THE 102ND Trades Union Congress meets under the shadow of the greatest political and economic crisis that the British working class has

strike at winning wage initial Not be 2,000 at meeting currently for measure other Plessey facNow have the stubborn ever faced.

The continuing massive increase in unemployment, the sharp drop in profit rates and the investment cuts, combined with the projected Tory government attacks on wages, union rights, immigrants, the social services, education and housing, now mean that the ruling class must, if it is to survive, take the first steps to the corporate state in Britain.

It Is no accident that Dr Paul Einzig, who once praised Mussolini 'leader who inspires hero worship' and commended fascist outlawing of strikes, can now emerge in the columns of the Tory press this week to advocate swingeing cuts in public expenditure and unemployment benefits. and the ruthless penalizing of trade unions for opposition to rationalization, increased unemployment bring the trade unions to heel.

Einzig is but one of a whole army of reactionaries in the Tory Party and outside it who demanding, insistently, that to back shares and profits back into the balance sheets is to put the working class in a straitjacket.

The Tories have a clear strategy defeat their enemy-the working class.

But the TUC has none.

Despité the General Counbelated and worthless decision to end support for as if i eest worked diss guised by the Stalinist 'Morning Star' as a masterpiece of strategical thinking-there doubt that the General Council is completely unprepared Tory offensive.

No policy does not require much perspicacity to know that next week's Brighton Congress, despite the demagogy leaders about 'offensive strategy' and plaintive cries from the right for 'expansion', will not seriously outline policy to fight the most sinister threat of all, unemployment, and its authors, the capitalist and the Tory All talk or high wages becomes hypothetical in the context of growing unemployment and short-time working.

The TUC cannot fight because every trade union leader in Britain is politically reconciled to the continued existence of the Tory government —from Jack Jones to Victor Feather.

That is why there is not a single motion on the agenda calling for a campaign to force the Tories to resign.

The TUC, in this sense, resembles a conference of general practitioners who are opposed to carbuncles, but quite réconciled to cancer!

Such a Congress-even if it does pass progressive resolutions-cannot implement them for the reasons outlined already.

No confidence The TUC, in so far as it reflects the real rank-and-file feelings, does so only in a distorted and often inverted way. Many of its motions could arguably. have been put forAll Trades Unions Alliance Conference MINERS THIS SUNDAY 10.30 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Danum Hotel High St DONCASTER Rolls march LOCKED - OUT Rolls-Royce DATA members marched through Coventry yesterday to Central Hall chanting slogans. Police tried to divert the 900-strong march at Broadgate, but the men refused to be re-routed and marched on. he Oxford plant.

ward ten years ago and, proba0V. would have had more relevance then.

The TUC leadership's record, Tauner. BaCK despite Mi do notes no to inspire con neence workers represents, will it do anything to scare its class enemies.

In 1969, thousands of workers General Council refused Lo supporT and te gie asing ubbed i or because of rEal Count cil, not because Even then real fruits of victory were snatched out of the ranks by decision had most far-reaching conse.

quences for all sections o workers fighting for better wages because it meant that the powers of the Chutes.

cracy in many of the larger Hitors WOnd upheld against any mikani opposition from the ranks The heroic of the St Helens Pilkington workers centre or he luminate the nature role dustrial struggle, situation of mounting insole of Thursday open reveals - alo works and rotter's letter secure return toe Ceteral han a pratis.

Workers' Union bureaucracy intact. When 600 militants spite ruthlessly sacked, Feather's solemn assurances neither the General Counci HORES secretar were able to help in reinstating these If the General Council canfight for the rights of hell can it fight for the 0,000 glass workers, how the unemployed do not want to fight or expose the reactionary nature of this counter-revolutionary bureaucracy.

They want to embellish it and preserve it for future betrayals. That is why "Tribune' can conclude its editorial thus:

In this context we particularly welcome the initiative suggested by Norman Atkinson in his article in "Tribune' this week [Atkinson suggested meeting of the General Council and the shadow cabinet]. Here is a way in which the regrettable breach [?] which was opened between the unions and the party can be healed once and for all.' 'Regret So the epic struggle againsi Wilson in May-June 1968 and presumably, the Pilkington sackings are just 'regrettable' episodes to be forgotten when conveniently possible?

Workers must place no con- the use of troops on the docks fidence in these reformists and and afraid of the struggle that turn decisively from the trap would develop, the union trists and the right and left- being prepared by the leaders retreated. A few days after the dock strike was wing trade union leaders at settled. Pilkington's sacked 600. The employers were learnIt is precisely now wher ing that 'get-tough' tactics the working class is being paid dividends with trade thrust into massive class bat- union leaders. tles that the danger of compromise, retreat and eventual over the Pilkington blacking defeat is greatest. followed the very same patWe say unequivocally that tern as those in the dock the General Council never strike. had, does not and will never have a strategy to defeat the Tories.

This strategy is provided only by the Socialist Labour League and the All Trades Unions Alliance. Its essence is expressed in the words of ers' the Te rishio to employment is the only serious right left to the workers in a society based upon exploitation.' The struggle for full emnected to the or struggle for ployment is inseparably conindependence trade unions from the capitalist state and the democratization then sin non that chit on on one of the unions.

These demands in turn must be connected with a it. of wages and hours and a struggle for sliding scale