Motor industry council CAR EMPLOYERS CALL THE TUNE

CRAFTSMEN at International-Harvesters' Doncaster factories, face the threat of intervention by the Commission for Industrial Relations (CIR) as their strike-for a Is 2d an hour wage increaseenters its fifth week.

William Paynter - ex-Stalinist, ex-National Union of Mineworkers' general secretary, is heading a CIR team visiting both the Doncaster plant and the company's Bradford works.

The strike is the first serious challenge to Harvesters' productivity deal, introduced earlier this year.

The deal, which gave Is. ar hour rise in return for pro. ductivity concessions, allows a small annual wage rise, but rules out other pay increases.

Craftsmen at Doncaster and Bradford struck a few weeks ago on a common demand for 1s 2d.

The Bradford men accepted 9d an hour increase, but this was rejected in Doncaster, where the strike recommenced for the full Is 2d.

New tractor Harvesters have plans for a new tractor and have inmotor council found the union leaders waltzing even nore harmoniously in step vith the emplovers.

Plans were agreed for inin car assembly and components plants.

'Representing the unions', in the best Trades Union Congress usage of that phrase, will be Mr Scanlon, Mr Moss Evans (Transport and General Workers), Mr Alf Roberts (Vehicle Builders), 1 Mr Jack Bishop (General and Municipal) and the new general secrtary of the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions.

The employers' views will be championed by Mr Robert Ramsey (Ford's), Mr barry Mackie (BritishLeyland), Mr Richard Hopkins (Vauxhall) and Mr Michael Rogers (Rootes).

Day Work, tightening factory discipline and stopping unofficial strikes.

Despite the proviso that mutual agreement on intervention will have to be reached first, this is a highly dangerous move.

It is a sinister augury of what may be the final outcome in the present round of procedural, negotiations for the whole of the engineering industry.

Socialist### Communist talks in France AFTER SEVERAL weeks of 'secret' negotiations the French Socialist and Communist Parties have announced talks to prepare a common political programme.

The Socialist Party has long resisted drawing closer worked out on such a proto the much more powerful gramme, which really means Communist Party for fear the restoration of the style of frightening off part of its of parliamentary, government electoral support.

The Party's declining for- The working class in France tunes have helped to bring has to be broken from the about a change. parliamentary illusions which Racked by internal crisis this kind of fake 'unity' will is now a waning force, as the foster. and dissent the Socialist Party poor showing of Gaston Deferre in the presidential rump Socialist Party and the elections showed.

Hanging on At least the pretence that A new leadership has come there was some choice between to the fore which is hoping social democracy and Stalinism to stop the rot by leaning on for French workers has been the Stalinists and thus hang- exposed. ing onto its position in local The main aim of revolutionand national politics.

However, there are Socialist to re-double their efforts to deputies and councillors who break the working class from owe their seats not to the tacit the control of the Communist support of the Communist Party and establish an alterParty, but to their relationship native leadership. with centre parties and groups. -One Socialist mayor has already resigned from the Party as a result of the news and other resignations are likely to follow.

Success

As far as the Communist Party concerned the approach to the Socialist Party has been an aim for many The great disparity now between its forces and those of the Socialists has brought it success.

If a common programme is worked out for electoral puroses, it will thus be on the ines of the current CP line calling for 'an advanced democracy'.

There seems no reason why an agreement should not be which existed under the Third and Fourth Republics.

An agreement between the Stalinists can only be an unprincipled electoral combinaaries in France now must be ISLINGTON borough council, following hard on the heels of other Tory coucils in London, has announced average rent rises allow. of fl to be imposed on October 5 next year.

After ratification by the council's housing policy committee, interim increases averaging 7s 6d will be brought in from April limits. 20 next year.

All new tenants will have to pay the full increases from next month. Council, meanwhileryo per The Greater London to raise rents by 44s.

success with the Workers visit.

Xmas Arrangements THE Workers Press will not be published on Xmas Day and Boxing Day. Like other national dailies it will appear on Saturday, December 27. All inquiries call 01-720 2000.

BREAD

PRICE UP THE PRICE of bread is to be increased by a penny from January 5, Mr Cledwyn Hughes, Agriculture Minister has announced in a Commons reply.

The major bakers' proposal for a further penny on large loaves is to be referred to the Prices and Incomes Board.

HOSPITAL

BLACK-OUT AN EXPLOSION in a transformer which burned out conductors and caused a second explosion in an 11,000-volt overhead power cable blacked out a hospital and more than 1,000 shops, homes and other buildings in Cambridgeshire yesterday. rocket in Islin By a Workers cent as quickly as the Labour government will A breakdown of the Islington increase shows how meaningless are reassurances by the government that rent increases will be kept within "reasonable' 250 tenants will have to pay increases of between 2s and Is, 6,000 tenants between 10s and 19s, 5,600 tenants between 2Us and 29s, and 50 tenants 30s to Their messare to Downin& [!!?|||!!!! Street reads:

"This Sidcup branch of the Communist Party demands that you cancel your visit to Washington in January.

'Otherwise, it would appear that HM government condones the US atrocities in Vietnam' A copy of the letter has been sent to the Communist Party's Kent district committee.

LAMBETH branch of the Electrical Trades Union has also demanded cancellation of the visit.

The resolution, which was carried unanimously, stated:

"This branch is appalled at the reports of atrocities by US troops in Vietnam, conUCI demns such acts and demands that Prime Minister Harold Wilson cancels his intended visit to President Nixon in Washington, which we feel would be an act of association with the alleged atrocities.' THIRTY workers at Crawley's Manor Royal MSC factory— including Amalgamated Engineers and Foundryworkers' shop steward Bro. Wooldritch —have signed the Workers Press petition demanding that the visit does not take place.

AT THE Southall and Hanwell bus garages, 24 Transport and General Workers' Union drivers and conductors have added their signatures.

108 TENANTS, most of them Cowley motor workers and on the Blackbird Leys estate, Oxtord, have signed the petition of the Blackbird Leys Young Socialists.

A LETTER has been sent to Wilson from the AEF East Kilbride No 5 branch:

'At our branch meeting the following resolution was moved and passed without dissent:

"That this branch views with dismay your intention to visit America and the consequent implied commitment of the British working class to a policy of genocide in Vietnam.

"This can only lead to dis Press reporter The great majority of tenants are faced with increases of between 10s. and 29s.

Islington council thus appears to have ignored the guarantee by Minister of Housing Greenwood that 'Save in exceptional circumstances, in any 52-week period no general increase in standard rent will involve an increase of more than 7s 6d a week and no increase for any individual dwelling will exceed 10s a ruption between the trade union movement and the higher echelons of the Labour government who to all intents and purposes seem hell-bent on this policy of destruction.

"We would therefore call on you and the government to dissociate itself from the war machine of American aggression with its policy of systematic and indiscriminate killing and reconsider your decision to visit Washington' ITALY

stalled large amounts of new machinery in their plants.

They are now worried that if they concede the craftsmen's claim, piece-workers— already earning less than the craftsmen-will open a struggle to push their wages A demand for higher piecework rates is already going through procedure.

Paynter's intervention on behalf of the CIR must be seen in this light.

The management would undoubtedly like to introduce Measured-Day Work in the plants-thus effectively tying down wages while allowing unlimited productivity increases. dent of the Electrical and Favour MDW Plumbing Trades Union A section of the stewards and chairman of the elecat the plant is believed to tricity supply industry's favour the Measured-Day Work system, which is already joint industrial council, has in operation at Harvesters' instructed his union's memChicago factories.

bers to ignore what he Harvesters workers must redescribes as a Communistsist any attempts to bargain away their conditions, and backed attack on productshould oppose completely the inquiry being conducted by ivity bargaining. Paynter.