme• Labour discrediting Trotskyism and distorting completely the truth about the Lesle solne country ana all maustries on th metings and conferences to draft programme for the revolu.

relations between Lenin and Trotsky. The book called 'On and improve the tonary party. discuss, amend i rotskyism' We urgently ask all our read- resollton une Workers Press will be serializing an extensive reply to this Stalinist The task is becoming more study the resolution ers lo Be sure to order your day. The

TUC

to participate in this discussion.

urgent every anack. ine senes wi commence next week. copy now. Telephone circulation 01-622 7029

Arab leaders plot to sell out Palestinian guerrillas PAGE 2 Workers Press, Friday May 11, 1973 Union claims victory

WHAT WE THINK

at cycle factory Morning Star of

THE

NATIONAL

Society The Raleigh management have agreed Metal Mechanics is claiming a to move the three to a versial area of the and that victory in the three outside the be because InuSL Covers up for the workers at Raleigh's Nottingham one lactory Is willing lo work with them. cycle factory who worked during "The feeling is very high. I think the May I strike. Raleigh winase me tarce out of them—Mrs Dorothy Har- the factory because put their

IWO

they rison and Mrs Betty Holborne-had profits before lost production. refused either to take a day off work Obviously the landscackl pay z5 thev earned une hehind the three concerned. n the The Communist Party's May Day to charity. the two women work see rest here,

TUC

'Morning of would Star Jack Hallam, Nottingham district rest the women not to came the secretarv of the union tod Workers rescue

WORK

WILD

unem ano wanted Press yesterday: outside the factory. Victor Feather, secretary 'As far 'All three have we are concerned at the been the factory is sent who had Coventry. in been given Press-con- omen one LU UlC worked on May 1 has been resolved. ference grilling Wed- speaking 1o them at all.'

on his nesday over secret with Tory a discussion, a kind of an talks My job is Edward Heath. Registrar is too know what is being said In Workers Press we what being thought. listed 13 questions put to Feather and his replies. authoritarian —claim Yet even now, the Stalin- The 'Morning Star' OaLS iste secket tapes endy hot ists seek to the first eight of these may because they concentrated have taken place! Accord- on the secret talks. as union quits

TUC

Ine tne These "said to eight questions leaders are only have taken part in secret pressed Feather to say Heath why he had gone behind talks with

BY WORKERS PRESS REPORTERS

the backs of his members Chequers.' had One of Feather's answers agreed with Heath. The LEADERS of the Institution of is different. very which the out 'In effect,' the IPCS executive says, questions Professional Civil Servants, who that was admission what the Act requires that the the Stalinist paper left out last year persuaded the union's secret talks had been held ot each of the organ- were: dulllorily Chequers register annual conference 1 Relations both at and at and each officer

COT

Why was it necessary, under the Industrial | precisely defined. Q: Downing Street. But the further at a Press conference two Act, have accused the 'Thus, the national for example, , when you were than that. could require veeks ago Registrar of trying to force executIve complied asked if ther were to be adoption of 'authoritarian' rules.

oranches to ronow is instrucoons anol The 'Star' with- reports, could take action if they talks with Heath, for you The accusation comes in a briefing out comment: refused to do SO. to keep ll a secret about document sent out to the two sessions of talks union Olucials The believes that this Feather 'Mr made clear and delegates advance next that had already taken TUC's woule complete v ater me bass yesterday the week's conference in Scarborough. which the union precise centen es. place? acceptance of the invita- Contained the document = 'Any definition says: precise with Heath talks the

IPCS

book comments on rule

FEATHER:

No reason at

TOI

authorities is likelv to create for the of There were no was purpose the Registrar's othce. setting out ties and inflexibility. The choice all, really. between an organization based "the problems of the changes needed to bring the rules really there Covere

ICELIA.

WELC

10 line with the Industrial Relations the economy - the and to ex- negotiations. When I give anil Cursell Act. continuing diss principles voluntary plore basis essenga answer, body-and what is in substance exists for Some of these-particularly relating honest answer. authoritarian organization.'

hnances cussion"! DrODCILY, alic memnershin admissions According to the briefing document, Q: Was it a kind of recep- executive says it would have no prob.

The Stalinists still seek to tion, then? uve unioo as secured followers deceive their lem in complying with. from being registered over the past Bụt It therefore FEATHER: It was a kind into believing that a total the authority union proposes ycal. a reception, a kind of ofcials and committees the position sell-out on the lory state recisualion. air force

LEBANESE

jets struck at Palestine guerrilla positions near the Syrian border again yesterday and sporadic firing and bomb explo- sions took place in Beirut, despite the 'cease- fire'. Many Lebanese army units have been moved from the frontier with Israel into the of the Palestinian area refugee camps. The CUlli- with the Zionists in plicity Tel becoming

AVIV

IN - creasingly obvious. Arab and Palestinian leaders recently Beirut to attempt • ии ненак cen reestnan Envoys from Arab Left to right: Zuhair Mohsen, Foreign Minister Mr Kaddam; coun- a Saika leader; the Syrian the tries were busy trying to find Hafez, has Mr Yassir Arafat, the Palestinian guerrilla leader; the Egyptian represen- allanclu Lebanese raime Minste the cover up the sell- Mr Kholi; and Fatah military commander in Lebanon, Atalla Atalla. a formula to lauve our or the ratestinians walle their continued governments to emit angry noises. The Egyptian deputy rime minister, Abdel Kader Haten reviewed What was situation Lebanon' and reaffirmed Egypt's *total the SuDOOrl

IOI

resistance'. the Voice statement from of Palestine, put by Radio out General kandar Ghance, accused Iskandar head _or the army, of aiming at the

BY OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT

total liquidation of the guerrilla forces. the time of the Israeli com- come from the reactionary ruler though profuse in expression of denial Thatte resume mando attacks on Beirut airport.

Morocco. King Hassan Lner had ever threatened After being removed from his Tacit backing the Leba- has made no to tor of Lebanon the security was post, the broadcast said, he from them. Officials denied that nese government has come have of the secretar issued the US the bureaucracy and Callie all assistall

DUVIC

LOUDS

were massle committee executive the attaché being transmitted on border artillery military until message inrough its the or that Liberation Organiza- made commander-in-chief. ambassador President Beirut, had shelled Lebanese positions. Nachchibi, King Hussein Jordan bourgeois has Suleiman Arab AZImov, governments, the Damascus. he polnted like battalion of shock sent d

LOODS

rrannen. une existence of an imperialist- from his army support the affirmed the interest of the Zionists, want to the Pales- the plot liquidate Lionist Lebanese government against the Soviet Shis region and hoped fit tere Union liberation movement com- movement in well plane- pletely wiped out to ralcoulllialls remove une radio Damascus according to re- be a speedy revolution accused soluton The for Lebanon has also General Ghanem of having been ports from the crisis. Middle East. with the enemy Backing for Lebanon's The collusion neighbour, Syria, revolutionary

THURSDAY MAY 10 1973

pay laws is not taking place. Workers By contrast, Press analysis was: 'At talks in Downing • Britain's econo- Street on mic problems, every last gain of the working class will be betrayed by men who only know how to serve the capitalist sys- tem' We call on the trade union movement-as we have done ever since the talks began-to demand that they be broken off. The Stalinists make no • continue such call and their cover-up for Fea- ther, Scanlon, Jones and company, which has in- tensified since CP dele- gates joined the vote at last September's TUC to permit talks with the Tories to continue. As the Tory attack on workers standards and democratic rights is speeded up, the Stalinists proceed hand in glove with the opportunist trade union leaders in class-col- laboration with Heath. These are the counter- revolutionary theories of 'parliamentary roads to socialism' and 'peaceful co-existence' in practice.

The struggle for a revolu- in the tionary leadership unions can only be taken in- forward through an transigent against fight Stalinism. Palestinian guerrillas and the Lebanese he Lebanese Commander-in-Chief, Gen.

guerrilla leader; the Egyptian represen- role of the Soviet bureaucracy is equally plain. The betrayal carried out in Vietnam at the expense of the Vietnamese workers and peasants is now being repeated. It hopes to cement an accord with the imperialists with the blood of the thousands of Palestine guerrillas slaughtered in Jordan and Lebanon. • See centre pages. Interview situation present among on ary Israelis and Arabs.

Toolroom strike hardening OVER 200 GEC tool- makers in Coventry meet today at the end of their sixth week of strike action. There has been a noticeable hardening of the strikers' attitude in face of the company's refusal to budge on their demands. The toolmakers are insist- ing that a £2.88-a-week offer made by the company be paid to them in monthly in- stalments, starting with a 48p-a-week rise. This would give them a £5.76-a-week in- crease at the end of a year.

Present toolmakers' pay is £47.20 a week, which—even the £2.88 increase was if accepted-would leave GEC toolmakers with rates be- low those paid by other Coventry companies. This disparity is a direct result of the lack of leader- ship in the area. The right- wing dominated engineering union district committee has abandoned the fight to re- tain the Coventry District Toolroom Agreement (TRA).

It was in February 1971 that the Coventry employers' after meetings with the and Department of Employ- and ment Productivity officials, gave three months' notice to the AUEW that it scrapping the 30-year- was old agreement. This guaranteed that all toolmakers and related would have their workers month wages adjusted each to the average earnings of skilled production workers in the district. In this way all toolmakers had the same basic rate, no WORKERS at the BSA- Triumph factory, Meriden, Coventry claim that the firm has embarked on a 'soften- ing-up' process in preparation for the official takeover by Manganese-Bronze. Shop stewards have been given time off, on full pay, to hear pep talks by top manage- ment. On one occasion, it is understood, they were given a meal and drinks in a hotel outside the works. "The essence of the talks,' said one steward, 'was to get us, and through us, the workers, to accept whole changes in timing, to stop piecework earnings rising any higher and to give up other hard-won conditions. BARROW DOCKERS plan a hard fight to keep their job-security though even their employer, the British Transport Docks Board, aims to close down in the port at the end of the year.

The dockers--all 20 of whom are registered under the Dock Labour Scheme--are entitled to continued employment even if there is no work for them.

Since there is no other em- ployer of registered labour in the north Lancashire port, and scheme port within no other daily travelling distance, the men could theoretically count on drawing weekly fall-back pay of £23 a week for the rest of their working lives. average age is 44. The men's Even assuming no increase in the fall-back rate for the next 20 years, this could cost the National Dock Labour Board up to £500,000. certainly be far It would cheaper (£46,000) if the NDLB could persuade the men to take

FROM OUR OWN

CORRESPONDENT

which firm they matter worked for. Coventry district commit- tee called on all 8,000 tool- room rated workers to start overtime ban in June an 1971. This was followed by one-day strikes and by a total strike in November, 1971. The district committee abandoned this strike after only three days. The present GEC strikers moved total strike at the beginning in June 1971. With the scrapping of the TRA, each toolroom had to negotiate wages individually.

Toolmakers who had skilled pieceworkers in the estab- lishment related their earn- ings to their wages by virtue national toolroom agreement of 1940. But firms like GEC at which has Coventry no skilled production workers has no yardstick and since February 1972 workers have fallen behind in wages. This is the background to the present strike. Shortly after the strike started the company quoted DEP officials as saying that payment in monthly incre- outside Phase ments was Two. Strikers' shop stewards same official and saw the claimed he said it was legal.

Shop steward_Bill Napp Workers Press: The told lads are stronger in their fight because of the firm's absolutely inflexible attitude.'

picket, Graham Another said: 'In fact Bliss, this firm's attitude has always been like this. They have never given us any meaning- ful negotiations.'

FROM OUR OWN

CORRESPONDENT

'The management told us that they have introduce these to measures to prevent the , firm folding up. Even if they do get through, there measures still no guarantee that they will keep going.' Some workers are critical of local full time union officials— Frank Chater, divisional or- ganizer of the AUEW, and Nor- man Evans, T&GWU organizer.

When the

BSA-

news Triumph's difficulties were an- nounced, the officials addressed a mass meeting at the works in front of the management offices.

Workers who attended the voluntary severance under the existing scheme, which entitles them only to £2,300. But Martin Hogan, branch secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union at Bar- docks, says: None of us roW would be willing to leave the .

register under Something like the recently- concluded special severance scheme, recommended by the Jones-Aldington report, would be necessary to get them to give up their registration. This would cost the NDLB around £80,000 give each man in the re- and gion of £4,000. Docks The British Transport Board, which will review its closure decision in October only if sufficient traffic materializes to keep the port open, makes out to be blithely unconcerned.

MCCLANE

forkers, atives of ther enre area. arisen meeting claim that Chater told them that if they wanted to keep their jobs they must not 'rock the boat'. They were told they must not strike for at least 12 months and they should accept immediately a reduction in waiting-time pay- ments. BSA-Triumph had been paying pieceworkers, who have highest earnings in the Coventry district, £1.25 an hour for wait- ing time. This was reduced to £l after the meeting, and further attacks are being prepared.

A shop steward alleges that official told one union workers in the presence of the management that in any other company they would not even be paid waiting time but would be sent down the road. by the knotty problem it has thrown up. 'That's a matter for the Na- tional Dock Labour Board', was yesterday's official comment.

But BTDB chiefs-—one of whom, chairman Sir Humphrey Browne, sat the Jones- on Aldington committee-have long been hostile to provisions of the Dock Labour Scheme. And it is likely that the BTDB has created situation the at Barrow will be used to bolster a new propaganda drive for at least a review of the working of the scheme. This could pave the way for a major attack on the statutory job guarantee contained in the scheme, which is already under fire from private port employers and shipowners. Such a develop- ment might not be unwelcome to Browne and his friends.

Workers Press, Friday May 11, 1973 PAGE 3

ATE

WEEK

• STRIKE

PLEASE SNE

Pay Board Yous Hereinio Our Futurerse

JIC/NS

but to Pickets outside the GEC Telecommunica- tions factory in Coventry, where the toolroom workers have been on strike for six weeks.

Left: The Pay Board letter from Mrs J. M.

Collingridge explaining the rejection of the union's pay claim.

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TRANSFORMING THE SOC

INTOA REVOLUTIONARY

Extract from the policy resolution adopted unanimously by 2,200 delegates and visitors at the All Trades Unions Fellow trade unionists, comrades and friends we address you with this urgent call to action: PAGE 4 Workers Press, Friday May 11, 1973 Extract from the policy resolution adopted unani Alliance conference, Birmingham, on October : Fellow trade unionists, comrades and friends we In its place must be elec- THE TORY governme ted Labour government a frontation with the which is pledged by the mass workers are forced to action of the working class to defend their standard implement socialist policies.

We say 'pledged! to socialist cost of living. policies' knowing that the pre- sent leaders of the Labour move- Large sections of the ment have no intention of intro- ducing such policies. Indeed, in answer to their fight tr some of them the last analysis General Strike. That is will be prepared to join a coali- tion government with the Tories conditions which will f to head off the working class.

But if the working. class is strong enough to force the Tories 3) The democratic right to out, it is strong enough to deal strike and to organize in trade with the its own unions. Only the organized midst. This can only be achieved working class can lead man- by exposing them in the fight for kind of the historical out an alternative socialist policy. Every and crisis. right every The Central Committee of the gain won by the working class, League calls Socialist Labour every democratic right in Bri- upon the working class to sup- because has been port the following policies to tain, won class against unite the working of the organized strength of the Tories and the present strike the unions and the Wilson-Feather leadership of the weapon. labour movement: Here is the policy which the A Labour government must next Labour government must immediately repeal the Indus- be forced to carry out. trial Relations Act. This fight must begin now by forcing the 1) A Labour government must TUC to break off all relations immediately repeal the Indus with the government and Relations Act, Housing trial mobilize the working class to Finance Act, Immigration Acts, destroy state control of wages.

Fair Trading Act and all wage control. After the repeal of all 4) The right to defend rights Tory anti-working class won in the past and change sures, there must be legislation the system. All the changes in Charter of to implement the legal procedures made by the Basic Rights, along the follow- Tory government must be re.

ing lines. pealed. All secret police and 2) The right to work! Capital- MI5 organizations must be dis- ism demands mass unemploy- banded and fully exposed.

The ment. The right to a job must of Tory secrets adminis- the be guaranteed. This can only tration in this sphere must be be done by breaking the grip published. All rights to assem- of capitalist ownership on the bly, free speech and the Press Employed and economy. un- must be guaranteed. employed must unite to insist The begin Labour government na- struggle must on a now. No closures, no sackings, tionalizing the main industries must be the policy of the trade and banks, under workers' Occupation of fac- control and without compen- unions. tories threatened with closure, sation. buy food. Holidays are obvi- ously a luxury. 'It is inflation that is at the root of the problem. That is can't get wage rises why we Tories and the taking are away our basic rights. 'But it's not wages, it's pro- Catherine Canham was feed- ing her fits that inflation. 16-month-old baby cause and Spencer made Marks when we arrived to talk to her £70m last Surely the about transforming the League year. Tories could take some money into the revolutionary party.

'Even little tiny babies' shoes off these to stop inflation!

"The Industrial Relations cost £2.50 ' she told me. 'It's husband. It Act affects my ridiculous. With one child you stopped some of his rises this the don't get any help from government, but with today's year. 'We would have liked to prices how people with two move to the larger flat at three children manage or Kidbrook, but we just don't know.' couldn't afford to go at that At 36 Mrs Canham left her rent. Even our rent here went iob as a dress machinist and started a family. Suddenly, the up last October and it's going up again next October. We had cost of living and the housing to pay the increase in Tower shortage became key issues in Hamlets like everyone else. her life. Being a Labour borough. Mrs Canham said: 'Now disappointed there we've got a baby we want a very was no one to help us.' bigger flat. The council offered inflation us a bigger one for £11.50 was not only that pitched Mrs Canham into week. But my husband is Post Office worker and that is politics. father, being a pen- half his income. At that price 'Му sioner, made me revolt a bit.

don't expect you to put they 40 years working for After money in the gas meter or unanimously by 2,200 deleg ober 22, 1972. Is we address you with this u vernment is relentlessly pursuing i 1 the working class. Each day rced to become criminals - unde andard of living against governmen s of these workers openly acknowle fight to maintain a decent standa That is, the creation of the indust h will force the government to resig as part of the fight to bring down the Tories. 5) The right to a higher stan- dard of living. It is not the living standards of trade but the profit sys- unionists, tem, which causes the crisis.

The first step must be to ex- propriate all the great fortunes of the rich, close down the Stock Exchange, place a state control over all movements of capital in and out of the country. Nationalization of the basic industries and of all large com- panies, banks, building and in- surance societies will provide for a unified the resources to improve the living plan standards of the whole people.

Workers' control of these, as well as the present national- ized industries, will run them in the interests of the workers and consumers. Again, the fight must begin State control of wages now. be must be answered by the most widespread fight for wage in- creases to meet price rises and improve standards. This means a fight to remove the Tory government and change the union leadership. 6) The right to health and wel- fare benefits. Every Tory gov- the country he thought he'd get a supplementary pension, but they told him my mother could keep him. That riled me up. I've always been interested in politics. I was brought up with them. My father always supported Labour but he's 70 now and he's disillusioned with them. The Socialist Labour League has given us both new hope. He thought all politicians were the same.

•Most people call the trade union labour leaders and traitors. I think they are scared. I should think anyone who's been left and turned right overnight must have a substantial reason. I think are scared of bringing they true issues out into the open.

They are holding back the revolution. 'What can be done about it? That's the building of the revolutionary party, for the to take power. workers People are complacent. But to me building the party is very urgent. 'My father's told me about Germany where you had to take a sack of marks to buy a loaf of bread. We don't want to let it get like that. 'The more wrong the Tories do, the easier it will be for the party. The time is just right to build a party, be- cause everybody seems to talk politics more than they did.

delegates and visitors at th • this urgent call to action: rsuing its plan for a con- sections of h day new — under. Tory law — to ernment-inspired soaring knowledge that the only standard of living is a e industrial and political to resign. ring ernment cut in welfare bene- fits, in the health service and in all public spending must be revoked. On the basis of nationalization, a crash pro- gramme of expansion of ser- vices to the unemployed, the low-paid, the sick and the aged must be undertaken as an absolute priority. The working class and the Labour govern- ment must take immediate and for absolute responsibility these victims of the capitalist system. 7) The right to decent housing.

Decent housing is not a luxury; it is a necessity. People have the basic right to decent accommodation at rents they can afford. Nationalization of the handful of building mono- polies and building societies will provide the basis for a massive of new programme house building. The disgraceful problem of the homeless in the cities must be immediately solved by census and taking- over of all unoccupied pro- perty. 8) The international respon- sibilities of the working class.

The working class is interna- tional. We fight for the un- restricted right of any worker any nationality to move freely through the world.

Catherine Canham on the revolutionar But to me building the party is very ur!

; at the All Trades Unions Withdraw the troops from Ireland. Unite the Irish and British working class to throw out the Lynch and Heath gov- ernments. Unite in the struggle for the States of Socialist United Europe, the only alternative to the Common Market plans for dictatorship. Withdraw all British troops from abroad and disband the present standing army. Sign treaties with all ex- ne- colonial countries for pro- and grammes of equal trade and ust mutual assistance. Break from NATO and all ro- imperialist alliances.

For the carrying out of such ged policies the SLL fights for the setting up of Councils of Action to lead the struggle against the Tory government and in every area. These Councils for unite trade unionists, tenants, unemployed, all political par- tendencies of ties and the working class (Labour Party, Party, SLL, IS, Communist IMG, etc.) to fight against the main enemy, the Tory govern- ment. The SLL calls upon every socialist and class-conscious worker to consider this pro- gramme and manifesto very carefully, and to decide now to their inescapable re- take up eful sponsibilities. The building of the revolutionary party is the tely burning question now, not in some remote future. The SIL is determined to carry through its transformation into a re- volutionary party. JOIN the Socialist Labour League and help transform it into a revolutionary party.

Central Committee Socialist Labour League volutionary party: 'People are complacent.

Is very urgent.'

CIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE

'Build the Councils of Action' Hugh Gormley (22) is an engi- neering worker at Singer sew- ing machine, Clydebank. He lives in Faifley, an area which strongly resisted the Tory rent Act. I was unemployed the first time I started thinking seriously about politics. As far as I was concerned the whole world was a flop. I couldn't even get a living wage. Eventually I got a job and I looked around at the working conditions and the pay. I thought how could a union have tolerated such a situation for so long-something has to be done about it. I was in the building work- ers' strike. This was important to me. There was a time when the union would not make it official so we went to the office and demanded a change of heart. They did change. It showed me what we could do if the working class was united. : class is But the working still kept back by bad leader- ship. Look at Singer. We get 45p an hour-and this was after the eight-week strike last year. Between the period I first contacted the Socialist Labour League and the time I decided to help build the revolution- ary party, I had a long time to think. A League member contacted me first and told me about the He movement. didn't see me for some time, but when he did he asked me to join, and I said OK-I had decided something had to be done. I did think of the Commu- nist Party, but it seemed to me that the CP had people in the trade union movement but they were not putting any socialist programme forward.

They were mainly concentrat- ing on extending their influ- ence in the trade unions. There was no attempt to bring any political aspects of the work- ing-class fight. As I said, the general con- dition of the working class pushed me on to do something about the situation. I remem- ber when I first got married, we lived down in Glasgow in a single end. There was not even in the room. The any water kid ended up in hospital out of it. Now we're in a council flat.

But there are thousands still living like that in Glasgow. Something is wrong and there comes a point when you have to do something or just go on living as a slave. The time is more ripe than it's ever been. If the miners, for example, had stayed out Workers Press, Friday May 11, 1973

PAGE 5

on strike, they would have brought the government down.

Tories At the very least the would have had declare to their hand and use the troops and the police. Now they are ready to turn The pre- on the working class. Glas- parations are there. In gow the police go round in a van- -they call them the 'untouchables'. they are sup- posed to be there to break up but I think they have gangs, something. more serious on minds. An important job of the revolutionary party is to work out what the Tories are doing working next and warn the class. Now the Tories I think are waiting for the trade union leaders to the working take class into another trap. Then then will attack, we have had will attack. had big stages or fobs and We have struggles. Tents every day againste sires ind every day against prices to feed and clothe our kids.

All these issues are separ- ated the Commist Pa Party Communist the Party- you have. obs aht so onts, ut fight on jobs and so on. they never organize the whole working class together. This is where the revolu- party's idea tionary of Coun- cils of Action come in. I think first thing should be

CLO

build a very powerful y Hugh Gormley: "The working class is still kept back by bad leadership.

council in Clydebank. Above: The building workers' strike of 1972.

In this article Workers Press interviews a leading member of the Israeli Trotskyist organization Vanguard who answers questions about the crisis in the Middle East and the fight to unite Arab and Jewish workers to fight against the common enemy.

FOR THE UNITY OF ARAB AND ISRAELI WORKERS

PAGE 6 Workers Press, Friday: May 11, In this article Workers Press i the crisis in the Middle East a Could you explain the back- ground to the fighting in the Lebanon? What was the role of the Israeli government?

What is the position of the Lebanese working class? September 1970 was the first step in the realization of the Rogers Plan in the Middle East. It was the plan for political and social annihilation of the Palestinian people.

This was organized by the Zionist state in concert with King Hussein. Hussein was able to do it because the treacherous policy of the Palestinian leadership opened the way for him. The leaders of Al Fatah, notably Yassir Arafat, always declared they were not fighting against their 'Brother' Hussein, but only against the Zionist state. Thus the leadership of Fatah did everything to hold back y: May 11, 1973 Press interviews a leading member e East and the fight to unite Arab the Palestinian masses and to the unity of the prevent Palestinian and Jordanian masses, because if such a unity had been put into eitect, it could only have been directed against Hussein. In the massacre of September 1970, 18,000 people were killed.

Throughout this slaughter Israeli troops were standing by ready to intervene on the border in case Hussein found it too difficult. These events showed the complete association between Hussein and Meir-Dayan. Their problem is that the Palestinian peuple are the factor which prevents the Rogers Plan being put into effect. The plan denies any rights to the Palestinians. It does not recognize the rights of the Palestinian refugees to come back. Nor does the plan men- tion the Palestinian lands member of the Israeli Trotskyist org • Arab and Jewish workers to fight: which were usurped by the Zionists. The plan completely ignores recognize the and refuses to 2 million Palestinian people.

This plan was accepted by all the Middle East governments when it was proposed in July 1970—by Nasser, Hussein and the Israelis. September 1970 was the be- ginning of the annihilation of and the Palestinian people. After one month of struggle, Hussein and Arafat made 'peace' and kissed one another in front of Nasser. That was the end of the fighting, but in fact it was only the formal end because Arafat forced the Palestinian troops to give back their arms to the Jordanian forces and over the next 12 months Hus- sein ended the bloody work he had begun in September 1970. ‹yist organization Vanguard who an o fight against the common enemy.

From September 1971 the main centre of the Palestinian struggle moved from Jordan to the Lebanon. The Lebanese would like government to emulate Hussein, but they have a problem; the Lebanon is not Jordan. In the first place the work- ing in Lebanon class organized in trade unions.

These unions are led by Kamal ter Jumblatt of the Progressive Socialist Party, who is a strong supporter of the Palestinians.

The regime in Lebanon is very weak and so President Franijeh could not do directly what Hussein had done. For Franijeh that needed the Israelis. This is why the Israelis invaded the Lebanon last month. of the The assassination three Palestinian Liberation Organization leaders was only the beginning of their work.

who answers questions about Their aim was to prepare the ground for Franijeh to continue the attacks against the Pales- tinians. Their attack in Beirut opened the way for a new massacre of the Palestinians. When the Israeli commandos entered Beirut there was a sudden power cut to assist them.

The police and troops knew they were coming, but they didn't move at all. Four police- men that didn't know what was going on went to investi- gate and they were killed. The Israeli forces could act in Beirut as if they were at home in Tel Aviv. despite the close col- But laboration between Israel and Lebanon, there is not such a widespread massacre as in Jordan because of the strength of the Lebanese workers. day the assassinated The rk. Palestinians were buried, the

ut he ue es- ed cre he ed en ew ley ce- nat ti- 'he in me ol- nd in ted Arab guerrillas on patrol. Top le the He always declared they were n Lebanese masses went into the streets together with the Pales- tinian masses. So the scale of the Lebanese government attack more limited, even if Is lar the Lebanese government has the same perspective as Hussein. The fact that Kamal Jumblatt was the man who brought about the first ceasefire between the commandos and the Lebanese very troops is important. It shows the importance of the working-class movement in the Lebanon. At every stage the Lebanese deal to with bucinatal has its working class. How do you see the situation within the Palestinian libera- tion movement? How can the crisis of leadership in this movement be resolved? There were two main crises in the Palestinian movement after September 1970. The first was inside Fatah itself, the second inside the Popular Democratic Front for the Liberation Palestine, led by Nayef Hawatmeh. the In Fatah crisis began during the September 1970 events. A leader of the Fatah In Amman whose name was Abu Ali Ayad denounced the policy of the Fatah leadership -the policy of refusing to fight against Hussein. He organized an armed militia in Amman with the Palestinian commandos of all the organizations (Fatah, PFLP,

PDFLP,

Saiqa etc.) in a single with workers and organization poor middle class of the town to defend themselves against Hussein. In fact he brought together the Palestinian movement and the Then Jordanian masses. Arafat did all he could to destroy this militia. He even threatened to off Abu cut Ayad's water supply in order to arrive at an agreement with Hussein. Hussein's troops had to leave the town and they came back only at the end of September after the massacre of the soviet in the northern town of Irbid Only then could they destroy the militia of Abu Ali Ayad Abu Ayad himself was cap- tured by the regime and died suffering frightful after tor- tures. It the was on basis of his criticisms of the Arafat leadership Black that the September group originally being. came into Afterwards, Black however, forgot September completely what Abu Ali Ayad had taught them and as we know they completely degenerated in individual terrorism. The other crisis in the Palestinian movement was side Hawatmeh's organization After the massacre some of his asked supporters for political the reckoning on question: what made the mas- sacre possible? Hawatmeh's political position 1970 September just b before Menshevik one in the was a that he said there must sense ol. Top left: Dayan of Israel. Top right: Yassir Arafat, one of the leaders of Al Fatah.

were not fighting against their 'Brother' Hussein, but only against the Zionist state.

Workers Press, be two stages in the Middle East: first the national stage and afterwards a socialist one.

At a Press conference given by Arafat in August 1970, he said: I have differences with my brother Arafat. I am a socialist, he is not. But at this stage differences are completely minor because we are in the nationalist stage.' Hawatmeh became a left cover for Arafat. He under- took a self-criticism after September 1970, but it did not go very deep: the only point he accepted was that there were illusions about Hussein.

He did not make a proper analysis of his own theory and method. King Hussein of Jordan: He agreed to the Rogers plan which denies two million Palestinian people all rights. What is the significance of the recent wave of so-called spy trials in Israel? What do these for the Israeli trials mean workers' movement? The trials raise two main political questions: first the attitude of the Zionist bour- geoisie to the workers' organ- izations in Israel and their attitude towards the working class itself. Forty people are standing trial in these cases which are a police frame-up. The police have made use of some facts to create an illusion of guilt.

What is important is not whether or not some of the • Syria. The • ker accused went to important thing is that they are accused of having wanted to destroy the Zionist state.

This is a political accusation.

At these trials there are no witnesses at all. Like Stalin's trials in the 1930s they are completely based on the de- clarations of the accused people and we know that most of them have been obtained under pressure or torture. Some of the defendants are wanting accused officially of to fight for a proletarian dic- tatorship or of wanting to fight against Zionism or wanting to organize a Marxist-Leninist party in Israel. The aim of these trials is to with in- identify Marxism dividual terrorism. They are accused of having been mem- bers of sabotage networks. It is not considered important that there has never been any sabotage on their part: they are accused of intending to commit sabotage. In the eyes of the state, to want the dictatorship of the proletariat becomes the same thing as sabotage. The objec- tive is to outlaw Marxism and to set a precedent for an attack on the entire working class.

Now the Israeli government must try to stop the move- ment the working class is developing, the movement which began with the dockers' strike of 1969 at Ashdod.

In Israel there is a growing working mobilization of the class because of the attack of the bourgeoisie against the workers' standard of living.

Over the last two and a half years the cost of living has gone up by 40 per cent. Never- theless 18 months ago the Israeli parliament voted for an anti-worker law very similar to that of the Heath govern- ment. In the same period that the first six accused in the trials ers Press, Friday May 11, 1973 PAGE 7 received between ten and 17 years jail, a 'labour court' in Haifa decided that a strike of a metal-working factory was illegal. The court decided that the workers' committee (a sort of • stewards' move- Israeli shop not representative ment) was of the workers. Only the Histadrut (TUC) represented the workers, the court decided.

The Histadrut had already refused, of course, to recognize the strike. We can see here the link between the trials and the attacks on workers' organiza- tions, including the Stalinists.

What is the policy of Vanguard towards the class struggle in Israel? What is the way for- ward for the workers' move- ment? Our intervention • inside the working class is based on the appeal for a General Strike to achieve four principal demands: • I£200 across the board cost- of-living increase. • I£700 minimum wage. • Sliding scale of wages with the level refixed every three months by the workers' com- mittees. • Repeal of the anti-working- class laws. We say that the General Strike must be prepared by a national conference of the workers' committees. In fact such a conference could not raising the avoid question of an independent union in Israel against the Histadrut. This was already clear in 1962 when the first national conference of workers' com- mittees was betrayed by the 'socialist'-Zionist Mapam and the Stalinists. Their slogan was 'Outside of Histadrut nothing can be done. But today the Israeli work- ing class is more and more consciously fighting against the government and also under- standing the essence of the Histadrut as a corporatist semi- state organization. A national conference of workers' committees will rep- resent an enormous step to- wards the liberation of the working class from the grip of the Histadrut. For us the unity of the Jewish and Arab wor- • kers is the essential point.

In fact this question is raised in . every struggle and it is raised more and moré since the last war in 1967. Today in addition to the old 'Israeli' Arabs living within pre-1967 boundaries, there are 60,000 Arabs from the occupied ter- ritories working every day in Israeli factories. In this situation every class inevitably poses the action of unity between question Arab and Jewish workers. Among the Jewish workers this question is conceived at a very low level of consciousness be- cause of the Zionist pressure.

On the other hand, the Jewish workers are more and confronted with the more divisive role of Zionism.

For example, in an engineer- It ing factory 1 spoke with a worker who told me: 'Every time we want to strike they always send planes over Syria then tell us there is a security problem and you have to stop the strike.' The argument security of has increasingly lost its impact.

Among the Palestinian masses, on the other hand, the prob- lem is conceived as a single national problem. The question of the national fight, of returning the land to the refugees been which has taken from them by the Zionist bourgeoisie, will find a real solution only by the means of socialist revolution. But we can't tell the masses Wait for the socialist revolu- tion'. We have to propose to democratic national them means. forward the slogan Palestine to resolve national - democratic problems as the means to make it pos- sible for the workers to pass from democratic consciousness to revolutionary consciousness.

PAGE 8 |

Workers Press, Friday May 11 A series by Bernard Franks Part Ten The development of huge stores, chains of shop branches which ration- alized the exploitation of shop labour in the second half of the 19th century also provided a basis for the rapid rise of class consciousness among shop assistants. Herded together in large numbers for working and living, all aspirations towards eventual shop ownership des- troyed, the shop employees began to discuss and organize against degrading conditions and wages. Many of the Early-Closing Associations in existence from the 1840s were not trade unions but societies backed by employers with a 'per- missive' early closing, leaving the question to the employers to decide. Employers often de- ducted payment from wages towards such associations without the workers' consent.

However, a growing number of shop employees were de- manding compulsory early closing by law and the shop workers' union arose largely for the promotion of this cause. The National Union of Shop Assistants, Warehousemen and Clerks was formed in 1891 at a meeting of delegates from 11 shop assistants' associations and unions. P. C. Hoffman's book men- tioned yesterday gives some examples of early shop organ- of recruiting meetings basements, in held packed living-in quarters and in one case-for girls in a cos- tume department—at a table in the shop 'well hidden by costumes and mantles'. • Union branch meetings had to be held outside shop hours, which often meant meeting from 10 p.m. until midnight.

Action by shopworkers was not always peaceful. In 1890 three shop assistant unionists had been sent to prison for conspiracy after action at a grocer's shop in Harrow Road, London, when mounted police were used against pickets de- manding 4 p.m. Thursday closing. Mass meetings, demonstra- tions and strikes continued into the new century against living-in and for higher wages and legislation to control shop hours. The best the government could do in 1891 about early closing, was to bring in a Bill limiting 'the hours of work women and children in shops to 74 hours a week' In 1909, a Bill was intro- duced which would have fixed maximum 60-hour week, a exclusive of meal times. Mass agitation everywhere by shop workers demanded that the 'exclusive' be replaced word by _'inclusive' In October 1909 a huge de- monstration, with bands and banners marched from the Thames Embankment to Hyde ay May 11, 1973 Park where 10,000 workers were assembled to listen to speakers. The Bill still had not been passed by 19l1 and it was Winston Churchill who effect- ively killed it by moving the deletion of the 60-hour maxi- mum working-week clause. More success was obtained against living-in. Shop after shop retreated before the strikes and picketing through- out the country. Hoffman calls this chapter Living-in Died Out', 'How although it is patently obvious that it was actıvely drıven out by workers' action. In Wales, lightning strikes took place. A meeting at Mer- thyr Tydfil in 1911 drew 2,500 workers. There was strong opposition 'paternalistic' em- from ployers like William Whiteley "The Universal Provider', whose large departmental store in Bayswater, London, claimed to be able to obtain virtually anything for his well-to-do customers. A great believer in discip- line, this despot would exhibit a 'Late list' each day in a glass case. Next to the name of each offender would be his excuse for being late and alongside this would be Whiteley's fatu- , 'Ill- Home, "Clear him 'Lost the train "Yes, and will lose his head too if not careful"? William Whiteley was one of the employers who defen ded 'living-in' as a system for protecting the morals of shop- workers. When Hoffman once told William Whiteley that a union objective was the abolition of living-in, he replied: 'Young man, do you realize the grave moral responsibility that rests upon your shoulders in regard to that matter?'

Hoffman adds: In retro- spect I feel that comment hardly came well from a man who a few months later was shot dead in the dress depart- ment by an illegitimate son...

The 1914-1918 war saw a massive increase in shop work- ers' agitation for pay, union recognition and collective bar- gaining rights. For example, one day, on returning to the London i headquarters, Hoft- man found a queue of workers from Sainsburys and Civil Ser- a vice Supply. They were on strike for more pay and had come to join the union. By 1920 both the Shop Assistants' Union and the Co- op Workers' Union had risen to a membership of 100,000 around 7,000 each in from 1900. This was a period of great advance for all sections of the labour movement; a time when conditions and rights were won which had been savagely repressed for years by the em- ployers and the state. War- shortage of employees time contributed to this strength.

Workers did not just put in wage claims, but entire char- ters of demands on pay, holi- days, hours, overtime, con- ditions of work and collective bargaining, union recognition and the rights of shop stew- ards. For example, in 1915 work- ers at a tobacco chain de- manding a cost-of-living bonus struck work closing 42 shops.

Churchill in 1912. He effectively killed maximum 60 hour week. Above: The commerce in 1902. They won their bonus and also union recognition, the closed- shop and wages paid in full for the duration of the stoppage.

The employees in the whole- sale trades were not to be out- done by those in retail. Ryland's, the At major wholesale drapery house in London at that time, the staff won a 15-per-cent increase in wages and shorter hours, with time-and-a-half for overtime in 1918. In workers Glasgow, at Arthur & Co, Scotland's largest

AKER.

ely killed the Bill whịch gave workers ve: The Strand, a centre of trade and drapery wholesalers, demanded and got three months' wages as a cost-of-living increase.

In 1919, agreement was reached to cover 30,000 work- ers in wholesale textiles.

The movement among whole- sale drug workers in London had begun in 1913 and agree- ments with major companies were won. In March 1916, the union concluded a closed-shop agreement at Boots' Notting- ham warehouses. Many workers' actions are described by Hoffman, includ- ing the powerful movement unionized among company hairdressers (both men's and women's) for improved pay.

The West End salons of 43 London companies were picketed during a seven-week strike in 1919. In 1918 the West End hair- dressers had already won the struggle for shop stewards in every union shop and now the firms were out to break this movement. However, the strike of 270 workers was solid. Blacklegs arriving for work received a hot, sometimes violent, recep- railway stations and tion at were visited at home to dis- courage scabbing. The workers won their demands and recog- nition for the stewards. Other hairdressers' strikes occurred in Belfast, Greenock, Glasgow, and Manchester. Hoffman describes the 1919 strike at the Army & Navy Stores, of Victoria, London, as the largest stoppage in the retail trade the country has ever witnessed. The 4,000 employees struck work for higher pay on Decem- ber 3 and with much popular support stayed solid for month, returning with an in- crease of 35 per cent for work- ers over 21 years of age anc 20 per cent for those under.

The award was announced at a mas meeting of 7,000 shop workers which was held in the Albert Hall. In February 1920, a meeting of drapery • employees at the Queen's Hall elected House Committees for every such firm in the West End of Lon- don.

CONTINUED TOMORROW

PEASANT REBELS OF RUSSIA

BY JACK GALE

'Russian Rebels. 1600-1800' By Avrich. Lane Paul Allen The Penguin Press. £4.50. 309 pages.

The four great rebellions which shook Russia in the 17th and 18th cen- turies were those led by Bolotnikov (1606-1607), Razin (1670-1671), Bula- vin (1707 - 1708) and Pugachev (1773-1774). Each time the revolts spread like wildfire as tens of thousands of peasants and townsfolk, were joined by native tribesmen from the Volga and the Urals only to ruthlessly crushed by government forces as they approached the centres of state power. Bolotnikov was able to command a force of 12,000 men which marched on Mos- cow as two armies. in his Early campaign Razin could muster a Stenka force of 7,000 fighters - and when a government army of was sent to inter- 2,600 men cept him, it arrested its com- to join mander and agreed 'to kill the masters, Razin officials and other ranks of noblemen' At the peak of the move- ment there were hundreds of thousands of insurgents be- Razin, who was to be- hind come a folk-hero. Kondrati Bulavin could lead an army of over 7,000 against the troops of Peter the Great and Emelian Puga- chev threw a similar force against Catherine. These revolts were never aimed against the Tsar but against the nobility. (True, Pugachev claimed that he was rightful Tsar and he the sought to overthrow Cathe- but the institution of rine, Tsarism was not challenged.)

Razin, who claimed Thus to fight 'only • the boyars and wealthy lords', put forward the slogan 'For God and the for the Sovereign Prophet, and the Cossack host' Razin's claim that he But was "come by order of the Great Tsar to put to death all save him, after his defeat, from being tortured by the Tsar Alexis in person and executed 'for betraying the great Sovereign Tsar'. Bulavin's manifesto of 1708 read: 'We have no quarrel L

LES

rotsk! Now available from New Pa 186a Clapham High Street, Pugacher who led a peasant rebellion joy once they hear of my coming'.

with the common people. Our quarrel is only with boyars and those who do in- justice. You barebacks and poor folk, come all of you, come out of your towns, on horse or on foot, naked and bare foot. Come, have no fear.

'There will be horses and guns, clothing and money for We have stood for the you. old faith and the house of the Blessed Virgin, and for for all the you, common people.' Nearly 70 years later Puga- chev declared: I know that the common people will greet me with joy once they hear of my coming.' By LEON TROTSKY Paperback. £1.00 Illustrated Sharp pen-portraits of leading figures of the Second Interna- tional in Russia and Europe, for the first time published an English edition. The translations were first commissioned by the Socialists' 'Keep Young paper Left' Their enormous success has led to the completion of the translation of the whole book, which is the first part of Volume 8 of Leon Trotsky's 'Works' pub- lished in the Soviet Union in 1926. It provides the most vivid picture available of the historic figures of the Second Inter- national, their strengths and weaknesses, written by an obser- ver who was also a participant in the daily struggle of the Euro- pean and Russian working class.

New Park Publications 1 Street, London, SW4 7UG rebellion in 1773-1774. 'I know that the comr In the path of his army, Pugachev issued a flood of proclamations releasing the serfs from their masters and announcing free distribution of salt and exemption from taxes and recruitment. Pugachev's rebellion, being the latest, was also the one to get closest to a developed.

social programme. Pugachev awarded his 'sub- jects': •.. the villages, the heads old cross and prayers, and beards, liberty and free- dom, always to be Cossacks, without recruiting levies, soul or other money taxes, tax with possession of the land, the woods, the hay meadows,

MAY STRIKERS

of The Tory seaside town Morecambe is not exactly a thriving industrial centre.

So the local 'Morecambe Guar- dian' probably felt safe in pro- claiming, in a front page head- May 1 'Strike-Free line on May Day Forecast'. The paper's industrious in- dustrial department had spent a busy afternoon phoning up local firms and getting a wel come 'All Clear' report from each one. But it missed what is prob- ably the area's biggest single Heysham employer the Nuclear Power Station site!

Over 850 building workers there, mainly employed by Taylor Woodrow, did come m out. Workers Press, the common people will greet me with the fishing grounds, the salt lakes, without payment or and we free all those rent, peasants and other folk hitherto oppressed bythe malefactor gentry and the bribe-takers and judges in the from the dues and towns burdens placed upon them.'

proclamation conclu- who hitherto were gentry in their lands and estates, those opponents of our rule and disturbers of the empire and ruiners of the peasants-seize them, punish them, hang them, treat them in the same way as they, hav- ing no Christian feeling, Support for the strike came from electricians on the site some 60 lecturers and and technicians at Lancaster Uni- who

ASTMS

versity, are members. It was the first time sections that the had two taken joint action in the uni- versity.

HEALTHY HEATH

"nature-boy' Edward Has Heath, well-known yachtsman and organ-player, now started making it on the 'macrobiotic scene, fashionable with foods' i co-freaks' and trendy week- end-hippies? Mystified readers now read on: It seems that a publica- tion called 'SEEDS' (the journal of organic living) has been taken to task by one of its keen for sullying readers its pages with a cartoon strip in which a character held up the slogan 'Heath Out' Mr Charles Glover, who makes the complaint, says: 'I met and talked to Mr ers Press, Friday May 11, 1973 PAGE 9 Paul Avrich's book is valuable and informative. However, for a deeper analy- sis of these mainly peasant risings, one must turn to the first of Trotsky's chapter 'History of the Russian Revo- lution' Here Trotsky has this to say of the Pugachey Rebel- 'Fifty years before the lion: great French revolution there developed in Russia a move- ment of the Cossacks, peas- ants and worker-serfs of the Urals, known as the Pugachev Rebellion. 'What was lacking to this menacing popular uprising in it into a order to convert revolution? A Third Estate.

Without the industrial demo- cracy of the cities a peasant war could not develop into a revolution, just as the peasant sects could not rise to the height of a Reformation. "The result of the Puga- just the chev Rebellion was opposite — a strengthening of bureaucratic absolutism as the of the interests guardian of the nobility, a guardian which again justined itself in the hour of danger.' The slow development of Russia meant that the peas- ants in Russia could not play the role which the Third Estates had played in France.

In fact, it was their implac- enemies, the nobility, able which, from the time of Peter sought to Europeanize one Russia. The Dekabrist rising of 1825 was an attempt of the intelligentsia to aristocratic limit the power of the Tsarist autocracy by a military cons- piracy. But this intelligentsia could not turn to the peasants for mass support because their own privileges depended on the continued domination of the peasants. It was a later generation bourgeois and petty-bour- of geois intellectuals who sought to 'go to the peasants'. Lenin had to fight to go be- yond this towards the working In his class. monumental 'Development of Capitalism in Russia', , Lenin showed that it was the working class which was the only class that could lead a revolution. It only behind the was working class, led by the Bol- shevik Party, that the pea- sant masses of Russia could off the yoke of throw oppression. Avrich's book deals with an essential part of Russian his- one which could tory, but only find its culmination with the development of the mod- ern proletariat and the scienti- socialism — fic theory of Marxism — which forges the class into the capitalism throughout the world. Heath briefly in St Malo last and you may be sur- year, prised to know that he is very much in favour of most of SEED's aims, and is start- ing more and more to eat health foods' Has Heath found his own way to beat the beef prices then? Hardly, since the price of raisins and other foods has also been shooting up. Still, we are sure that his including the TUC guests, leaders, will be looking for- ward to the nuts and fruit juice next time they take lunch at Downing Street.

PAGE 10 Workers Press, Friday May 11, 1973

ITV

BBC 1

9.38-11.20 Schools. 12.25 Holi hynt. 9.30 Schools. 12.00 Cartoon. 12.05 12.55 News. 1.00 Pebble Mill at one. Rainbow. 12.25 Happy house. 12.40 Chigley. 1.45 Look, stranger. 2.05 First report. 1.00 Cuckoo in the nest.

International 4.10 Play lawn tennis. 1.30 Crown court. 2.00| General hos- school. 4.35 Jackanory. 4.50 Coal hole Good pital. 2.30 afternoon. 2.50 Rac- club. 5.15 You 5.40 Hec- are ing from Lingfield. The Royal Wind- house. 5.45 News. tor's Weather. Horse Show. 4.20 4.50 sor

NATIONWIDE.

6.00 Lift off with Ayshea. 5.20 I dream of Jeannie. 5.50 News.

6.45 DISNEY

CARNIVAL. Lambert Sheepish the Lion.

6.00 TODAY. 6.35 CROSSROADS.

6.50 TOP OF THE POPS.

7.00

THE SKY'S THE LIMIT.

7.25 STAR TREK. Day of the Dove.

7.30 THE FBI. The Catalyst.

8.15

GOOD

OLD

DAYS.

Charlie Williams Harris, Anita Rod Sheila Mathews,

8.30 WHO DO YOU DO?

Sterling, Platas. 9.00

BETWEEN

THE

WARS.

Now 9.00 NEWS. Weather. There. Lies She The first of

SCOTCH

9.25 ON

THE

ROCKS.

Savid Neville. With Sarah Badel, thriller With Stuart Wilson. in tve Bill Simpson, Maria Aitken, 10.00

NEWS AT TEN.

John Cairney, lain Cuthbert- Clinton son, ureyn, Mature, 10.30

TELEVISION

Luckham

AWARDS

ire, by Maurice Roeves. introduced

SCIO

andradiadys ys Knight Starr Treetle 10.05

TALK-IN

TO

DAY.

Robin and and The Day alks to Ellen Peck, author Pips. 'The Baby Trap'.

11.30 POLICE FIVE.

10.50 NEWS. Weather. 10.55

FILM:

11.40 FILM:

Michael Red- Yvonne Edmond O'Brien, Cameron, David Weather. Albert George novel. Do you get WORKERS PRESS regularly? If not, why not take out a subscription now? £20.28 for 12 months (312 issues) £10.14 for 6 months (156 issues) {5.07 for 3 months (78 issues) If you want to take Workers Press twice a week the rates are: £1.56 for 3 months (24 issues) £6.24 for 12 months (96 issues) Fill in the form below NOW and send to : Circulation Dept., Workers Press, 186a Clapham High St., London SW4 7UG. I would like to take out a subscription to Workers Press.

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186a CLAPHAM HIGH ST, LONDON SWA 7UG.

Name.. Address

TODAY'S TV

BBC 2

11.00-11.25 Play school. 5.25 Open University.

7.05 MISTRESS OF HARDWICK.

The Shrewsbury Scandal. 7.30 NEWS. Weather.

7.35 GARDENERS' WORLD.

8.00 MONEY AT WORK. Where have all the workers gone?

9.00 FILM: 'Four in the Morning'.

Anthony Simmons' film about two Thames-side couples. With Ann Lynn, Brian Phelan, Judi Dench, Norman Rodway, Joe Melia.

10.30 FILM NIGHT.

11.00 NEWS. Weather.

REGIONAL TV

CHANNEL: 9.30-12.00 London.

1.15 St London. 4.25 Flintstones. 1.30 London. 4.50 5.20 Junkin. 5.50 Lon- don. 6.00 News. 6.10 Report. 0.35 8.30 London. Comedians. 9.00 Lon- 11.33 Film: 'Shock'. 12.45 News, don.

WESTWARD.

Channel London. 12.37 Gus Honeybun. 12.58 News. News. 12.45 Epilogue.

SOUTHERN:

9.30 London. News. London. 12.05 2.30 Women London. Weekend. 2.50 4.20 only. Pebbles and bamm bamm. 4.25 4.50 London. Cartoon. 5.20 5.25 Cross- roads. 5.50 London. 6.00 Day by day.

Scene SE. 6.35 Love thy neighbour. 7.05 7.35 Columbo. Sky's the limit. 9.00 London. 11.30 Weekend. 11.35 Avengers. 12.25 News. 12.25 Weather. Epilogue. HARLECH: 9.30 London. 2.30_Women London. Rainbow only. 2.50 4.25 country. 4.50 London. 5.20 Chuckle- heads. 5.25 Crossroads. 5.50 London. 6.01 Report West. 6.18 Report Wales.

6.35 Doctor in charge. 7.05 Film: • Among Vultures'. 9.00 London. 11.30 Profile. 12.00 Our kid. 12.30 Weather.

HTV Cymru/Wales as above except: 4.25-4.50 Stesion cantamil. 6.01-6.18 Y dydd. 11.30-12.00 Outlook. HTV West as above except: 6.18-6.35 Report West. ATY MIDLANDS: 9.30 London Forest London. Guide. rangers. 4.50 London. 5.20 Flintstones. 5.50 London. 6.00 Today. 6.35 London.

7.30 Comedians. 8.00 Hawaii five-o. 9.00 "The London. 11.30 Film: Stranglers of Bombay'. Weather.

ULSTER:

11.00 London. 1.33 News. 2.40 Romper room. 2.55 1.40 Schools. 4.25 London. News. 4.27 Rainbow 4.50 London. 5.20 General country. hospital. 5.50 London. 6.00 Reports. 6.35 London. 7.30 Longstreet. 8.30 Comedians. 9.00 London. 11.30 Spectrum. 12.00 Partners.

YORKSHIRE: 9.30 London. 4.25 Flint- stones. 4.50 London. 5.20 Me and the chimp. ( 5.50 London. 6.00 Calendar. Weather. 6.35 London. 7.30 Who do you do? 8.00 Cade's county. 9.00 London. 11.30 Film: The Patient Vanishes'. 12.50 Weather.

PORTSMOUTH: Friday May 11, 8 Road. Forest all General Fratton Portsmouth. strike to force the Tories to re- sign'. CRAWLEY: Monday May 14, p.m. Council for Social Service Hall, Station Road. 'Stalinism and to defend demo- Struggle cratic rights' EAST LONDON: Monday May 14, 8 p.m. Bromley Public Hall, Bow Road, E3. WANDSWORTH: Monday May 14, 8 p.m. Kings Arms, High Street, SW18. WATFORD: Monday May 14, 8 p.m. Watford Trade Union Hall, near Watford Junction Station.

'Stalinism and the struggle to defend democratic rights.

CAMDEN: Tuesday May p.m. 'Prince Albert', Whartedale 'Force the Road, Kings Cross. TUC to break off talks with the Tories'. PADDINGTON: Tuesday May 15, 8 p.m. Prince of Wales, cnr Harrow Road/Great Western Road. 'The trades unions and the Tory government'. TOOTING: Tuesday May 15, 8 Tooting Tooting Baths, p.m. Broadway, SW17. 'Build the Revolutionary Party! GRANADA: 9.30 London. 12.00 Songs.

12.05 London. 4.25 Joe 4.50 Lon- don. 5.15 Dick Van Dyke. 5.50 Lon- don. 6.00 Sky's the limit. 6.50 Film: 'Victim Five' 8.30 Comedians. 9.00 London. 11.30 Film: Kick off. 11.55 'Lonelyhearts'.

TYNE

• TEES: 9.25

Yours faithfully. 9.30 London. 2.30 News. Yoga. 2.31 2.50 London. 4.25 Woobinda. 4.50 London. Pebbles Bamm 5.20 and Bamm. 5.45 Cartoon. 5.50 London. 6.00 Today. 6.35 London. 7.30 Who do you do? 8.00 Hawaii five-o. 9.00 London. 11.30 In search of Dracula. 12.25 News. 12.30 Lectern. SLOUGH: Wednesday May 16, 8 p.m. Community Centre, Farn- ham Road. 'Forward to the Revolutionary Party.' SOUTHALL: Wednesday May 16, 8 p.m. Southall Library, Osterley Road. 'Stalinism Park and the struggle to defend democratic rights.'

WALTHAMSTOW:

Wednesday May 16, 8 p.m. 'The Crooked Billet, North Circular Road. 'Force the Tories to resign.'

WEMBLEY: Wednesday May 16, 8 p.m. Copland School, High 'Stalinism and the struggle Road. to defend democratic rights.

WOOLWICH: Wednesday May 16, 8 p.m. The Castle, Powis Street, SE18. 'Stalinism and the struggle to defend democratic rights.

SWANSEA: Thursday. May 17,

YMCA.

'Defend wor- 7.30 p.m. kers' basic rights. General Strike to Force the Tories to resign.'

BASILDON: Thursday May 17, 8 Barnstaple Community p.m. Centre. 'Stalinism and the strug- to defend gle democratic rights.' CROYDON: Thursday May 17, 8 Ruskin House, ting p.m. Coombe Road, Croydon. 'Forward to the Revolutionary Party.' • No it's not Ulster. It's a Scottish nationalist attempt at an armed Eng- breakaway from land in BBC 1's new series with the rather 'Scotch facetious title on the Rocks'. Left: Sarah Badel and Stuart Wilson are in a new the Wars' 'Between series for Independent channels. line. 2.50 London. Londol Today. the professor. Crossroads. 5.50 London. 6.00 6.30 Who do you do? 7.00 London. 8.30 Comedians. 9.00 London. 10.30 Conservative report. 11.00 Late call. 11.05 | Film: 'The Comedy Man'.

GRAMPIAN:

10.58 London. 1.38 Schools. 2.52 News. 3.00 London. 4.25 Merrie melodies. 4.50 London. 5.20 General hospital. 5.50 London. 6.00 News. 6.10 6.35 London. Protectors. Diamond Wizard'. Film: "The 7.00 8.30 Comedians. 9.00 London. 10.30 Ci.no renm: Hysteria'!|.00 Conference Job look. report. FELTHAM: Thursday May 17, 8 Shoes, Felt- p.m. 'Three Horse ham High Street. 'Stalinism and to defend demo- struggle 5, 8 cratic rights.' arn- ACTON: Monday May 21, 8 p.m.

the 'Six Bells: TUČ to break off High Street, 'Force the talks with the Tories'. LEWISHAM: Monday May 21, 8 p.m. Deptford Engineers Club, 'Stalinism and New Cross Road. the struggle to defend demo- cratic rights'. BATTERSEA: Tuesday May 22, 8 p.m. 'Nags Head', cnr Wands- worth Road/North Street. The economic crisis and the rising cost of living'. DAGENHAM: Tuesday May 22, 8 p.m. Barking Co-op Hall, Fan- shawe Avenue. 'The inflationary crisis and the rising cost of liv- ing' TOTTENHAM: Tuesday May 22, 8 p.m. 'Bricklayers • Arms' , High 17, Road, nr White Hart Lane HACKNEY: Wednesday May 23, 8 p.m. Parlour Room, Central Hall, Mare Street. 'Build the Revolutionary Party' LUTON: Tue:day May 24, 8 p.m.

Recreation Bedford centre, Old Road. 'Force the TUC to break off talks with the Tories' ABINGDON: Tuesday May 22, 8 p.m. Above New Top Taxis, Ock Street. 'Stalinism and the strug- gle to defend democratic rights.'

Right: Stalinist Sam Barr, who methods into the Scotstoun yard. Belo during the infamous 'work-in'.

WAIT

OR

WORE

BY JACK GALE

THE FRAUD perpe. trated by the Communist Party • dominated shop co-ordinating stewards' committee at the four Upper Clyde Ship- exposed more and more clearly. The repeated warnings in Workers Press that the Stalinist tactic of working for the liquidator rather than Of 2,500 hourly-paid workers fighting to safeguard jobs by 2 Clydebank, mobilizing the working class only 1,300 al kave been taken on at Marathon to bring down the Tory gov- oil rigs. have been ernment, now 3 The 350 workers finishing off proved correct. ships for the liquidator have The Stalinists and the union no guarantee of further employ- leaders have tied the former UCS they ment unless are permitted conditions men to in to retrain as boilermakers.

which basic trade rights have been jeopardized. This if 4 retraining, allowed, This is the picture facing these plus the four-year no-strike men today: contract at Marathon will be 4,000 former UCS 1 workers used undermine the position will get no redundancy pay.

of boilermen existing and

STEELWORKERS

sacked from the Belfast shipyard of Harland and Wolff will stage a protest demonstration outside the company offices this morning before holding a mass meet- ing on their lengthy bonus dispute.

Officials of the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions will meet management to review the progress of a joint working party, set up to consider ways of avoiding lay-offs among the 10.000 other workers In the yards. But the men are sticking fast Harland's agreement to set up to their demand that the old the working party indicates the claim is settled before any talks deep anxiety with which the dis- on a fresh deal take place.

pute is now viewed both by the company and the Tory 'The Times', expressing of their fears, commented yester- IRAN BACKED Pakistan with day that to put several thou- sand men out of a job and onto valuable assistance during the the streets must itself present an 1965 wars with India in and added security risk'. 1971, revealed President Zul- The paper's worry is that the fiqar Ali Bhutto on the eve Tories' which sparked of the steelwors state. control laws, of his state visit to the Shah.

Essential supplies such as oil ers struggle, may forge a link reached Pakistan through Iran between the class action of these predominantly Protestant, when Karachi blockaded. The Iranian air foras loyal- workers and the national struggle for withdrawal of troops assisted with air reconnaissance The civil air fleet took and self-determination. at sea. shelter on Iranian airfields and The dispute began when the flew in supplies from other yard's 2,300 giant. steelworkers, friendly countries. of the Amalgamated members Society of Boilermakers, banned Bhutto has chosen this moment imposed to reveal the of Iranian overtime and other extent work sanctions in protest against aid to still criticisms of his visit the blocking of bonus payments following remarks made by the Shah in under Phase Two of the an interview with the pay 'New York Times'. He told laws. the paper that he would take 'pro- Shipyard earnings in Belfast • reaction' tective in are already between £6 and £8 the event of a Baluchistan in lower than those Tyne the on break-up of Pakistan. and the upper Clyde, and since leaders the bonus deal in fact dates from Opposition demanded 1971, the steelworkers were that Bhutto should his cancel understandably angry. visit and of them, Khan one Abdul Wali Khan, demanded that Harland's eventually retaliated the National Assembly should be by sacking all the men, after un- summoned to discuss successful attempts by ASB pre- what he termed an intervention in Paki- sident Danny McGarvey to force stan's internal affairs. them back to normal working.

It has since offered new wage In the statement by Information Minister Kausar Niazi, negotiations. giving has introduced time-and-motion yard. Below: Some of the shipyard men Uves

HENT SU50

→ C S

YOUNG SOCIALISTS

SAy

CJT

GENERAL

ESTRIKE-

TORIES

OUT.

drive for more motion study behalf of alecerne which involves wir. the productivity. management 5 Productivity Govan ers umule ouner workers. Shipyard is to be 8 Wage rises, alternatively oven 120 per cent by the introduction bonus which rises. WOlKer speed-up working thought promised the were practices. original agreement and due in April, have refused. 6 At the Govan and Linthouse divisions of the newly-formed Management demanding Govan Shipbullders, time-and- co-operation in further pro- studies are almost monon ductivity deals. CUllt- pleted. 10 No pay claim can be lodged 7 At the division, before September and there tellainllg Scotstoun, Stalinist steward is no guarantee that anything will Sam Barr has organized time-and- be lortacomlng laen. Emergency motion is critical of ASTMS leaders

THE

EDINBURGH

general branch of the Association of Scientific, Technical and Man- agerial Staffs has unanimously endorsed the following motion: consistenty displayed on a num- ber of major issues affecting the now been put forward membership since the lory as an emergency to the motion crunent came Lo power. Fifth Conference Annual particulat NEC in relation In ASTMS this weekend. the DOSITIOn adopted by the This conterence severely cen- to the question legislation sures the National Executive under the Industrial Kelations Louncıl with regard to the weak ACL ooor tor me naustrıa!

and hesitant leadership it has action taken against the recet tly 1971, and me May March the decision OnDe govern- Strike against the lory ment in ndecisive way constituted firm and lead being details of Iranian aid, the Shah's remarks given to te membersnip on tese weic ucsenoca asunost occasions. would-be à triena, not or a adversary or an adventurer.

ands cont in fut the ehe Nde Hitherto the Pakistan mands that future the govern- ment has evidently felt that exercises tunction, Dropel full extent is that of providing the vakaden une the aidy ree ee fon the leadership required by mem- actionary Shah bers of this regime trade union in the weich un y would be grist to the mill of its opponents at home and abroad.

doubtedly lie ahead. All Trades Unions Alliance

DOCKERS' MEETING

LIVERPOOL

vo supplementary registers.

Defend the dock labour scheme!

Force the Tories to resign!

A Labour government must nationalize the docks and transport industries under workers' control SUNDAY MAY 13, 7.30 p.m. Mona Hotel James Street (near tube station) rs Press, Friday May 11, 1973

PAGE 11

SOCIALIST LABOUR

LEAGUE LECTURES

Given by Gerry Healy, National Secretary of the Socialist Labour League Wednesday May 16 Dialectical Materialism— a Marxist theory of knowledge Wednesday May 23 Theory and Practice of Marxism Wednesday May 30 Role of the revolutionary party at St David's Church Hall, Church Street, Merthyr 7.30 p.m. Jarrow Given by Cliff Slaughter SLL Central Committee member Civic Hall, Jarrow 7.30 p.m. Mondays May 14 and 21 The Socialist Revolution in Britain : 2. The roots of capitalist crisis: Marxism and the contradictions of capitalism. Britain and the world crisis. 3. The state and revolution. in Reformism and revolution Britain. The fight for democratic rights today means preparing for working-class power. Basic reading : Perspectives for transforming the SLL into a revolutionary party: Marxist Analysis of the Crisis.

Problems of the British Revolu- tion (Trotsky). Death Agony of Capitalism and the Tasks of the Fourth Inter- national, Communist Manifesto.

All Trades Unions Alliance meetings

TEACHERS' MEETING

The way forward after the NUT conference Thursday, May 24, 7.30 p.m.

Conway Small Hall. Red Lion Square, Holborn (admission 10p)

HOSPITAL WORKERS'

MEETING

Hospital workers and the fight against the Tory government Tuesday May 29, 7.30 p.m.

Norfolk Room Caxton Hall, Caxton Street, London SW1 (admission 10p)

BUILDING WORKERS'

MEETING

TUC must break off talks with Tories! Build revolutionary party!

Wednesday, May 30, 7.30 p.m. Tudor Room Caxton Hall. Caxton Street, London SW1 (admission 10p)

POSTAL WORKERS'

MEETING

Break off secret talks with the Tories! Force the Tories to resign!

Sunday, June 3, 10.30 a.m.

Conway Small Hall, Rea Lion Square, Holborn (admission 10p) Registered as a newspaper at the Post Office. Workers Published by Press, 186a Clapham High Street, SW4 LonGon, Printed Plough 01-720 2000. Circulation: Newsdesk: 01-622 7029.

PANIC NIXON

Feather cynically steps into

PAGE 12

Workers Press, Friday May 11, 1973

DEAN

PAPERS

Above: The Pentagon Papers defendants Ellsberg (1) and Anthony Russo.

Right: John Dean whose papers are in a bank vault. Nixon is seen manoeuvring

PRESIDENT

NIXON

the past 48 hours demonstrate to take the burden of the scan- the way this is happening.

on shoulder.

•WIN

and his aides are doing signing letter resignation saking all the Nixon has ordered the ustice inges in fear of his like, He has said their utmost to sweep Department to exert every effort to regain nine compromising ne the Watergate affair The revelation directly documents bank other deposited with Nixon is said to have under the carpet safe by the sacked White House implicating counsel John Dean appalled his the aid of a section of the supporlers. Not only does the undignified Elliot Richardson, the attorney- designate, and Henry media and the remains of the general reall official imply Nixon's guilt, but in the Peterson. charge

LAC

his administration. epoch of Xerox machine it prosecution Pentagon the Papers and Watergate inconceivable that only But each time he strikes out UliC They have revealed that while docu- co• or lie his tormentors, against ments should be at large.

Nixon sinks a little deeper into the Dean himself has television speech to nation already re- Two deve- he was still trying morass ol scanaal. the pressures put days vealed Some ol asu to suppress the information that lopments in the scandal over upon him at the White House Lace men Ford unions pass the pay buck defend steward

BY OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT

TRADE

UNION

leaders passed action and instead to call a meet-

FROM OUR OWN

the buck on the Ford pay ing o1s- workers representallves. pute ute yesterday both the shop stewards etc., next Tuesday.

CORRESPONDENT

when

G&MWU

and the de The feel the was that cided hold conterences OVER 40 workers at the twin

SHOUTO

drOw men's representatives next week sentatives to express themse ves reach final decision about lace factories -E. Jaffe and We want We good will of de med to ship.

what decided to have waemer suIke Malmic Lace—in New Basford, the Phase Two offer of We are asking

OUT

reoresenta a week. Nottingham, have been on tives to test the feelings of Ford said the Jack Finance quickly as possible. tones Friday over strike since last WUiNCIs as and General Purposes Commit- had been unanimous in The G&MWU will hold a dele- the sacking of a union member gate conference at Dagenham on Ford who took part in the May Day negotiators' call for official strike Wednesdav. Tory the stoppage, against government's pay laws. They walked when Mr Mohammed Sawar (32), a member the Transport wencial Workers' Union and shift was told had got the he sack.

BY DAVID MAUDE OUR LABOUR CORRESPONDENT

Said Mr Sawar: 'I was sacked because I went on strike on May Day. I was asked not to stri VICTOR FEATHER, TUC general secretary, yester- but I am union man day stepped into the row over whether civil servants is well strike then going all yule will withhold pension and Social Security increases • Sulifiqua stewards — Mr Two due October 1 in order to press their own pay claim.

Ali Mr Mustarg Hussian- and representing the mainly Pakistani He told the Civil and Public Services Association conterence: work force, warned THe mocke 'Find some other way to express your anger and frustration.'

ment that the men will not return until Mr Sawar is reinstated.

Feather said the decision to withhold the increases, taken by a Said Mr Hussian: 'We have narrow, 17-vote majority at the conference on Monday, was 'out been exploited long. enough. We of character with you as individuals, out of character with the will return until we have a unions and out of character with the trade union movement'.

recognized union to back us.

and his But it wastedlie Young Socialists Students Society cronies on the

TUC

General are responsible for Council who the any Irustanon over pay we CPSA's ranks.

CONFERENCE

When asked for the union 'co-ordinated action Tory of its fight against the pay 5 s, as promised by the March

TUC

the special Congress, and General minance runooses Committee refused the phoney grounds the civil Supplementary cash grants now!

service unions were not themselves Fight rising prices! united. Defend the right to higher education!

Hence last Monday's decision, Forward to the revolutionary party!

which was taken because, in the 'We words of left with nothing else heht nave SATURDAY MAY 12, 2 p.m.—10 p.m.

Calland said before Fea- Mr Lecture Theatre A, ground floor ther's speech yesterday that 'after Mechanical Engineering Department much heart-searching' he had de-

IMPERIAL COLLEGE, LONDON

recommend cided to SAlS branch that the of its be motion should not cutical! implemented. White House aides had burgled the offices of the psychiatrist to chief Pentagon Papers defendant Daniel Ellsberg. The trial judge was due to rule yesterday on a defence motion for the charges to be quashed.

In view of the wholesale mal- practice and political interference he has little option but to free the two defendants. This will be a severe blow to Nixon, for his tattered prestige has become deeply involved in the case and if it is thrown out it will be tantamount to accus- ing the president of rigging the trial.

BY ROYSTON

THE MINERS' union is to call sh a special executive meeting to G discuss the implications of a £69m loss which the National Coal Board expects to make this financial year. 'We fear we may be faced with the same type of heavy that closure programme Joe Gormley, NUM president.

The EC turned down a York- Victor Feather And Bill Kendall, CPSA gen- eral secretary, said the union exe- cutive would be meeting next Thursday to reconsider the 1 am motion. confident that, whatever happens, the pension- ers will not suffer at all', he said.

MAY FUND

NOW STANDS

STEP UP

FIGHT TODAY

IT IS slowly moving forward.

I am sure if we make a big effort now, we could give our Fund a boost and nearer to reaching our £1,750 target. • We must do everything to keep Workers Press out in front. As the crisis of the capitalist system gets worse, political situation major faces us. Today the price of gold remains at an all-time high. The Watergate affair can only lead to an even greater loss of confidence in the In dollar. this situation we must prepare for even harsher attacks to be launched against the working class. Only Workers Press warns of the dangers ahead. So don't sit back in any way.

Help us raise all you can for our May Fund. Give an extra amount where possible. Post donations imme- your diately to: Workers Press May Appeal Fund 186a Clapham High Street London, SW4 7UG

ROYSTON BULL

shire request that the area Board's decision to close Gomersal pit should be appealed.

A Yorkshire motion for strike action to prevent the closure of the St John's pit, Normanton, by the withdrawn was area without discussion. • In Newcastle upon Tyne, miner who was James Sim, a dismissed by the NCB after his mates refused to work with him, was declared unfairly dis- missed by an industrial tribunal and awarded £120 compensation.

MERSEYSIDE'S

7,500 dockers will be asked Sunday to on accept recruitment to a "casual', supplementary register. The recommendation to accept will come from the port shop stewards' committee, which took this decision under threat that shortage of labour could lead to to big trade loss. Tory Ministers are firmly com- mitted to stopping any recruit- ment to the permanent register of dockers-cut from 41,000 to 34,000 by the Jones-Aldington scheme introduced last Septem- ber. All Trades Unions Alliance Meeting What next after the miners' ballot ? The fight against the Tory government

CASTLEFORD

Thursday May 17, 8 p.m. Sagar Street Rooms Speaker: G. Healy (SLL national secretary)