Moscow attacks anti-Arafat

How not to anti-union laws THE LAMBETH dustmen's decision not to take part in the strike called by their unions on Tuesday in sup port of the local authority manual workers' wage claim is regrettable and wrong.

It is all the more regrettable since it was the same dustmen who, by their tenacious strungle he Lander an cil's productivity and antitotting sparked off the London dustmen's strike.

Because of the non-political nature unuch th the adormist union tactics of 'selective' strikes, the Lambeth dustmen now find themselves in syndicalist blind-alley which will isolate them from other workers and strengthen the Tory offensive on wages and conditions.

In this sense the statement of Sully is worth recting ankdustmen's leader Frank cause it shows ruptcy of left trade unionism in the face of a dramatically and rapidly-changing political situation.

Mr Sully told a 'South London Press' reporter:

Our past militaney bar a bad reputation andot De name smells London [sic]. Let hope we can make some amends ... It's obviously a showdown between unions and the government and we think hey have picked the wron workers, the wrong time and the wrong government.' This incredible statement has the right-wing bich Press' states evetat Tory in Latelin of "The declaration drives militant stage begins.

('South London Press', September 29, 1970)

True enough, and we would ask Mr Sully to ponder on the significance of the press reaction. NUPE If the majority of dustmen support him it is not be- OFFICIAL cause they are afraid of the Tory government or the STRIKE timing of the strike.

It is mainly because they are scentical of the efficacy of selective strikes and the capacity of the leaders to win, particularly after the experience of the docks strike and the inglorious and shameful retreat of Jack Jones on the vital issue of the basic wage.

The local government workers' claim for extra money, extra holidays and equal pay is entirely just selp pors a ev de trade unionist in Britain.

What is 'wrong', Mr Sully, is of their f2 15s pay claim.

not the government, but the methods and outlook of the trade union leadership which to pressurize the employers thinks that the government into giving a little more than can be pressured into giving the fi 16s they have offered, in sorts of fancy as a means of settling the manoeuvres. strike.

What is worse, it does so at deliberately avoided an all-out a time when the man ene stoppage and relied on the half-hearted threat of selected wage movement by parlia- strikes — a method perfected economic policy designed to mentary legislation and an by the Stalinists in France.

increase unemployment. kers were quick to point out yesterday, is not the way to Trade union officials and conduct a serious struggle leaders who refuse to recosagainst the Tories, oi eoryise are like generals clearly determined to turn this wage claim into a test case.

lancing their troops blindfolded into an enemy minegiven encouragement to secfeld. tions which do not want to The replacement of these fight.

people by leadership bledged to a socialist pro- Anion tire cal and continue gramme of expropriation of monopolies, workers' and overthrow of working as usual. (See col l Toryism is an unpostpone- this page.)

able task.

This is the task which the All Trades Unions Alliance con- But of October 3 is yesterday was disciplined and "ARANC determined to solve. We to are seriously concerned urge all trade unionists still inside depots, who ir by the syndicalist dangers in work-to-rule.

the trade union movement to give this conference their full backing ONE THING remains certain following the death of Egypt's President Nasser - the determination of both the US imperialists and the Soviet bureaucracy to impose a brutal and bloody peace in the Middle East on the bones of the Arab Revolution.

Doubts over 'selected' LAMBETH NUPE OFFICIAL STRIKE Outside Lambeth's Shakespeare depot: NUPE drivers (I to r)

Peter Bayliss, John Luckhurst and Charlie Nudds.

SELECTIVE strikes of council manual workers hit 16 of London's 32 boroughs yesterday, the first day of the unions' 'rolling programme' of strikes in support The union leaders still hope the Public Employees' union were on strike, Workers Press reporters Nudds and pickets Charlie Peter Bayliss and their shop steward John Luckhurst.

That is why the unions have Opinion was divided about the 'selective' system of striking. 'If it had been left to me,' Peter Bayliss said, I'd have pulled the lot out. This is a This, as many council wor- strike against the Tories. I didn't like some of Harold Wilson's policies, than this but rather have him bunch. 'Heath will have a general strike on his hands if he goes In London, it has already on like this. You've got the miners, the buses, the firemen, and now us. "What with rising costs and The Lambeth dustmen — rents our wage of £17 9s is ridiculous for a man who's supposed • to be a craftsman.

Our job is worth a score a week easily' Disciplined 8th ARREST CHIEF-OF-STAFF of an élite solid. Workers on the picket Indonesian Army division, ines were supported by thost Brig-Gen A. Somali, has been arrested and accused of secret many cases operated a strict ties with the communist underground, it was announced in At the Lambeth Council's Djakarta yesterday. He is the Sakespere River men, eighth Indonesian general to be held on similar charges.

The sudden demise of Nasser has removed an important prop of the bourgeoisie in its struggle against the Palestinian commandos and. can only accelerate preparations for further blows aimed at the left-wing of the guerrilla movement.

The Stalinists are hurriedly pressing forward to fill the vacuum as quickiy as possible with a military junta that will continue • to operate fore traditions the RogersGromyko plan and the Cairo agreement.

Moscow hastily pledged continuing support for a political settlement of the Middle East conflict, along the lines for which President Nasser has fought'.

Imperialism and Stalinism lose their best Middle East broker • SEE PAGE FOUR • This promise of support for further massacres, even more bloody than those carried out by Hussein and his butchers, is backed up on Moscow Radio by continual attacks against the révolutionary guerrillas.

Extremism

Said one Moscow 'observer':

"The extremism of such elements encourages provocatory action by those external forces which are alien to Arab interests; forces, which, with the aid of these individual Palestine groups — I emphasize the word 'individual' because in general these groups do not determine the nature of the Palestine movement as a pretext for direct American interference and for intervention in Jordan.' .. Premier Kosygin is now preparing to attend Nasser's Lefts' disappointed with •BY STEPHEN JOHNS THE ATTEMPT by the THE ATh the Labour parliamentary 'left' to 'capture the party for socialism' got off to a bad start in yesterday's conference National Executive Committee elections.

No new 'left' MPs were elected in the key constituency party section of the committee and Norman Atkinson, MP for Tottenham, was defeated by a decisive one million plus margin in his contest with James Callaghan for the party treasurership.

In the seven-seat constituency section Barbara Castle and Anthony Wedgewood Benn once again finished top of the poll.

Eric Heffer, 'left' MP for Liverpool-Walton, and John

Morris

stand BY A CORRESPONDENT A MASS MEETING of assembly workers at the Morris Motors plant in Cowley, Oxford, yesterday morning overwhelmingly decided to continue their five-week old strike over the type of payment to be introduced on the new ADO 28 model.

There was no weakening in the determination • of these workers to stand firm against the intentions of British-Leyland to introduce new methods of payment without agreement, although wey art sued wiin the full force of the Tory governBenefit ends Unemployment benefit has been stopped to those in the plant effected by the strike and there is a severe tightening upon social security payments.

A. Tory organization called More Prosperous Britain Society tried to intervene directly at yesterday morning's meeting and called for a return to work, a three-month truce at Cowley and anti-trade union laws in order to support the economy.

They were dealt with firmly at the mass meeting by workers demanding that they leave the area before the meeting started and they received their final answer when the vote was taken.

Amplifiers

This organization was allowed by the police to use amplifying equipment outside of a hospital opposite the Morris men's meeting place.

At the strikers' first meeting police caused confusion by preventing senior shop stewards using loudspeakers.

Fifteen hundred workers were left walking around Cowley with no place to meet.

There is now severe hardship amongst the strikers and shop stewards have launched an appeal for donations of support.

Financial donations should be sent to: D. Hobbs, AEF convenor, 14 Hawthorne Avenue, Headington, Oxford. NEC results Mendelson, MP fpr Penistone, again failed to come within 50,000 votes of election.

Only the old-style 'left' represented by Ian Mikardo and Tom Driberg retained its place on the committee.

The only change, in fact, in the constituency section was the election of Dennis Healey, ex-Defence Minister, in the place of Anthony Greenwood, ex - Housing Minister, who did not stand.

Obviously 1 was ver disappointed at the results,' Peter Jackson, "Tribune'-ite former MP for High Peak, told the Workers Press.

I was very disappointed that Eric Heffer did not get elected. I must admit it's Wilson speech turns socialism on its head DAVID MAUDE in Blackpool PLATFORM promises of pitched House of Commons battles against Tory attacks on the social and health services, bousing, and nationalized industries failed to convince many left-wing delegates to the 69th Labour Party Conference yesterday.

Party leader Harold Wilson.- in his parliamentary report-warned the government that if they lay their hands on all that has been built up by the British people ... the fight we shall put up by day and by night against their legislation will make even the battles they had to fight to get the Rent Act through MOVE TO DEPORT DUTSCHKE CONDEMNED Clay Sador Pary the She told the Workers Press: Ian Mikardo.

I think it is very important to have a debate on this gueson in Britain bao is being persecuted for his political beliefs. This is a very important principle tr fight on, as important a bad schools.

appreciate that there is lack of time in this conerence to discuss all issues ut I hope we will be abl to have some debate on this not a very encouraging start to our campaign.

'You see, only two-thirds f the constituency partie ave bothered to send dele gates. I think there is a good deal of cynicism in the conference. Many people know that resolutions will be passed and discussed and then simply ignored by the leadership' Norman Atkinson, speaking immediately after his defeat, said that he was obviously disappointed with the results.

"I cannot say much about it at the moment. We must first analyse why it occurred, But I think it's a start and we will try again next year? trade union delegates later confided a belief that 'the fight is still in the factories'.

A number of trade union leaders rose in the debate to take the line-the words, in this case, are those of assistant secretary Norman Stagg — that 'this government will discriminate against our industries in a way which will impair their efficiency' Robbery ASTMS - sponsored MP Russell Kerr described the Tories'' airline plans as 'robbery on a grand scale •.. could and should put ministers responsible behind bars'.

But it was left to Wallasey constituency delegate Tom Ward to strike virtually the only principled note in the debate.

'Public industry must be run in the interests of the people as a whole by the £730 9s 10d for the fund every penny you can to :

London, sw4.

Biannu IM

Charlie Nudds was angry about the dustmen's decision to continue work.

'All three unions ought to come out and support us, he said.

He pointed out that the council had just raised rents in the area by another /s od.

'On the kind of wages we're getting that means when you've paid your rent to the council you're left with f10 or so. How can you keep a family on that?' John Luckhurst explained the operation of the selective 'We're bringing out as few as possible. But we want to make sure they are the most effective in stopping the rest working.

'We're trying to get what we want without inconveniencing the public too much. We've got to keep them on our side.' Solidarity PICKETS, 100 strong, at the gates of council depots in Factory Lane, Croydon, expressed the strength and solidarity of the council workers' strike there.

Stewards reported 100 per cent stoppage in the refuse department, toilets, road sweepers and sewers. They said car park attendants would be out before the end of the day.

Croydon's modern Whitgift Centre, with its towering blocks of shops and offices, will be 'chock a block' with rubbish by Wednesday. The market will feel the effects even sooner.

Stewards claimed that the council had escalated the strike by stopping the wages of three of the stewards, who spent time last week visiting their members to plan the action and keep essential services going.

Harold Ingram, NUPE, Bob Lear, NUGMW, and Johnny Ward, T&GWU, were carrying out the decisions of their committees, which had decided to maintain work on cesspools, hospitals, old age pensioners' homes, school meals and cemeteries. Because of the council's action, these services would stop too.

Poor conditions

Alf Jardine, a NUGMW Committee member told our reporter:

'We won't go back till we've got the claim.' Many Croydon Council workers complain about poor working conditions. 'We should be able to go to work in decent clothes, and have showers and changing rooms —but we can't,' complained SUBSCRIBE Name.

Adress.

CLASHES IN NASSER DEMOS Jerusalem, Tuesday-Israell forces clashed with stonethrowing demonstrators today as tens of thousands of Arabs in the occupied territoriesand some in Israel itself— manifested their grief at President Nasser's death.

A 57-year-old woman was shot and wounded in the A-Shati refugee camp in the Gaza Strip when troops opened fire after demonstrators building barricades and hurling stones refused to disperse.

In Jerusalem, several demonstrators and police were slightly hurt when batonwielding security forces, supported by water cannon, waded into a crowd of stonethrowing youths outside the walls of the old city.

Prime Minister, Mrs Golda TODAY the Labour Party conference will hear yet again how the Wilson leadership will funeral on Thursday and will no doubt take the opportunity of impressing on the Egyptian leaders the need for business as usual.

Meanwhile, Nixon has called an emergency conference with Secretary of State William Rogers and Defence Secretary Melvin Laird to discuss the situation and has cancelled the proposed 6th Fleet manoeuvres in the Mediterranean to smooth the way for Kosygin's Egyptian visit.

On both sides of the Suez canal, Egyptian and Israeli forces have been put on 'attack alert' as demonstrations-sparked off by the announcement of Nasser's death-threatened to turn into mass denunciations of the Cairo 'peace' plan, agreed by right-wing Al Fatah leader Yassir Arafat and King In the Gaza Strip, Israeli moved into towns on the occupied West Bank of Jordan as nearly all schools closed and Arab students demonstrated in the streets.

Nasser's death and the clear emergence of Arafat as a traitor to the guerrilla struggle indicates that Jordan's Hashemite dynasty may not be the only pillar of imperialist rule in the Mid-East soon.

Both Nixon and Kosygin agree that the main task is to destroy the left-wing of the guerrilla movement-with the connivance of Arafat - in order to behead the struggle against Zionism.

This could well be based on an agreement to woo Arafat with the promise of an 'independent' Palestine on the Israeli-held West Bank, with a corridor to the sea, provided that Israel's right to exist as an imperialist conclave is assured.