Big actions throughout Britain 10,000 TEACHERS OUT IN 'MORE PAY' RALLY

Damn press THE 20-MILLION-strong JUST A WEEK AWAY GRAND XMAS BAZAAR Saturday, Nov. 29 doors open 12 noon 10,000 TEACHERS marched through London yesterday, determined to force the Burnham Committee's derisory £50 offer back down the throats of the management panel and win their £135-a-year demand.

Delegations went to the Department of Education and Science, 10 Downing Street and the Greater London Council's County Hall headquarters to warn— as stated in a resolution carried unanimously by a mass Inner London Teachers' Association rally at the Albert Hall— that today's action would be followed by further and more sustained action to achieve a just settlement of our claim'.

The vast majority of London's 15,000 teachersmemhers of the Natinnal Union Of Teachers, National Association of Schoolmasters and non-unionists-were on strike to back up this warning.

The Albert Hall rally, packed to overflowing, gave standing ovation to NUT president Mr Ben Johnson, who said:

'We say now is the time for all, the fine words uttered over the years to be translated into deeds. We are no longer going to be satisfied with having our noses rubbed into the dirt until the "economic millenium" occurs. "The country can afford to pay teachers better—it cannot afford not to do it.

'If words fail to produce results national and sustained action must follow' Johnson—who referred to the possibility of area strikes after the meeting that area withdrawals of labour on a planned programme might be put to a special conference if the Burnham Committee refused to increase its offer. Ter SChristmas, it at alsaid THE BIGGEST wave of strikes in the teachers' pay campaign shut schools The big question for throughout England.

teachers is 'what now?'.

Their march, which ex- mated 25,000 teachers were pressed all their problems of on strike-including 10,000 in low pay, over-sized classes and London and 9,000 on Merseystaff , shortages, knocked into side. a cocked hat all those who said it was impossible to get Durham, Halifax and Newteachers to fight. They can and castle. will.

authority spokesman said that 760 of the 1,200 primary and secondary schools did not Big danger open. about 180 were thought to be But there is a big danger operating normally. of their militancy being channelled purely into forms 500 banner-waving teachers of protest. marched through the streets.

Johnson's statement makes clear that the NUT executive of Schoolmasters has decided is by no means prepared to on a two-week strike by 500 go all the way. members : from December 1, While they must respond to the enormous wave of frustration amongst teachers, they will not lead.

Enraged officials of the union in fact tried to prevent teacher members of the All Trades Unions Alliance carrysolidarity action with the 500 boilermakers sacked five Grangemouth over a productivity deal.

Young Socialists night.

strikers scuffled at the site.

Canning Town Public Hall by strikers.

Can you sew? knit? paint? make something for our Bazaar? give something towards our bazaar ?

Have you a tin of grocery? jumble? • us make this the best bazaar ever hi jobs. us raise the money for our daily pa THE WORKERS' PRESS Widespread action shuts schools secretary Mr Terry Casey said yesterday.

This will affect schools in Cambridge, Ipswich, Luton, An NUT spokesman esti- Hemel Hempstead and St Albans.

The NUT will call at least 1,000 of its members out on the same date.

Other areas hit included ABOUT 300 students and teachers from the Reading area marched through the An Inner London education town yesterday to present a petition the Berkshire director of education.

The local NUT branch did not back the action, but 14 240 were partly closed and teachers on strike from the Bulsmershe college of education — a teachers training At Newham, East London, college—were on the march.

The National Union of Students gave full backing to The National Association the demonstration.

The petition protested strongly at the 'deplorable Boilermakers' union agrees to return BOILERMAKERS SOCIETY leaders have called off all weeks ago from the British Petroleum refinery site at The decision of the Boiler- implementing the deal. makers' executive follows talks with TUC secretary Workers orders Printed out in day Victor Feather which lasted November 14 the blacking of until late on Wednesday the Grangemouth work could only mean a delay in a comblacking all work for the Pr the productity deal vers Boilermakers have been was contractors on the BP site. not completely rejected.

Five people, including a policeman, were injured yesterday when police and U.S. Vietnam casualties Four were cut by flying glass when buses were stoned heaviest for 2 months The boilermakers' leaders have agreed to meet the other unions on the site whose US AND Saigon casualties members have been instructed last week were the heaviest to take on the boilermakers' for two months, according to an official statement tricianse and numbers the made in Saigon yesterday.

US fatalities amounted to AEF and the Constructional 113, and those of the Saigon Engineering Union-are all puppet regime 497. "The fight isn't over yet'-dockers By our industrial reporter MANY LONDON dockers were jubilant yesterday about their rejection-by 3,090 votes to 2,442—o1 proposals for the second phase of Lord Devlin's docks 'modernization'.

The ballot shows most of the men never changed their minds about Phase despite the campaign in "The Port" and elsewhere, docker from militant Royal group told the Workers Press.

'But the fight is not over et--they've got to try an orce it through somehow. ansport its memberseneral Transport and Workers' Union is believed to be none too happy with the result of the ballot.

Rushed meeting

Meanwhile, gnashed their teeth about the effect on container and other traffic through the ports.

They rushed to a hurriedlycalled meeting at the Department of Employment and Productivity yesterday afternoon.

At information meetingsddressed by lay and full-time officials of the T&GWU-up and down the docks last week dockers were asking three main questions:

WHAT did the new disciplinary proposals contained in the deal mean?

COULD they demand extra money for working dirty or dangerous cargoes under the scheme?

WOULD Phase Two spell This increase is the fruit of Nixon's decision to fight it out with the Vietnamese people.

It can lead only to even greater opposition to the war, both in the army and at home.

Unions

Alliance meetings OLLERTON (NOTTS) essons of the Miner Strike' Saturday, November 22 I2 noon Plough Inn Speakers:

Two Yorkshire Miners CANTERBURY "Trade unions and the Labour government Monday, November 24, St Radigunds RAMSGATE "The next stage in 1 miners' struggle' Tuesday, November Flowing Bowl Newington Estate BIRMINGHAM Teachers' meeting 'Fight the attacks on Thursday, November 27 The Wellington orner of Bromsgrove Stree and Bristol Road Briefly

refusing a parity reduction gears The men, Draughtsmen's and Allied Technicians' Association members, have plant.

& Workers Press iction of the LEA representa ives on the Burnham pane in rejecting the teachers' organizations. requests for an £135 interim pay award'.

Banners on the march read "Get rich. Don't teach!' and Can you keep your family on E13?'.

AT A MEETING of 3,000 MeGarvey was interrupted during his concluding remarks by a militant teacher insisting that the Burnham Committee representatives present should give a pledge to fight for the full £135.

The £135 is a reasonabl laim and should be met by : reasonable offer', said Burnham Committee representative A. J. Smyth.

After uproar, he declared:

"I have no hesitation in saying I would not accept a penny less than £135' Previously Mr Smyth had stated that teachers should learn from industrial experience and 'get some restrictive practices ... to sell in pro ductivity deals'.

SEVERAL thousand teachers attended a rally in Birmingham Rag Market.

A large demonstration of student teachers, on strike in sympathy, marched in from the College of Education.

An ATUA statement was handed out calling for a political fight against the Labour government and warning against the Tory plans for education, as seen in the 'Black Papers'.

It demanded preparation for a national stoppage.

• resoution was nasca inanimously at the end re jecting the £50 offer. tht virtual end of trade union organization on the docks?

It emerged that they could be disciplined for not keeping up a certain pace of work; that no extra pay for more difficult cargoes would be forthcoming and - as Royal group's full-time official Mr Bill Munday, put. itwhether the union was finished would be 'up to the men'.

Few dockers were satisfied with these answers.

Their two main fears are on redundancies and a virtual 'freeze' on their wages once the deal is signed.

For many, the employers' £33 10s. "final' offer would have meant a wage-cut and, it is said, the Dock Labour Board is already 'having difficulty placing 500 dockers.

The threatened closure of the Surrey Commercial dock late next 1971 couldYear or early in greatly aggravate this problem.

'We should fight for the £33 10s. as a guaranteed minimum, the maintenance of piece-work, no shifts, "strings" and no co-operation with new methods of working until the docks are fully nationalized under our LONDON RALLY What we ORDER THE DAILY months £1 for three months I would like to Workers' Press for ost to: Circulation Organizer, Workers' Press, 18 lapham High Street, London, SW4. Tel: 01-720-200 ing banners demanding 'national strike action now' on the march.

No such fight was put up by any other tendency.

• Net her Communist But it is clear that only prolonged national action can now ensure success.

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