Workers Press no. 13

workers press The daily organ of the Central Committee of the Socialist Labour League

PUBLISHED FROM TUESDAY TO SATURDAY

JAN 31 1370

PRICE Od.

NUMBER 13 • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1969

INCORPORATING THE NEWSLETTER

INSTITUTICH

More trade Furnacemen As the Motor Show opens unionists greet the fight for

LEYLAND STARTS

daily negotiating political rights

BIG SACKINGS

international class Struggle By an industral correspondent

AEF

STEEL COMPANY OF WALES blastfurnace- * AS men in Port Talbot met yesterday evening to think it sho smash consider alicitupt. By an industrial correspondent tackedrk all side their union lodge organization.

motor manufacturer has Seven in Soviet The men are extremely angry over attempts by the

BRITAIN'S BIGGEST

National Union of Blastfurnacemen

(NUB)

national threatened to throw 1,000 Oxford carworkers out executive to break rank-and-file unity and fighting super s which was greatly strengthened in the eight- capacity, of their jobs. space laboratory week strike two months ago.

Within hours of the Motor Agents' Association's Tuesday forecast of large-scale Croydon building Bitter the short-time working in the car industry this winter, AUBTW member. capetence

NOTTIS

MOtOrS • SnOD stewards role during union leaders were told that big reductions in production schedules were to come into operation

COMMON

the strike has led the over

• CONGRATULATIONS

within three weeks. meat the of the majority By Peter Read blastrurnacemel

MARKET

Mondav next. unite uneir entire stencin British-Leyland intends to BY Monday, with

EDITORIAL

the amalgamated launching of another two a poincipied age us

STEP DOWN

FOOD

cosmonauts, in the Soviet spacecraft 'Soyuz 8', there Heath's o will be ratined

PRICES UP

were three manned Kus by full lodge meetings daxi line working by au pe sian vehicles orbiting the ent, then on November 3 earth. MEAT prices in the Commor Battles political

CUT IT BACK

Sovuz b and with crew: of two and three respect I the comin ively • went into orbit Saturday and Sunday. and valet oductivi by a turther hall-day, and The purpose o establish the chiness • ar least to ace his resulted in the term Lember 2, Mo May

SLASH

nearer the general election approaches, the retireded maine su more the Labour leaders their "trades worn get he Morris 1100, also friends cringe equipment carried en The con the 1,000 now spends tale bette Wilson Soyuz 6. of Heath's political valet.

Difference Decision the dif- in a hots. ment ren Tuesday ed tober meeting Instead or slatiny over this merge the lodges was invalid.

Red the employers and to break ree lodges three- and launching of Soyuz old delegate refused siste an at tor restigating * Tary tenders int had retried her de mon oa kine Action officially constituted The Russian considered

PAGE 4 COL. 0-

se milone a birt usual watch Heath's Come cue unk hake neace What dust a warning on Monday nike-

ALL TRADES

UNIONS

Kensington steward, that if it continued in his area, all local authority

ALLIANCE

corresponded the

MEETINGS

Miners' leaders National

SWINDON

workers press Priority must back dustmen's believe labora. Speaker: Frank Willis Young Socialists candidate sending of mamt ram to the mth. On eve of LP conference in the parliamentary Yorks. strike action is Fire brigade by-election "They of luvar material te of propollion in rem of cost charges Friday, October 17 WORK has been brought to a standstill at 74 out of the vital Yorkshire coalfield's 75 pits by the strike of 80,000 8 p.m. Swindon Town Hall miners against the National Coal Board's refusal to grant I paked up i he prores. colliery surfacemen an eight-hour day.

ORDER THE

By an industrial corr Thursday, October 23 This is an issue which has 8 p.m. By Rex henry

DAILY

Pinehurst Common Room carclakers.

• PAGE 4 COL. 4 →

1926. sweepers and drivers today march from Tower Hill to

FOUR-DAY VIETNAM

Inn's Fields inet Min

NOW

lobbv MPs at the Houses of Parliament.

CLASH IN CHICAGO

expected to Tain it gees way.

invitation would be made e to strikers to tikers ie themon- demon two days Angry (Posted dally) E210s. for three OR By Robert Black * the NU Mil oak, president, ening me in London stake today against {1 for three months evening I would like to subscribe to Workers' Press for binted on ATUA meeting wight local bore needinins some Viet- •Unemployment and the Rejected • mean that the wa Americans in Asia lessons of GEC-English de a that i enies Electric have ten pre in chorea Address have to

LIVERPOOL

Rogersad the dication of Sunday, October 19 Be as sad to remains secret.

already riations for Tel: 01-720-2000 7.30 p.m. individual about building th with ing of herporat the the Museum Bester Hell revolutionary party.

• PAGE 4 COL. 6 →

workers press The daily organ of the Central Committee of the Socialist Labour League

NUMBER 13 • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1969

PRICE Od.

PUBLISHED FROM TUESDAY TO SATURDAY

JAN 31 1370

INCORPORATING THE NEWSLETTER

More trade Furnacemen As the Motor Show opens unionists greet the fight for

LEYLAND STARTS

daily 6 BEING active negotiating politica o vene forces in great strived in launching the dail rights do the riot

BIG SACKINGS

dall news inter vard By an industrial correspondent AEF shor Skelmersdale STEEL COMPANY OF WALES blastfurnace- * A shink the paper is vedy men in Port Talbot met vesterdav evening to consider against attempts to smash action 3000 By an Industrial correspondent their union lodge organization.

attacked on motor manufacturer has Seven in Soviet The men are extremely angry over attempts by the

BRITAIN'S BIGGEST

National Union of Blastfurnacemen (NUB) national threatened to throw 1,000 Oxford carworkers out executive to break rank-and-file unity and fighting of their jobs. capacity, which was greatly strengthened in the eight- week strike two months ago.

space laboratory James Abbott, Within hours of the Motor Agents' Association's Tuesday forecast of large-scale Croydon butiv morker Bitter experience of the short-time working in the car industry this winter, Morris Motors shop stewards union leaders' role durins

COMMON

were told that big reductions in production schedules were to come into operation the strike has led the over

A CONGKATULATIONS

wunn unree weeks By Peler Read

MARKET

Pressiabo Unions Britist-Leyland intends tr, From Monday BY Monday, with

EDITORIAL

the launching of another two

STEP DOWN

FOOD

cosmonauts, in the sovie spacecraft 'Soyuz 8', there Heath's 8 decisions will te ratinea were three manned Rus-

PRICES UP

in decisions milies. sian vehicles orbiting the earth. MEAT prices political Soyuz 6 and 7 with crews

CUT IT BACK

and three of two cent higher than in Bribin orbit Ively went Saturday and Sunday. valet by a further hall-day, and sectes a Teast spars

SLASH

orate procedures

THE

the necessar approaches, such construction. leaders more the Labour The craft believed co 7s.) Be welded then tael Lace ЦІН Д oh on head on the Morris 1100, alsi steak.. runs to erimental compar belore Ine lories welding Wilson oohis pend in he tee Soyuz 6. of Heath's political valet.

sury isoluntar Difference Last sewere de voled to ite 1 ms real mustrales tue al decision to suspend pay death mad ference fenton mathe us the Leylands son asking him to break those or as invalid shifts Heath nd mo break sarn fo three lodges and th strike if lodges to consider the ng a labour pool on a guaral should teed wage. Action ditions considered The stronaut:

• PAGE 4 COL. 8 →

yester space sulls consteer mar hare nrace

ALL TRADES

Mune hars nrace travel to she smoo

UNIONS

whole breadth e Times correscried t the

ALLIANCE

-шак пока п'есс

MEETINGS

dilemma in this way: Miners' leaders National speech

SWINDON

workers press Priority scieboras must back dustmen's • in the Speaker: Frank Willis Young Socialists candidate sending of men to than h On Yorks. strike In une barnamentary Fire brigade action is by-election lineems of cost charges WORK has been brought to a standstill at 74 out of the Friday, October 17 vital Yorkshire coalfield's 75 pits by the 8 p.m. onese his strike or coull dropped sentence deck on is val miners against the National Coal Board's refusal to grant c informi Swindon lown Hall Hom pile up in the pro colliery surfacemen an eight-hour day.

ORDER THE

By an Industrial correspondent Thursday, October 23 any prom al TWO-HOUR official strik 'This is an issue which has it us alreadi beingat By Rex Henry • abor Tor biggest pit

DAILY

Monday carerakers,

• PAGE 4 COL. 4 →

Pinehurst Common Room strike since 1926. di Lamber sweepers and arivers today general march from Tower Hill to

FOUR-DAY VIETNAM

sas vete Lincoln Inn's

NOW

lobby MPs at the Houses 352 capt for these de of Parliament.

CLASH IN CHICAGO

Firemen have been operat would be An invitation day in improving ther made to strikers in the bro- vinces to join the demon- daily) Angry National E2 10s. for three OR By Robert Black E1 for three months per cent anike ran see no break in the Regemen have I would like to subscribe to Workers' Press for seen ATUA meeting out days in and dustmen in 1 Viet- South Wales, Under mounting They a resure putin their police a si Unemployment and the Rejected and seeds wil stach the probiem st ther Name lessons of GEC-English LEs came after 1 nis the that seis Electric' haMr. sad entat pressing tara Address . loage.

LIVERPOOL

been radicalization imperialist Genera nets, tony Sunday, October 19 indication of maintain do mot Poopha Cigarer, on, sa. va. (Tol: 01-720-2000) 7.30 p.m. depth able about at their are • other porat testes, the Mulam rever tell roductivity concessions of the growing hos-

• PAGE 4 COL. 6 →

ing revolulUnary party.

PAGE TWO

IN THE PORTS of the world there are great variations in the guaran- teed work and pay systems for dockers. This is made clear in the re- port by the International Labour Organization (ILO), some points of I dealt with which yesterday. For example in New Zea- land, grants pay 50 per cent of the basic wage. Other countries pay the full wage for a period to registered workers, whether work is available or not. In Malaysia, 50 per cent of the basic wage is quoted. The United Kingdom gives a fall- back rate of £17 in London, £16 elsewhere. Other countries guarantee so many days work or money in lieu (Argentina 15 days, India 21 days for regular employees Bombay in and Calcutta, Malaysia 20 shifts, Nigeria 15 days, Singapore 26 days, and Spain 21 days). In Canada: 'The guarantee does not ex- tend to the winter months and the problem is still unsolved.

In the USSR and Poland the dockers are kept on the pay- regular basis roll on that they employed in may be winter on maintenance work, or even work outside the port.

In USSR provision is made ...

for the possibility of transfer- ring dockers to other ports, in which case all their expenses are paid and they are granted a daily allowance in addition to wages.' The report notes that in the USSR and Poland, dockers are guaranteed work at all times and in any case draw their pay on a regular basis. In many places time rates (Australia, prevail Belgium,

USA

Ceylon, Malaysia, most of Africa). which is des- One system cribed as a serious setback to "productivity' is a time rate which is tied to a norm of work, after which the worker knocks off for the day. For example, in Tamatave, in the Malagasy Republic 'workers receive a day's wages for a fixed quantity of about 125 tons of cargo handled per gang-shift in large amounts.

has finished When the gang the work, it knocks off, even if it has been on the job only four hours! This form of working is, of course, quite unacceptable to employers, most who regard the fact that they have paid some wages as to mean that they have actually bought the worker and his ability to labour for a set period each day. Payment-by-results systems are also common. (Ethiopia, France, Italy, and UK.) In the ports of Ethiopia, stevedores as a rule are re- munerated by piecework on a tonnage basis. The port of Assab consequently shows one of the highest cargo figures in the sub-region, in spite of dire lack of equipment and appli- ances.' 'The introduction of a piece- rate system in Bombay atter a period of very low efficiency is reported to have resulted in a 40-50 per cent increase in output... But employers do not now favour PBR schemes, because with new methods raising out- put all the time, workers will be demanding equivalent rises in wages. Better now, says the capitalist, to establish a stan- dard time-rate which stays the same, however high the pro-.

ductivity of labour rises.

That is why employers, who for years have insisted on bonus schemes, merit pay- ments, overtime and piece- work while these schemes have worked to their advantage, now, when these same systems turn against them, piously de- clare that workers must be able to achieve a decent stan- dard of living on the basic wage without recourse to ad- ditional systems of raising pay.

When the employer sets his most vicious methods of ex- ploitation in motion, it is not unusual for him to claim that his actions are aimed solely at improving the workers' lot.

A similar attitude is now taken on the subject of work- ing hours. Dockers have fought for years to reduce the basic hours of work and the Report admits that it was in 1919 that the principle of the 48- hour week and the eight- or nine-hour day was adopted as normal, but that in many cases this standard has not been achieved. However, now the report can comment: "That a progressive reduc- tion towards a 40-hour week should be worked out and im- plemented in a manner suited to the particular national cir- cumstances and conditions in each sector of economic ac- tivity: Here again, with the advent of modernization, certain prac- tices that workers have fought for now run to the employers' advantage. The Report in its fashion admits this when own it gives the example of Singa- where a pamphlet was pore, issued to all employees of the local port authority explaining that: whereby "The system yOu have been working for long hours is undesirable and it is not consistent with the labour trends in a progressive society.

By shortening working your hours there 15 every reason to believe that the productivity of the port will be increased.'

The Authority went on then to reduce the hours from 12 to seven a day, but to introduce two-shift working. The Report mentions that 'The dockers should be incon- for the compensated of shift-work venience from the point of view of family life social and recreational ac- and tivities. One way of doing this for shorter is to arrange a working week... nothing! The Compensation employers know that they can get more work out of the high- powered seven hours than they can get out of an inevitably slower 12-hour day. Similarly, they know that it is a 100 times more economi- cal to keep the docks going with 24-hours shift work than to pay large overtime rates (at Montreal and Quebec, be- fore the new agreement came in, the ratio of overtime to total hours was over 30 per cent, while in Colombo 'over- time earnings have been known to exceed the basic wage rates by 55 to 60 per cent') for the same reason even some of the most backward of the world's employers realize that the high intensity of working requires some rest, and are applying the rule of two weeks' paid holiday a year. This section on pay of the ILO Report makes no examina- tion of the levels of wages In order to compete internationally, Brit to do away with antiquated machinery suc Liverpool. throughout the world, or of the need in some places to keep extend hours to 15 and 18 a day in order to improve on starvation wages. The fact that in some countries employers have to give away meals to keep dockers on their feet gives a clue to poverty con- ditions which exist. have in- Many employers dicated in no uncertain terms docks that work in the new 'young man's job' will be a and it has become a universal authorities of to aim port kick out the older man, though politely in some cases. Older workers In many countries workers have been forced to work on far beyond the normal retire- ment age in order to earn a living. The aim is now not only to get rid of these, but also to get rid of the older docker within normal working age and many countries are now mak- ing 60 the official limit and are attempting by one means or another to remove the docker over this age. In Britain, there were 7,500 dockers (over 13 per cent of the register) over 60 in 1968.

('Economist'.) In the drive to create con- tainer ports, it is every owner for himself. No study is taken to relate the demand to the number of ports being developed.

The aim is always to be the

TILBURY DOCKS ON THE THAMES

rationally, British port employers have d machinery such as that shown above in first in and to cut rates to keep out the rest. Further, whatever the finan- cial of the country, state whatever industries are going to the wall, money has to be found to keep certain funda- mental life-lines open; i.e. railways, fuel, steel, roads, electric power and docks have supported financially to be by the capitalist state, what- ever the level of the economy.

For this reason, many em- prefer 'nationaliza- ployers tion', , which means that the state raises the money for de- velopment and runs the indus- try as a cheap service for the rest of the emloyers. 'nationalization' As this is under capitalist control, there is no fear of concessions to the labour force. On the contrary, the run- down of the number of miners Britain by the National in Coal Board shows how a cen- tral authority could act more effectively against the working class than individual .em- ployers. Ihis is not to say that a employers' powerful lobby nationalization may against not arise on the basis of the profits to be made out' of private investment in the new docks. But even this section of speculators might sooner allow the initial sums to be laid out by the government, then they can take over the brand new equipment under a later 'de-nationalization'.

Rushed modernization is

WORKERS' PRESS

place throughout taking now the capitalist world. At the moment container ports are under construction everywhere. Bombay docks are being modernized at a cost of £34 million; Singapore is lay out a massive 164 million dol- new berths; Dubaye lars on (Kuwait) is have new to £24 million; port costing Piraeus (Greece) is to spend The second of two articles the ports mentioned above, talk is now centred around a £120 million port off the Thames estuary. Bernard Franks Again, with Rotterdam for 100 greedy trade just miles away across the North Sea and with the existing ports unable to take the pro- posed big ships—a recent £7 million modernizing, monster tanker had to unload while Hamburg has spent 100 half its cargo of oil at Lyme million marks on moderniza- Bay before it could get up the tion and extensions. Thames as far as Thames Haven -- with this problem In New York, which "The British employers know that Times' describes survey as they must raise the money to 'the father of them all', plans put this plan of bringing the to put 85 per cent of general port to the ships into opera- cargo into containers by the tion--and soon. mid-1970s are under way. 'The Times' adds that 'New An attempt by the port in- York is at the top because it the dustry on US Pacific took early and large strides coast to work out how much in the container revolution. had been gained by the new Out of a total of 3,500 million methods and new agreements dollars spent on American arrived at a figure of well between dollars port projects 1946 over 100 million for and 1970, the period 1960-65. However: New York's outlay is the biggest. 'This figure does not take But even this is not the end into account the faster turn- of ships which round may of the development : of realize savings between •he diew al vessel h container 2,000 and 5,000 dollars new generation container ship per day.' ships are under and further: planned, representing an ulti- mate Port Authority invest- 'There are no detailed data, ment of 175 million dollars.' but it has been considered As for Britain, as well as that 50 million dollars will be Virtually forced to call strike action by a conservative estimate of the achieved savings in turn- round time over the period.

The gain to the employers under the agreement may therefore be placed at well over 150 million dollars for the period of 1960-65 The conclusions of the ILO's analysis are that what is required in every port is a new type of deal, which while allaying the dockers' fear of redundancy allows the intro- duction of all the employers' demands. A pledge of no redundancy from the port authorities is regarded as vital if the docks are to be modernized. As th For the dockers, such a crane pledge is completely worth- in Lo: less; once the new methods ties a being introduced and are a as m smaller section of the labour force. force is doing a major part of the work the employers can say that their original promise was a mistake and 'recourse ment to dismissals may have to be ploye taken after all'. A A united struggle in all trodu ports and on all work can so fa smash the employers' redun- conce dancy plans, but certainly in ers S Britain, the workers find that port this fight is also against union gang leaders who are the first to count tell the dockers that what is In happening elsewhere is of no schen concern to them and that they izing can see no possible reason for shift- stopping work. ciplin Basically, the same line is Sin expressed by the British Com- don munist Party, whose leading sures militants on the docks have Abbe diverted the struggle into one Reger better redundancy pay- whari ments and for no redundancy wharl 'guarantees in writing' from alizat the employers. lockn They have constantly de- repor nied the political and nation- Surre wide and world-wide nature close TH of the new deals and have actively opposed any serious meth link-up between workers of hand all ports, saying : that the is- all tl sues under dispute are simply porti this or that aspect of over ties working and therefore are Ex 'purely local'. wrec lies i At no time has the 'Morn- avail ing Star'-the CP's own daily colla paper-explained the nature by t of the Devlin scheme or ex- izati posed its basis in the plans laid by the Labour govern- In er ports, Stalinist docks leader Jack Dash failed to li eral fruitless marches to see union bureaucrats at T Wednesday, October 15, 1969 ous profits are to be made by the first in. But as more and more modernized ports join the pool an excess of handling capacity develops which brings a further crisis. The ILO sums up the posi- tion thus: 'So heavy is the capital ex enditure incurred in provid ng deep-water berths, spac ind cranage, that it has beel said container berth will be hand- ling the most expensive port equipment in existence. As there is at the outset no cer- tainty as to which ports will be most used for this traffic, every port seeks to be in a position to handle a major share of the traffic going to its tainer region. There is therefore ration serious risk of over-invest- thori- ment, with the result that the its of yield on investment may be in labour some cases much below that which was planned for, and it is by no means impossible that some concerns, whether public or private, will find themselves operating at a _em- loss.' Such is the outcome in every le in- industry when capitalism sets deals, out to 'develop' the forces of s are production. What work- mor e striking proof in 1969 is from needed of Karl Marx's analysis • and of 100 years ago that: every "The contradiction of the capi- talist mode of production ...

Devlin lies precisely in its tendency essur- towards an absolute develop- t, for ment of the productive forces, r dis- which continually come into conflict with the specific con- ditions of production in which Lon- capital moves, and alone can • clo- move.' dock, At the same time, the class dock, struggle sharpens to an enor- undee mous degree as the capitalist own's class sets out to save itself at ation- the expense of the working canal class. Latest In the ports, recent years don's have seen the prolonged action to be ›y New York dockers over These two pictures of the same German port show clearly the drive by the port employers towards economical methods —this megns productivity deals and redundancy. container agreements, refusal new y for by New Zealand dockers to brings flexibility and 'de- accept casualization' plans, strikes in trans- ithori- Venezuela over the introduc- tion of container and roll-on- nflict. roll-off systems, refusals in are Africa to accept 'labour-saving поро- tools. on the Strikes throughout the firms St. Lawrence Canadian ports ed up over the introduction of mod- tional- ernization, strikes by Aus- tralian tally clerks over new norm- cargo checking proposals and strikes and actions throughout Britain over the aspects of Devlin. Portworkers throughout the world must unite their struggles plans of inter- against the national capital, together with workers of allied trades-rail- truck drivers, men, tugmen, seamen-they lightermen, and must reject entirely all respon- sibility for the crisis of capital- ism and refuse to be parties to the schemes of the capitalist class for saving its neck at the expense of the workers. In particular, the demand of the employers for 'competition between ports' must not be tolerated for one minute.

Instead, a joint struggle for the expropriation of the major dock employers, shippers, and shipowners, with every aspect of work being brought, under the control of the workers concerned, is the only guaran- tee against the present misuse and eventual destruction of the forces of production.

But only the forcible over- throw and suppression of the entire capitalist class can en- able the full development of the world's wealth of resources and scientific achievement for the benefit of mankind. It is the dedicated aim of the Fourth International, the world party of the socialist revolution, to develop in every country the vanguard which will lead the working class in ers accomplishment of this on. task.

Wednesday, October 15, 1969 Adolf the superman swallows gold and spouts junk.

1932. 600 Should men fall that shares may rise? 1932.

most powerful pro-

PHOTOMONTAGES

of the paganda weapons of the re- by John Heartfield volutionary movement. The great period of his work 1918-1933 when, at the Institute of Contem- was from as an active Party member, porary Arts, Nash House, to contribute he was able s.W.1 The Mall, London, workers' regularly the Until November 8, 1969 newspapers and periodicals.

with that of the His work, George Grosz, ALTHOUGH John cartoonist of behin dietere gives a unique Heartfield spent the reality the Wei- vears of his life in mar Republic. England, his work is From 1933-1950 he had to re- and hardly known here so main in exile was obliged to work mainly for it is doubly welcome capitalist publishers. that a major exhibi- On his return East Ger- to tion should now be many the Stalinists led his devoted to his work. of work into the swamp with *peaceful co-existence' It is doubly welcome because its humanitarian appeals for his work is not merely of peace. historic interest, but re- His early work is what lives on today and it is a tribute mains a living example of to its continuing power that how an artist can contri- the Tory council banned an bute directly to the fight exhibition of his work at for socialism. the Camden Arts Centre last year. Heartfield (1891-1968) John life-long member of We are sure that he will in- was a German Communist spire young artists to con- the tribute similar work to the Party and developed a com- form Workers Press in the com- pletely new art "Photomontage'--into one ing years. M.M. Millions stand behind me. 1932.

WORKERS' PRESS

By Brian N 'All work of practical organization of the insurrection was conducted under the immediate leadership of Comrade Trotsky'-1918. •We must say that Trotsky played no special role in the and could not have done so'—1924.

October Revolution (See 'October Revolution'-J. V. Stalin.)

IT MIGHT SEEM odd that two such flatly con- tradictory statements could come from the same pen. But they typi- fy the disrespect for his- torical fact, the distor- tions, in a word, the lies of their author, Joseph Stalin. It was by such methods that Trotsky and the Left Opposition hounded, were slandered, tried and finally assassinated during the 1930s; methods that to this day have condemned by been never the British Communist Party.

Methods such as these con- fused many workers and intel- lectuals for whom the October Revolution was the most im- portant event in the history of mankind. Not least among these was the Russian film director Sergei Eisenstein, whose film 'October' is currently so wind Times the and at Ce a should be by many comrades as possible. Eisenstein was commissioned to make a film to celebrate the It is Eisenstein's grasp of 10th Anniversary of the class forces, the contradictory October victory and he twists and turns of revolution, about his task with all the where the path is not an even fervour and dedication to the march forward, but where de- Revolution that he had already feats and setbacks prepare the shown his earlier in two way for 'Battleship Potemkin' new leaps in cons- and Strike, ciousness to the one final surge and which elevated where the forward oppressed Soviet film making be lift a whole state among the finest in the world.

masses up smash the ruling apparatus, He started what shooting and burst forward class into was to be an historical record the future. of the events from the first February to the From the very beginning in revoltion of the socialist revo- from the overthrow triumph February, lution in October 1917. of Tsar sembolized by the the tearing down of the mono- months of work, he After lithic Tsar's statue- -he reveals delivered the final print. It was the threat of middle-class and never seen or shown in that compromising elements who form again. begin to regroup themselves in For. while Eisenstein was the name of God and country; working in the cutting rooms, the priests coming out of their Trot- Stalin's slanders against hole, the rise of Kerensky, with and Left Opposition sky the Bona- his illusions as the new had taken a sharper turn and parte. a vicious anti-Trotskyist cam- paign was being whipped up. The great cry of the masses who throw down their arms at Therefore, when the bureau- with the front and fraternize cracy were shown the first ver- their fellow German soldiers is of October, there must rapidly transformed into dis- have been a stunned and awk- illusion when the war con- ward silence, for, portrayed on tinues, when bread gets scarcer, much the the screen very as when poverty increases. figure of the Revolu- centre the man they were We C Find voice calling a counter-revolutionary of Leon imperialism, The Provisional government Trotsky. may strut in their new-found Eisenstein was forced to cut the places, but for power in out all reference to Trotsky the and peasants on workerc immediately. It from the film the streets nothing changes.

took him five months of edit- Lenin's return to Petrograd ing to do so. offers a new hope when he de- Provisional nounces the gov- Masterpiece and the Bolsheviks ernment find their voice. In the light of this know- ledge what can we say of this Petersburg In Tulv in St film? Does it invalidate the demands demonstration macc work and its maker? Bol- insurrection, but the shevik Central Committee con- 'October' remains a master- and siders premature 11 a supreme achievement piece, addresses the crowd. Trotsky cinematic testi- creative mony to the triumph of the (Though unacknowledged in Revolution. despite the en- person, this is one of the few of Trotsky, forced exclusion the film where moments in despite the gratuitous slander Trotsky It was ob- appears. iniected into this new version his viously left suggest that has come out of the Soviet 'moderation'.) Union with new effects, sound The demonstration proceeds and musical score, when track along the Nevsky Prospect and it is claimed that Trotsky was fire opposed to the insurrection.

government troops open The Provisional government of Kerensky changed nothing workers and peasants in Russia (scene from the filr Brian Moore

TEN DAYS

SHOOK THE

on them. In the panic, a young Bolshevik seizes a banner, but is hounded down by a group who of middle-class women stab him with the points of their parasoles. Kerensky and the middle class have revealed their hand.

Counter-revolution takes on a more open form with Gen- eral Kornilov and the White Guard who prepare to march on Petrograd. ' Kerensky is impotent to deal with the situation. He frets and struts in the Winter Palace, but the workers themselves are aroused and, with the Bol- sheviks, set out to meet the advancing Cossacks and per- suade them to join them. The film concludes with the preparations for the insurrec- tion, and while the Mensheviks and Social-Revolutionaries de- clare at the General Assembly the impossibility of taking the power, in the streets workers and Bolsheviks surround the Winter Palace and catpure it. The workers' revolution is secure. Obviously in a canvas of this size, in an event of such monu- mental proportions, it is in- evitable that many omissions occur. For 9.15 a.m., Schools and Colleges. 12.25-12.50 p.m., Apna Hi Ghar Samajhiye. 12.55, Maes A Mor: (Crystal Palace, Wenvoe West, Holme Moss, Sutton Cold- field transmitters 1.30, only). Mother. Watch With 1.45-1.53, News, Weather. 2.05, For Schools and Colleges. 2.50, Racing From Cheltenham. 3.45, Representing The Union. 4.20, Play School. 4.40, Jackanory. 4.55, Zokkol Club Cup '69. The Pony 5.15, 5.44, Babar. 5.50, National News and Weather. 6.00, London-Nationwide. 6.45, The Newcomers. 7.10, The Laugh Parade: 'Miracle of Morgan's Creek'. 8.45, The Main News and Weather. changed nothing for the ne from the film).

AYS THAT

THE WORLD

But it is Eisenstein's achieve- grasped have the ment to essence of the struggle, to have sifted out the class forces, to have polarized the opposites- words, in other to have grasped the revolution dialec- tically. In this his methods of pre- sentation, which have confused many, flow directly from this conception. Essence It is through montage, by placing clashing images side by side, which through their clash reveal the hidden essences be- neath the forms and appear- ance, that Eisenstein is able to comment on the action. His construction is not, therefore, linear, as we have come to understand the re- velation of cinematic story- telling, but dialectical, a con- stant clash of opposites which reflect the larger conflicts of the class struggle. This is how his technique of montage proceeds. Thus the cut from Kerensky to the figurine of Napoleon forces on the spectator a re- assessment of Kerensky. 9.00, Party Political Broadcast on behalf of the Labour Party. 9.15, The Wednesday Play: 'The Mark-Two WIfe'. 10.25, 24 Hours. 11.00, Association Football.

11.45, Weatherman. All regions as BBC-1 except at the following times: Midlands and East Angila: 6.0- Today, 6.45 p.m., Midlands Look East, Weather, Nation- wide. 11.47, News Summary, Weather. Northern England: 6.0-6.45 p.m., Look North, ' Weather, Nation- wide. 11.47, Northern News Headlines, Weather. Wales: 10.25-10.45 a.m., Gwlad A Thref. 6.0-6.45 p.m., Wales Today, Nationwide. 6.45-7.10, Heddiw. Scotland: 2.30-2.50 p.m., Modern Studies. 6.0-6.45, Reporting Scotland, Nationwide. 11.0- Made In 11.15, Britain: the export trade. 11.15, Epilogue, Scottish News Headlines, Weather. Northern Ireland: 10.25-10.45 a.m., For Schools. 6.0-6.45p.m., Scene Around Six, Nationwide, Weather. 11.47, Northern lre- land News Headlines, Weather.

South and West: 6.0-6.45 p.m. Points West, South Today, Spotlight South-West, Weather, Nationwide. 11.47, South and West News Headlines, Weather.

11.00-11.20 a.m., Play School.

7.00 p.m., Expecting a Baby.

7.30, Newsroom, Weather. 8.00, Man Allve. 9.00, A Party Political Broadcast on behalf of the Labour Party. Similarly his superimposition of an orchestra of harps over the Menshevik speaker in the General Assembly is a direct comment on the pusilanimity of the ideas expressed. If this is understood-that the pictures and images pro- ceed not as separate fixtures progressing trom A to B, but in a conflicting inter-relation- ship—-then many of the bour- geois and Stalinist criticisms levelled against this film are resolved. There is much to be learned from this film and everybody should go and see it. Undialectical 'Z' YOU WON'T find dialectics or class comprehension in 'Z', a film that is currently re- ceiving the accolades from the middle class, which pur- ports to offer an under- standing of the recent defeats in Greece. This is a liberals' film with all the liberals' hatred of the working class in it, where workers are presented at best as misguided dupes, or at worst as paid fascist thugs.

Here, all that is decent in democracy, justice, fair play, honourable men in the shape of doctors, judges, and univer- sity lecturers, has been usurped by ignorant reactionaries who hate long hair, pop music and fair play. The outraged men of good will are longing to get back in the capitalist saddle to ad- ministrate with honour once again. These are the Kerensky's of today, pining to get, back to their gentlemanly exploitation of the Greek working clas.

No worker should have any illusions about this film.

The colonels came to power in Greece because their eco- nomic masters, the Americans, needed a stronger government to take on the working class, to smash their unions in order to maintain profit. Greece was the first outpost of European capital's crisis and it was for that reason the colonels came to power. One of the lessons to be Greece is that learned from every capitalist country has its colonels in the wings and that the only force that can stop them is the organized working class, to oust them, not to continue under capitalism, but to move to liberation through the socialist revolution.

These liberal piners who hanker after the good old days of democracy are a reactionary force, interposing themselves in the way of the socialist re- volution. 9.15, Rowan and Martin. 10.25, Peter Sarstedt. 10.55, News Summary, Weather.

11.00, LIne-Up.

THAMES

11.0 a.m.-2.55 Schools p.m., 4.15, News Headlines. 4.17, Tingha and Tucker Club. 4.30, Crossroads. 4.55, The Sooty Show. 5.20, Sexton Blake. 5.50, News From ITN. 6.03, Today. 6.35, The Saint. 7.30, Coronation Street. 8.00, It Takes A Thief. 9.00, Party Political Broadcast on behalf of the Labour Party. 9.15, Special Branch. 10.15, News. 10.45, Sez Les. 11.15, Professional Wrestling.

12.00, The Papers. a.m., The Church and Its 12.15 Wealth. Border TV p.M. Headlines. 4.02. 1.40-2.55 Schools. 4.0, Border News Houseparty. 4.15, Castle Haven. 4.40, Paulus—The Wood Gnome.

4.55, The Sooty Show. 5.20, Sexton Blake. National News. 6.0, Border and Lookaround. 6.35, Crossroads. 7.0, University Challenge. 7.30, 8.0, The Coronation Street. Champions. 9.0, A Party Political on behalf of the Broadcast Party. 9.15, Special Labour Branch. 10.15, National News and Border Weather. 10.50, Sez Les.

11.20, Professional Wrestling. 12.0, Border News Summary and Weather.

PAGE THREE

They are nothing but middle-class ob dangerous stacle and should be fought against as such. They are the colonels with- out their kicking boots. 'Che' warning 'CHE' is a cheap imperialist distortion of a courageous man. On the positive side, this film does reveal the bankruptcy in talent, taste and sophistication of the American State Department. It also reveals a real ner- vousness, for it is to the youth that this film explicitly aimed, wagging a paltry finger of warning. "There you see', it says in its odious hack way, 'he was full of ideals, but he became just as corrupt as you or me.'

'Look at your heroes. Castro, a weak lush, depending on and dominated by the power-lust of Guevara. And if you don't believe us, listen to the voice of the ordinary man.' The lessons of Che Guevara (above) in Bolivia come not from celluloid, but from real life.

Enter (and this really hap- pens) a rheumy old peasant, like something out of Shakes- peare, who laments that since Guevara came to Bolivia his goats don't give any milk!

And he wants to be left alone. I left the cinema with a rot- ten taste in my mouth, only to find on the pavement of the Haymarket, in front of the cinema, Che's 'Bolivian Diaries' being hawked by a Black Dwarf' seller, which graphically emphasized the link between revisionism and imperialism.

The lessons from Guevara come not from celluloid, but from life. In essence they are simple: Courage is no substitute for Marxism. Guerrilla bands are no substi- tute for the Party. Ideals are no substitute for class analysis. A rifle is no substitute for the revolutionary conscious wor- king class. Westward 11.0-11.57 a.m., Schools. 1.40- 2.55 p.m., Schools. 4.01, Pinky and Perky. 4.13, Westward News Headlines. 4.15, Open House. 4.41, The Gus Honeybun Show.

4.55, The Sooty Show. 5.20, Sexton Blake Captain and Nemisis. 5.50, National News. 6.0, Westward Diary. 6.35, Crossroads.

1.0, Treasure Hunt. 7.30, Corona- tion Street. 8.0, The Saint. 9.0, Labour Party Political Broadcast.

9.15, Special Branch. 10.15, National News. 10.45, Sez Les. 11.15, Professional Wrestling. 12 midnight, Faith • For Life. 12.06 a.m., Weather. Yorkshire 11.0 a.m.-2.55 p.m., Schools. 4.0, Houseparty. 4.15, News Head- lines. 4.17, Paulus. 4.30, Survival.

4.55, The Sooty Show. 5.20, Sexton Blake. 5.50, News. Calendar, Weather. 6.30, Hogan's Heroes. 7.0, Jokers Wild. 7.30, Coronation Street. 8.0, Marcus Welby, MD. 9.0, Party Political Broadcast on behalf of the Labour Party. 9.15, Special Branch. 10.15, News, Weather. 10.45, Sez Les. 11.15, Professional Wrestling. 12 midnight, Late Weather. 11.0 a.m.-2.55 p.m., Schools. 4.09, North East Newsroom. 4.11, News Headlines. 4.13, Torchy. 4.30, Freud On Food. 4.53, North East Newsroom. 4.55, The Sooty Show. 5.20, Sexton Blake. 5.50, Today At Six. 6.30, News. 6.0, Police Call. 6.35, Castle Haven.

7.0, The Legend Of Jesse James.

7.30, Coronation Street. 8.0, The Saint. 9.0, Party Political Broad- behalf of the Labour cast on Party. 9.15, Special Branch. 10.15, News. 10.45, Face The Press: Clive Jenkins. 11.15, Professional Wrestling. 12 midnight, Late News Extra. 12.15 a.m., The Samaritan Stopped.

WORKERS' PRESS

PAGE FOUR

Car sales down - prices up Stalinists silent over Crisis behind Coventry

QUIET

satisfaction the keynote at the meeting of the Union of National Teach. the Motor Saturday, October the NUT journal reports The an deal Cepted i part-tim hove jobs backe o indition Show he the NUT HIS

THIS YEAR'S

strike alle Motor on a Coventry teachers. Earls Show at opens Spokesman? Court today in an atmos- The represe hased the By David Maude phere of acute crisis. union councilotiations More than half the car Exhibition industry's assembly lines British eyla Min eptember.

Communar seals, suspension and eyland thin Sunday are at a standstill. 25,000 prices in workers pokes executive workers are laid off or on ber?" ti thai can on the B60 strike. why did spot !?? Production market. *hingent economies and sack?

strike may more than 220 min n Watch out been lost in the last few hit Show time data Of Former Czech in home F re- deputy following international scale t the new attacks now premier romas era veil or on restoraise their Paris-Moscow * 2-hour slo stop painte expelled loyers naves no ternati e done for the las 'CETEKA', the Czech news tie-up to tbeir demind for increased agency, amouncea on mon- Halted day tne expuIsion Tessor Uta Trom the Been hated for more than s czecn Communist rary. conn the exbibicion continue va rays ores is workers are laid FRENCH Foreign Minister By Robert Black tember 8. Maurice Schumann discussions Steve as now spor Come return his soviet opposite number now approves Andrei Gromyko Sue inite themselvenges the and curopean econome ponucal co-operaudi thıra time during his nve or the Partie highest-rankine ith the principles day visit to Moscow. Diplomatic sources in- pan-suropean comercuice pelled in t he exhibition men's action purges North Vietnam premier Teachers to in Moscow for talks Liverpool, for lay-off pay shows vho sign He is the first North Viet- leader weakening namese march and death the soviet union sunct Continuing Soviet government. ast month of ho chi Minh lobby for claim At Cowley, Oxford, disputes Seven killed in workers short Turkish election "mor the third week By Mark Jenkins er, Sol. Proo THERE will be a march and mass lobby of parliament battles by teachers on Tuesday, October 21. It is being spon- because of erupted

HIGH NING

Sundav during the Turkish Inner London Teacher's Association sored by General Elections. linked (National Union of Teachers) and by the Extra Metro- alrecus Republicar politan Committee covering all the London boroughs.

A big turnout of teach- vinces 7 Minster Syma CIs 15 expeciea lo Lak t B.B.C. unions plan Dart. guerrilla Workers' Press reporter A CAMPAIGN of guerril- la strikes against the BBC Czech exiles' property Iment has been planned by the strikes in unions involved (WU

CZECH

Saturday's one-day strike and the BBC will probably Ministry село Prague iny his fights will be needed receive little advance Mr. Hill of th Sunday that all Czech citi.

of strike action and political zens who have stavec instead 48-hours' fundpresent of the abroad without permission Qualified notice given before Satur- are to lose their homes and personal property. day's stoppage. among by bis ew law, which tod nut thea 20,00 This action tollows the smallness movement. the Associa- rejection by tion of Broadcasting Staffs Squeeze (ABS) of a 4 per cent pay Soviet space offer. of Employ was Saturday's strike Productivity's regis laboratory vernment the BBC uses Yorkshiret m which t and Hum reject throunds bers had crossed unions aims

DEP

numbers he general secretsociation since

HAN PAGE ONE

unemployed reachers are 200 ntists cot them sholad that reai ste trainst the with facilities por star Recordings changes ring us to tre a back. ATUA meeting This * may • cort of the itner on space researc

LEICESTER

But as Frank Main obstacle classes of, over Wages battle, unemploy- sues lie behind the see Moral bide remedy space orati had bore con ment and Workers' Press' trol Thursday, October 23, aterial instead or sure the admits only teach is Cora 8 р.m. BBC workers are faced with taking Roland Sorel and move than one. the establishment of socialism control Motor Show weenessage fo Gromyko continent or elanding ties will With another franc devalu staring him in th with the kreml advantage union changi chorse now. taken pired on epere bic. National du action for council "Chance' crase or our more a National strike ' negotiations must not Wednesday, October 15, 1969

A PUBLIC

Workers' Press correspondent meeting ast a political programme of Friday called by the Luton nationalization without All Trades its fullest support for the work- ane vuns abe Under

ATUA

workers' ers' control as the only way branch, motor Unions A Hance be held of solving the problems of was attended conterence to Rootes and Vauxhall work- Birmingham on November motor workers. passed the following We pledge to send the resolution: biggest possible delegation This meeting recognises • This All Trades Unions area the urgent need for unity TrOM anne of all car workers behind Alliance branch pledges conference. y

THE

SUDANESE

military junta which seized power on May 25 of this year is now threatening action against its allies. The By a foreign correspondent military leaders could never have taken wing Stalinism, through its policy govern power without the support provoked of miy in landed and reli organized for the m support nationalist circles. regime in Sudan, prepares amongst the workers and These have now begun to another bloodbath CUll peasants by the Sudanese for and peasants press une military reducts munists, workers Communist Party. urm acon drainst ne com on ne unes or une maonesian munist rarly. Illassacre 01 1703. Now the regime's leaders are involved a public 1n of the aispute on the role Communist Party in the work government. _the

TO BE DUMPED

• FROM PAGE ONE

productivity ings lodges three oidi out through the 'green the proposals asaslist yArItivA i renorted to hav blastfurnacemen.

SCOW

1 ne 100ge commitee must off fight against any attempts the local break aown demarcanon Tences and create recuncan- There members A very serious position now cles and speed-uD of Sudanese the Communist the fight tares

TOT

лесочинов ever. demands the fullest support.

rarLy in une reximes dominis-

SCOW

management une venerals is able to use the NUB attitude allacks

ON V

mean and conditions de- Lne multary mands for riggers and other government. which holds the power. preparina they dumo its erstwhile allies. who Five issued its threats of "major issues' have now outlived their pur.

pose. strike action in order to chan- The General we comed 'all from nel support awdy nationalist socialist elements' a - half-week-old hut made itclear that the South Yorkshire strike in sup- revolution represented all the port of pay demands by has already 12T- people deanast une men already Main kelmen for political opinions. оп the collery. Mail'

HOSTILITY

delegate Jones attacking Action the men's fight. He emphasized that But, when the NCB refused various socialist groups within There is a strong strike ac to make any concession to the the regime would be tion if the manage- surracemen. unreats nao to de only if they gave up 'the the rule ment the executive transtormed into action. parties Surfacemen at present work philosophy of the regotiating committee. hours minutes. The NCB The presence of the left- The steel industry bosses clucine mezibreaks has ottered to cut this to eight hours, excluding mehree regarded non-offer is men, who want eight the hours inclusive mealbreaks, Far from putting out the remand so, NUM's Rhyl Lord Robens Using

NUM

AT LEAST 5,000 engineers, together with dockers and ancent places al one the same une other workers from the Hull area were due to strike He unofficial claimed the action would for one day in solidarity with the nine-week-old stoppage have no enect on une nexouduons against a productivity deal at Priestman Brothers' crane Explain and excavator factory. Messrs. Ford Dalv. and The strike, called by their friends. in other words.

Hull Union Amalgamated are more important than They claim their of Engineering Foun- 5 this and 80 0) miners ductivity deal over-rides here can be no sitting on dryworkers (AEF) district olier. the tence here committee, follows the

NUM

executive, and Their lat offer • under this breakdown talks last deal particularly "left'-talking tha SaI be Wednesday owe miners some ex- between the dated to July and a further My Daly planations. July Engineering Employers' nex orner come to reouciate and ware increases lor lwo years Federatior the Con- Ford's back federation of Shipbuilding strike and united Back pay lost the Yorkshire and Engineering Unions. Reide South Wales Smaller y would this and lose The unions turned down increase back-pain but entitlement cight v iminroved offer from the he monassment refused to due pmninvers 0197l Wal Some answers, please! pay the 36v. 4dernhe ne national the 3hs 4d. increase due Priestman's All engineering agreement. during thi support employers, it is alleged.

nal dustmen's Trades Unions But support for the Priest- in n strikers running high other leading steward at said: Armstrong Patents "The attack has emolovers' ments with individual coun compete t rebounded-the reeiino in the tactories is tan been pushed into comniete t All car, ca conference Motor background.' the without any productivity strings. Decision reversed components and ramspe is the positera delivery )ne examnle is the the Workers workers ATUA meetings Union. are invited Sts nuestring stewards oted last and to a

S.E. LONDON

against the one-dav strike with motor workers' Wednesday, October 15 onlv two stewards in tavour conference At their Thursday meeting 8 р.m. hersed the decision tewards Digbeth Civic Hall, Kerfield Tavern Digbeth 'They not resist net sould Grove lane building up Birmingham Camberwell Green worker Saturday Novembor 8 commented. All Trades Unions 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. the

COVENTRY

Allianc points Write for credentials to : statement on the strike : Wednsday, October 15 Strawberry Path, "If the one-day strike doesn't 1 Strawberr 7.30 p.m. defeat Prestman's emplovers. Blackbird Leys an indennite engineering ston Oxford. oventry Cros This strike nage must follow. Conference fee: 5s. a person urges! can and must ba won'!