As Hull bosses arrogance grows

ANGER AMONG Hull dockers at transport union leader Jack Jones' recommendation to unload perishable cargoes has been fuelled by the publication of a letter from dock employers Robert Carr. A. M for a 'showdown' with '35 dockers and were deter- solved that you be made mined-with the aid of the aware of the attitude of the Tories — to break dockers' fruit and vegetable trade of resistance to the Devlin Hull. We cannot continue modernization scheme and trading with any degree of crack the disciplinary whip efficiency under present over them. conditions on the docks leave no reader in doubt be used in connection with about the employers' inten- the proposed European 18:0 lived: angers dockers The letter, which calls BIANCH The Hull Fruit Importers' Hull dockers had already The letter reveals that AT a meeting of this Royal group London dockers collected their strike pay yesterday. Association it was re- - - The text of the letter can and if Hull is intended to community it cannot survive in spite of its large modernization projects.

It is vital there should PRESS be a showdown with the dockers, particularly from a discipline standpoint.

Under the present system there is nobody with sufficient authority to enforce any discipline. You can be assured of the backing of the complete fruit trade community and indeed the whole of the reasonable thinking element of the city who are aware of the antics of the dockers.

We call upon the Conservative government to take steps to stop this creeping paralysis of the whole system in the country. The attitude of the docker in general has become completely farcical and beyond ordinary credibility and with this in mind it is requested that one of your department visits Hull unofficially to make a visit to the docks to see what is happening; He, will then have ample proof..

We would ask that this visit be made without delay when some importers would be available to accompany your representative. We do not comment on the financial side as you must be fully aware of the facts that pay packets of £60 to £90 weekly are very frequently taken home by the dockers, who we can say in many instances are amazed at the ease in which additional pay is forthcoming.

The further lack of reliability and responsibility of the docker is causing both the export and import Unemployment soars-dangers ahead THE unemployment total rose sharply by 23,050 over the past five weeks to produce the highest July total since the beginning of the war, the Department of Employment and Productivity announced yesterday.

542,285 workers- 25 in every 1,000 employees—were registered as unemployed on July 13. This is an increase of 0.1 per cent on last month and 0.3 per cent on July last year.

Only two days ago, the Central Statistical Office coninforces ban on us WE REGRET that today's national daily papers, unablé to carry an article on the first General Report of the Commission on Industrial Relations.

The CIR yesterday turned down our request for a coin of the report 24 hours advance of general publication time—a facility given to other national dailies.

A CIR press officer said that this decision would be applied by all government departments issuing similar reports.

He added that Workérs Press was excluded because none of its journalists was a A WORKERS PRESS CORRESPONDENT •SELL HERE firmed the trend towards recession in the economy when it reported a fall in the index of manufacturing output by three points over the past two months.

In addition, gross national product fell in the first quarter of 1970.

Many companies, it appears, are finding sharp falls in their rates of profit and are accordingly slashing investment plans and production levels, throwing workers on the dole.

The same trend is reflected in sharp price falls on world stock markets.

The Tory government will welcome the growth of unemployment as the most effective means of disciplining the working class and hitting back at the wages movément.

Hull dockers call fruit merchants' bluff A MEETING of all 'Blue' National Amalgamated Stevedores and Dockers union members in Hull agreed unanimously yesterday not to unload perishable cargoes.

Only one exception was made. The men agreed to unload fruit on condition that the fruit merchants gave them the fruit for free distribution to hos pitals and children's homes.

A spokesman told the "This will call their bluff. If they are really concerned Tilbury men refuse to move cargoes DESPITE the decision of the Transport and General Workers' leadership recommending dockers to move perishable food cargoes, a mass meeting of TILBURY dockers yesterday voted to handle only essential medical supplies. chairman Harry 1,000-strong As T&GWU divisional -Battie addressed the meeting outside the local union headquarters, there were angry questions on the movement of containers rom the docks touches mass meetng an emergency gang wa roposed to deal with carg at was 'in danger of rapi eterioration' and this hi containers Feeling high high because the dark manly ger has refused the use of compounas nor lose ther ETE about fruit going bad they will agree to this free distribution.

"But we all know they are not concerned about that. They want the fruit to make a pront on it.

Already apples unloaded before the strike have gone up 6d a pound.' National Union of Railwaymen members who drive cranes on the Hull docks have assured the local strike committee that they will not drive the cranes if troops are brought onto the docks. marcl N IRELAND'S government yesterday announced a ban by

Regis Press Printe 180b trade as well as several shipping companies to avoid Hull and indeed other major ports.

That is how the dock employers - and • the Hull employers are not speaking for themselves alone-view the advent of Devlin on the docks.

Whatever cost Tory "law and order' must be established on the docks, necessary by military means, even if it involves crippling the balance of payments and throwing thousands of workers onto the dole.

AT THE July meeting of the Brent (London) Teachers' Association a number of Communist Party teachers voted against discussing an emergency resolution which called for the defeat of the Tory government.

The thinking behind this attempt to consciously prevent teachers from fighting for an the Hull dockers are angry with Jones, who has already bent under the Tory threat to use troops.

There is now an acute danger that the present leadership will gradually sap the dockers' struggle by its failure to stand firm against the employers' onslaught.

As National Amalgamated Stevedores and Dockers' steward George Richmond told Workers Press:

'This is the least inspiring strike I have ever known. There is no communication, no leadership and no activity.

"There should be a mass the attack on the dockers by the Hull fruit merchants' The dock strike, as the Hull employers recognize, is a fight to a finish over who is to control the This is the real issue in the background of the whole strike.

The only answer to troop threats and union vacillations is to build a leadership on the docks which will fight to a finish against the rapacious dock employers and the Tory government. member of the Labour and Industrial Correspondents' The Group has access to important facilities for industrial journalists' work such as advance copies of government White Papers and Bills, but in January it voted against an application for membership from our industrial correspondent David Maude.

The 'Morning Star', which received an advance copy of the CIR report, has a member Group who voted against David Maude's application.

We call on all trade unionists to submit resolutions to their union branches, trades councils and shop stewards committees demanding that the Group and is given all facilities necessary to news affecting workers Provide everyday lives.

WEATHER London area, SE and E England, W Midlands: Cloudy with rain at times. Moderate SW winds. Near normal. Max. 20C (68F).

Central NW and central northern southern England, W Midlands: Cloudy, with rain at times, becoming brighter from West. Moderate SW winds, becoming light, westerly. Near normal. Max. 20C (68F).

Channel Islands, SW England Cloudy with rain, hill and coastal fog. Becoming brighter from West, with showers and sunny intervals. Moderate SW winds, veering NW. Near normal. Max. 18C (64F).

England: Occasional showers. Sunny intervals. Light or moderate SW winds, veering West. Rather cool. Max. 17C (63F).

Glasgow area, N Ireland: Occasional showers. Sunny intervals. Light SW winds, veering NW. Rather cool. Max. 15C (59F).

Outlook for Saturday and Sunday: Unsettled, with rain at times or showers, and temperatures rather below normal generally.

LATE NEWS INQUIRY THE COURT of inquiry into the docks dispute ended in London yesterday and chairman Lord Pearson promised the findings as quickly as possible.

Transport union leader Jack Jones had earlier reemphasized that the union was not demanding "pro-rata increases in piecework rates' if the basic rate was raised.

Both he and employers' leader George Tonge stressed the tropicane of Phase Two of the Devlin modernization scheme on the docks — though Jones There were justified suspicions on the current Pearson inquiry.

T&GWU steward Les Tite told Workers Press:

'If the inquiry is not fair to we won't accept it. Our basic wage is far below what the TUC has insisted on.

Brought to head

'The Tories have been looking for a showdown with the dockers and Cattell said that they are after trade union reform and to do away with the registered dockers.

'If troops go in, the struggle will be brought to a head