THE ROAD TO ANTI-COMMUNISM. PART 3

After World War I, Jack Tanner worked as an engineer on the London 'Evening Standard'. Despite his presence at the Second Congress of the Communist International—to get there he worked his passage to Helsinki and • then stowed away on a cargo boat for ten days - and despite chairing the Unity Congress of 1921, which brought together the different bodies that formed the British Communist Party, Tanner never actually joined.

He was, however, a 'left' in the engineers' union. At the 1926 TUC he called for the right of unions to affiliate to the Red International of Labour Unions and he attacked the General Council for not presenting a full report of its treacherous role in selling-out the General Strike.

He questioned the leadership's failure to prepare for the strike, its unwillingness to support the miners, its assumption that nothing could be won and its failure even to win a no-victimization pledge from the employers.

The rank and file, he told Congress, were accusing General Council of being traitors, cowards and weak fools, who had sold out the miners.

'While the General Council says that it was not attempting to challenge the constitution or the government,' said Tanner, 'we know perfectly well that the government was challenging the whole of the trade unions of this country.' In September, 1929, Tanner published a Minority Movement pamphlet called 'The Engineers' Struggle'. The views expressed in this are in startling contrast to the line he pushed when he became President of the Amalgamated Engineering Union.

"The post-war period' he wrote, 'is one of increased production and extensive exploitation owing to the introduction of various sinister forms of payment-by-results.' Under this system, he continued 'men and women cease to be human and become trained animals, tearing, racing and sweating in order to keep the time on a job.' In what could have been a descfiption of his own future role, Tanner declared: 'The policy of the leaders of the engineering unions is one of co-operation with the employers. Under such a policy there is little hope for the workers improving or even maintaining their present standard.

'The intensive struggle for markets forces British capitalism to rationalize its industries. The policy of the trade union movement, as expressed through the General Council, is one of active co-operation with the capitalist class: to assist that class in its rationalization methods, and in maintaining capitalism which means starvation conditions, more unemployment, hunger and misery for millions of the working class, and eventually All this, said Tanner, was the inevitable outcome of 'the reformist policy of co-operation with capitalism' That same year Tanner became chairman of the London district committee of the AEU and in 1930 he became fulltime London organizer.

In 1939 he succeeded Little as President of union. He was still at that time regarded as a 'left'.

He was to tell the 'Evening Standard' some years later that he broke from the left after World War II over the 'rape of Czechoslovakia'.

But one of his first acts as AEU president was to sign— even before the war started— the Temporary Relaxation of Existing Customs Agreement, which accepted dilution.

On May 22, 1940, Tanner went even further towards assisting the employers by signing the Extended Employment of Women Agreement 'with special regard for increased output'.

This was opposed by the Communist Party which was opposed to the war at that time because Stalin had signed a pact with Hitler. When Germany invaded Russia on June 22, 1941, the Communist Hitlerism with our Tanner support Party line turned 180 degrees and Tonnan anna aanin hanama a leit nero.

He had full Stalinist support when he declared at the 1941 Trades Union Congress: If Russia succeeds, then we succeed; if Russia fails, then we fail.' The Stalinists also applauded him ecstatically when he said: I believe Churchill is honest in his determination to defeat and act honourably Russian allies.' again had the full of the Communist fools, for selling out. TIninn Canarace rrhan ho ...--- J - MUSI --11:.. I... move a resolution calling for intensified production, compulsory productivity and efficlency committees and payment by results.

In the interests of the Communist Party line of full support to the Churchill government and opposition to all struggles to defend workers' conditions and rights, the Stalinists consistently defended Tanner and covered up for his rapid move to the right. CONTINUED TOMORROW B. Tanner and weak