The first big wages clash

DOCKERS

COMMENT DUNDEE DOCKER Forrest Longmuir (above) told day's meeting that he expected the docks employers to take a tougher attitude under a Tory government.

"The employer will change his attitude now that the Tories have got in and nationalization is stopped, he said.

'We want to establish that £20 basic. It will mean a big increase in fall-back pay for dockers on the minimum wage and a rise in tonnage rates when the basic goes up.

'We're giving the employer a chance to change his mind before July 14. We'll be back down here in a fortnight to take a final decision.' Ron Findlay from Aberdeen spoke of the long-standing feeling on the docks against the use of unregistered labour.

I'm on the docks national committee of the union and I think this question should have been dealt with long ago.

'In my own area you have work from Dundee and Leith going to ports like Berwick, Montrose and Arbroath, where it is handled by unregistered labour. These ports don't pay dockers' rates. The labour is cheaper and handling charges less.

• Registered employers should not be allowed to send ships to unregistered ports. I personally feel every docker Ports' they™ organize these in the country should stop over DELEGATES representing 47,000 registered dockworkers issued the first major industrial challenge to the new Tory government when they unanimously decided at a London meeting yesterday to give 14 days' notice of strike action when their present national wage agreement expires on June 29.

Transport and General Workers' national docks officer Timothy O'Leary told reporters after the meeting that he had been instructed to exhaust procedure.

"That means at this moment that unless there is a new offer, it is the end of the road. We have decided to do it in a properly-organized fashion.

I don't care twopence whether Carr [the TOI Employment and Productivity Minister] intervenes. We're quite happy to take the employers on. We are satisfied that where we are is where we've been driven.' The decision follows the dock employers' rejection of the T&GWU's demand for an increase in basic pay • from £l1 ls 8d to £20.

Carr has thus hardly set his bottom on the Ministerial chair before facing a major clash.

As Aberdeen i docker Ron Findlay told the Workers Press:

Challenge 'This will be the first challenge Heath will face.

If he gets away with it with the dockers, he'll get away with it with anyone?

Certain that the Tories are committed to dropping any plans for docks nationalization, the employers have grown more arrogantly determined not to concede the £20 demand, which would drive up piecework rates in a number of ports.

Dockers stressed after yesterday's meeting that they have no intention of backing down before a Tory government.

"This was set up under a Labour government. We want the £20 basic rate regardless of what government is in,' a Liverpool delegate said.

On Monday, 24,000 dockers at London, Liverpool and a number of other ports struck for the day.

They demanded the nationalization of all ports under workers' control, an end to the use of non-registered labour on container work and no further erosion of the national dock register. Ulster premier for 'security' talks here NORTHERN IRELAND premier Major James Chichester-Clark is to visit London Luring the next fortnight for talks with the new Tory government.

In particular, he will be seeing Home Secretary Reginald Maudling, who took over responsibility for propping up the totally discredited Tory-Unionist Stormont regime from Labour's James Callaghan at the end of last week.

They indoubtedl paration for the July 12 Orange Order marches, which are expected to lead to street fighting in a number of areas.

The British Army is now more firmly established than ever in the province.

The only reform' that Irish workers can expect is a further increase in the number of occupying troops.

5-year plan The grandiloquent new Ulster five-year plan, approved on Monday by the Stormont parliament, is also likely to be discussed.

This was designed by the Labour government and Chichester-Clark Na e to consalidate the 'reform' programme (which itself remains largely on paper).

It was drawn up by three university consultahts and provides for an expenditure of £74,350,000 on housing, jobs, tourism, industrial development, transport anıd agriculture.

While Chichester-Clark talks of 'reforms', 'development' and 'five-year plans', HEALY About the Polish government scabbing of the Eire cement strike. POLISH cement Is being imported Into the Irish Republlc to break the strike of 750 workers of Cement Ltd, which Is now in Its 21st week.

This follows the use of BY JOHN SPENCER Ex - Minister quits Fianna Fail BY A CORRESPONDENT KEVIN BOLAND, ex-Minister for Local Government in Eire, has resigned from the ruling Fianna Fail party in the interests of unity.

This was announced after a five-hour meeting to discuss his dismissal from the joint secretaryship of the party, called because of his attacks on Prime Minister Lynch.

Boland had resigned from the government last month in sympathy with the sacking of these two men terer"men were later arrested for allegedly running guns across the Ulster border. Gollan and 'Star' editor Matthews declare where they stand on scabbing by Stalinist governments.

This Is not a private affair between the Irish and Spanish workers and LAST BY A WORKERS PRESS• REPORTER threat combine's top management.

Many stewards fear that moves made by the company during the last week could add up to a threepronged attack on jobs, wages and conditions.

Two aspects of the car giant's thinking were outlined to leaders of the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions on Monday. , Drawing attention to BritishLeyland's £18.2 million drop in pre-tax profits during the irst half of the current financial year, recently-appointed labour relations director Pat Lowry claimed that STRIKES been responsible for £8-£10 million of the fall.

He proposed the setting-up of a joint labour relations council covering all 135,000 of the company's hourly-paid more a secranes, lon PAY LEVELS and dis£1000 June Appeal Fund now at THERE IS NO room for complacency. Yesterday's postbag brought us in only £21 12s 5d.

Coming after a very good start, this is like a blast of cold air. We had hoped that we would be past the post in record time this month, but we have obviously hit some problems.

Consider for a moment the situation. A Tory government is back and the Workers Press has a vital job to do.

We must rally the working class to fight back by taking a big step forward towards the building of the revolutionary party over the period

the bulk of his own • Ulster Unionist Party has moved firmly behind the Rev Ian Paisley, who regards the reform programme as a betrayal of Ulster.

Sections of the working class at the same time are groping towards revolutionary solutions to the problems of unemployment, bad housing and low wages.

Like Chichester-Clark himself, the five-year plan is doomed from the start.

Smokescreen

It provides a convenient smokesoreen behind which the Tories and the Unionist government can consolidate their iron military grip on the province, already occupied by 8,000 British troops.

A Tary government in Westminster can only mean yet another lurch towards open military dictatorship in the six counties.

WEATHER London area, SE England, Midlands: Rather cloudy, occasional rain. Some bright periods. SW winds, fresh. Warm. Max. 21C (70F). Central southern, SW, NW and central northern England, Channel Islands: Rather cloudy, occasional rain drizzle. Fog on hills and near coasts. Normal. Max. 18C (64F). strong. Edinburgh: Rather cloudy, occasional rain. Some bright periods. Winds SW, fresh. Normal. Max. 17C (63F). Glasgow area, N Ireland: Rather cloudy, occasional rain or showers. Hill fog. Brighter later. Winds SW fresh. Normal. Max. 15C (59F).

Outlook for Thursday, Friday: Sunny intervals, showers. Some general rain reaching western districts from the West late Friday.