Sheffield engineers to discuss Devey pay-off

THE FRENCH-language Montreal paper 'le Devoir' ('Duty') yesterday reported that about 40 prisoners held after the kidnapping of British diplomat James Cross and Labour Minister Pierre Laporte were to start a hunger strike.

They are protesting against the Trudeau regime's control over judicial powers under the savage War Measures Act, introduced on October 16.

Most of those detained bleak Terry Devey, convenor, until prospec December 16, of the city's for gas part of the massive Unilever - Bird's Eye men's pay which ended a seven-week strike at the plant, has sparked a major crisis both on the claim district committee and in the AEF district committee and district secretary George Caborn is a leading CP Batchelor's Foods plant. Batchelor's forms Devey, too, was a Communist Party member and a regular spokesman locally for the Liaison Committee for the Defence of Trade Unions. He has now resigned from the Acceptance of the pay-ofi, CP, which he claims is trying to make him a whipping boy for Caborn's mistakes.

Our inquiries show that this is by no means the first such The Party dominates the settlement concluded in the Sheffield area.

CHARITY

At Carlisle's engineering plant earlier this year, a nineweek strike aimed at maintaining a closed shop was concluded with an agreement that the non-unionists : would pay contributions to charity rather than union dues.

And at Batchelor's itself, the settlement contains a 'no makes it impossible clauses for the victimization' which union to proceed with disciplinary action against some strikers at the company's Worksop branch who returned to work while the strike was still in progress.

The Worksop AEF branch had called for their expulsion.

Members of the Batchelor's strike committee have publicly challenged Caborn to debate the settlement, which, he claims, he 'only negotiated', implying that it was the strikers' responsibility for accepting it.

It is understood that the strike committee's repeated criticisms of Caborn's conduct 'noted, so far simply been have on the district committee.

CORRECT

The Party's Yorkshire discommittee has condemned the settlement before rectly, as 'a retreat the same forces which are behind the Industrial Relations Bill.

The Bill's terms provide maxımum compensation for unfair dismissa! of £4,160.

The AEF district committee —meeting just before Christmas — also condemned the settlement in general terms, with three abstentions.

All these pious resolutions, however, leave the basic questions unanswered.

As we have salu, the Sheffield AEF district committee is well known to be dominated by CP members and their sympathizers. And as such, Ramelson and Gollan must accept political responsibility for the conduct of Party members.

The industrial organizer of the CP is Bert Ramelson.

his mouth in situation in though his position in the CP places him right at the centre of these events.

It is not enough for the Communist Party to issue vague statements branding the settlement.

It bears the political responsibility for the Batchelor's settlement and the retreat before the Tories in Sheffield.

SCAPEGOAT

Is it the case, as Devey's statement on resignation from the Communist Party appears to indicate, that he is being made the scapegoat for Caborn's actions ?

If so, does the Communist Party intend to discipline Caborn ?

Or is it trying to hush up the scandal surrounding this settlement in order to protect position in the Sheffield AEF ?

Will the challenge thrown down by the Batchelor's strike committee be taken up ?

Ramelson, who December 8 to circulate the lying rumour that Workers Press 'scabbed' print-workers' stoppage, ha yet to answer these and man: other key questions arisin: from the Devey case.

The CP's Yorkshire district leadership maintains a similar guilty silence.

These people, who have politically prepared the way for the Batchelor's settlement, must be forced to answer now.

E, SE and central southern England and the Midlands will be generally cloudy with occasional snow. Elsewhere there will be wintry showers, but W districts will have some sunny periods. It will be cold or very cold in all districts.

Outlook for Wednesday and Thursday: Continuing cold with sleet or snow at times.