Big business gloomy over future U.S. TRADE SLUMP FEARED char

we at a public meeting See the film of the first issue being prepared and printed and the film 'Young Socialists, 1969° capitalist countries.

trend.

The fall in production in November was too great to be attributable to the General Electric strike alone.

In fact many sections of American business are ex. eriencing big falls in sales As a result businessmen are still more gloomy than the pects for next year. PrOS Comes more there and are bound to be cutbacks in inspending airliner, rival to the Concorde. Attempts to reduce public are a result of They help to very results which they are intended to avoid.

Milton Friedman, one of America's top economists, has stated: "We are heading for a recession at least as sharp as that in 1960-1961. There is more than a per cent chance of that. There is a 40 per cent chance of a really severe recession, such occurred in 1957-1958, when unemployment reached 8 per cent.' Continued inflationary price increases accompany the trend toward recession. The heavy government expenditure made necessary by the Vietnam war is responsible for this.

While financing the war undermines the dollar, it also cuts into real earnings.

Wage increases over the past year have been more than eaten up by price rises, leaving workers worse off than before.

This accounts for the growing militancy displayed already by sections of the American working class.

When the expected increases. in unemployment take place next year, the first hit will be the youth and Negroes-the most dynamic element in the working class.

GREET SHEFFIELD Sunday December 21, 7.30 p.m. Industries Exhibition Centre Carver Street (behind City Hall)

LE BANDA (Editor of Workers' P 1 TORRANCE National Secretar Young Socialists) DEFINITE SIGNS of a coming recession are now visible in the United States. The dominant role of the US economy means there are bound to be important political consequences for the working class in Britain and in the other Prices on Wall Street have reached their lowest level since October 1966 and there is no sign of any factors in the economy which could reverse the falling Nixon's policies now de mand an all-round attack or working-class living standards.

This has been demonstrated by the hard-fought strike of 147,000 workers at the General Electric company, which has gone on for two months.

The fact that the firm is heavily engaged in war contracts connected with Vietnam has not deterred the workers.

The tough line of the management has been fully supported by the Nixon administration and is a sure sign of things to come.

As the ręcession deepens *the growing unemployment pool will be used to frighten workers into accepting a fall in real wages. The onset of Engineering deadlock C.I.R. threat may follow A SHARP point has now been reached in talks on changing the engineering industry's 47-year-old disputes procedure. "9%' If the union leaders continue to threaten, as they did on Tuesday, to pull out of the 1922 York Agreement by the end of the year the Labour leaders may well step in.

Their most likely course of action would be to instigate an inquiry by the Commission on Industrial Relations.

As we reported in last Friday's Workers' Press, big dangers face car and engineering workers here.

Hugh Scanlon, president of the Amalgamated Union of Engineers and Foundryworkers has correctly warned against changes in procedure being made legally binding by an incoming Tory government.

He is reported to have told Engineering Employers' Federation negotiators that the unions would prefer to have no disputes procedure than one which would operate against them.

Given a month

Members of the procedural working-party set up by the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions have given the employers until the end of this month to bring forward new proposals on the vexed issue of 'status quo'.

The employers want to shorten the existing. threemonth procedure and tighten factory discipline at the same time.

They propose obligatory vetting of all industrial action at union executive level and the compulsory setting-up of works councils.

This could mean more elective means of negotiating local productivity deals, stopping unofficial strikes, and introducing Measured-Day Work and job-evaluation pay systems in those car and engineering factories where they have not yet succeeded in breaking the piece-work HAMPSIEAU Stanch HOSSON NEARLY 1,000 building workers marched in London yesterday to lobby the joint employers and union meeting at which a new three-year package deal was expected to be signed. easte condemned ool over. which includes productivity stringsas an insult builders.

creases for craftsmen of 10}d November and Februad 9d an hour more in June 1971. 4fd and 7jd respectively. Top an Industrial correspondent grade. STOP WILSON'S VISIT TO IN'S More and more support pours in SUPPORT for our campaign against Wilson's • visit to Washington is building up.

Trade unionists, union branches, Young Socialists and students from all over the country are pitching into the fight. leaderships of the trade unions National COVENTRY Amalgamated Executive Committee of the Union of Engineering and Foundryworkers 25 Branch have passed a resolution de- ington, which we consider manding that Wilson's visit a symbolic gesture to Washington be stopped.

They declare they are in the Labour Cabinet favour of the greatest possi. labour and trade union mediately. movement to stop this visit. "Continuation Copies of the resolution are to be sent to: the AEF American government can Executive Committee and Coventry District Committee, the Coventry Trades Council and the Workers Press.

SHEFFIELD No. 1 branch of the Amalgamated Society of Painters and Decorators has also passed a resoluthen.

"That this branch sup. ports the demand of the SLL and Workers Press to Vietnam war now!' mobilize the most massive action on the part of the working class by every means at its disposal to prevent Wilson's visit to the USA. This branch ex- Troners union, presses hatred and abhorrence of US imperialism and calls upon all bers: fraternal organizations to give unqualified support to the Vietnamese people in their heroic struggle against US aggression and its adherents in this country?

support US CROYDON No. 6 branch of toloring resourassed the ·20 WOW! DEMAND — VENT.

Meetings in London, ; ManNixon in Washington, 'Mindful of unigh policy which we feel would be an Vietnam arge the act of association with the alleged atrocities. "We call on the general Last Wilson a vist to easi Council of the T&GWU to do the same? Niace, whowlso caff upon take TWELVE workers at Austin's Longbridge factory, Birmingham have signed the cancel Wilson's visit immanding the greatest possible mobilization of the labour and trade union murderous war by the movement against Wilson's proposed visit to Washingonly herald new attacks on ton.. the world's working class. They include Austin AEF tem revolves around the As the world monetary sys- convenor and Communist Party executive member dollar the effects of an Dick Etheridge, A. Hussey, economic crisis are felt in a member of the AEF disall countries. Witness to this is the 1967 devaluation branch treasurer G. Taylor. trict committee, and AEF of the pound, and several European currencies since Transport and General Workers' steward and dis trict committee member P.

'Stop support of the Lawlor appends the follow.

Wing statement to his signature:

THE following resolution If Wilson goes to branch of the Amalgamated Washington, there should be workers' demonstrations and token strike action, Belfast. not just signatures on The branch has 9,000 mem- paper?' This branch is appalled NINETY students and staff, at the reports of atrocities including five Communist by US troops in Vietnam Party and Young Comand condemns such acts. munist League members at British Labour can no more Barking Regional Technical College 'have signed the petition. Thirty-one students and staff at Lancaster sacres carries out by the University have also signed. Briefly

Lord Devlin's 'modernization' plans. recession requires, 'therefore, an immediate struggle against unemployment. Coming recession is bound te One characteristic be a fall US demand for imports from burope, Japan from the raw materialproaucing colineses St investment menses sid The Trace bonanza which many firms Europe have enjoyed the basis of sales the US market is bound come to an ena.

American sales are not only balance of pitmante for the of many countries and therefore help determine the strength me currences. mies as con siderably influence the profitability of investment.

saying has it, when America catches cold Enron gets I small a Tession to United States may mean that particular firms and Tale ree Britain ame other countries will have many thousands of workers close down redundant.

The fact that the American recession seems likely to come at a time when the European working chase is aroused and fighting hard will give it much political sencence than the previous recessions. economy Thomy has been set right