Miners' wives stand firm

Covers up — DAYIAOUR Saigon pulls its troops out SOUTH VIETNAM has withdrawn its troops from a joint, anti - communist operation with Cambodian forces in E Cambodia.

The shock move, reflecting Saigon's fears for its own territory in the face of a determined National Liberation Front offensive, sent thousands of refugees scurrying towards the S Vietnamese border.

The decision to withdraw from the joint operation in the Krek region of E Cambodia was another blow to the shaky alliance between Cambodia and its neighbour:

Well-informed sources in Svey. Ring, the chief border province town, said Cambodian commanders had been given no advance warning of the S Vietnamese move.

Military observers said the 4,000 S Vietnamese soldiers had probably gone to reinNEWS DESK 01-720 2000 CIRCULATION 01-622 7029 MAUREEN CARR has been married to an underground worker at Wheldale colliery for nearly 13 years. She and her husband Geoff, a member of the pit's strike committee, have five children, three girls and two boys.

It's no use me saying he shouldn't go down the pit.

"If Geoff thinks it's right to strike for more money I'll support him. In any case, we can't survive on £23 a week.

"We've got five children and the money is just not enough, what with the cost of living I now have to pay 30p a lb for butter.

FOOD

I've £1.75 to pay for school dinners. Then there is £3.50 rent. I can't really afford the kids' dinners.

"There is just nothing. left of the wages before we start: milk, insurance, food, rent and school dinners - it's all gone by Friday. I need to spend £10 on food alone. And that's basic stuft, not things like bacon and meat.

'I don't think it should just be a miners' strike. It should be everybody, to bring down the cost of living and give us a chance to live,' ; said Maureen.

'For my money, it wants a General Strike put the country back on its feet. The working class should stand together-I've always thought that. thing knows this is a political strike.

"The Labour Party should be backing the miners and Harold Wilson should have stepped in, but he hasn't."

CRUCIFY

Maureen warned that the Tories would now try and put the pell did, into the miners. men and the postmen, they'll do it with us,' she told 'Already they're rationing coal although they say they've plenty left.

'If we go under here they'll put the working class back 50 years; they'll crucify working man. The whole country has to stand behind the miners.

'If the miners stand alone we'll lose. As it is they've got no leadership-the men know that."

Maureen thought the Tories could be brought down, but was concerned that the leaders of the Labour Party wouldn't do much for the miners if they got back in.

What they should do is fetch us out of the Common Market, bring down the cost of living, make full employment and put value back into every pound. But will they do it? I don't know.

'But you can tell everyone from me that the miners' wives are behind their husbands, make no mistake about it. We've got to be.' force defences around Saigon during the Lunar New Year (Tet) when the NLF usually steps up its offensive.

The S Vietnamese advanced into Cambodia two months ago in a secret operation against NLF sanctuaries.

Their offensive aroused hostility in Cambodia and drew frequent reports of looting and atrocities in the press.

The operation failed in its announced objectives.

Cambodian commanders in Svey Ring said the sanctuaries had hardly been damaged and S Vietnamese were apparently preoccupied with keeping the NLF away from their own border.

Another South Vietnamese operation against the Chup rubber plantation—one of the biggest NLF strongholds-also fizzled out.

This left Saigon troops active in only one area of Cambodia, guarding Route One running between Phnom Penh and Saigon.

A DEPRESSION off NW Scotland will move away NW. All districts will have showers, more frequent in the W.

Eastern and central parts of England will have clear or sunny intervals, especially at first and in the evening, but elsewhere it will be mostly cloudy.

The showers will be prolonged at first over N Scotland and also in N Ireland, Wales and SW England later in the day.

It will be mild in all areas. Outlook for Thursday and Friday: Continuing generally mild and cloudy with showers or longer periods of rain.

Registered as a newapaper at the Post Offce. Published by Workers Press, 186& Clapham High Street, Prob coy YORKSHIRE miners' wives are determined not to let the Tories and their gutter press divide them from their husbands' strike.

There are inspired rumours of/a so-called sex strike in Wakefield, but an investigation revealed that all they consist of is an anonymous letter in the Tory-owned 'Yorkshire Post'. Usual newspaper practice is that all "They must win out' MARRIED for 12 years, Pat Lavery now has two young. children. She felt very strongly about the miners' rights.

Her husband is a leading member of the Wheldale strike committee.

I think this strike should have been started years ago! Pat said.

'We shouldn't be living in this day and age like we are.

'You can only just get living wage if you live at the pit, working seven days a week. When you've children your husband has to live down For us to have a holiday, Brian has to work seven days a week: one week on days, another on afternoons and the third on nights.' RENT UP On a five-day. week her husband brought home f20 a week. If he worked the whole week it might come to £30.

'But that would mean his working some double shifts,' said Pat.

'Our rent is going up another fl. At the moment we pay £3.35 a week.

"The strike is entirely justified.

"There should be a General Strike to get the government out. All workers have to come out and support the miners and have a proper General Strike and nốt give way at all.

'Miners must not be softUnion chiefs' retreat weakens fight for jobs MITCHELL THE BIG jobs 'shakeout' in industry promoted by the Heath government has axed almost half a million jobs in the past year.

The worst-hit sectors are engineering, where 96,000 men have lost their jobs, and textiles (where sackings have reached 52,000).

The so-called 'shake-out' forms a central part of the Tories' policy of creating mass unemployment as weapon against the working class.

In speeches throughout the general election and Heath stressed that he wanted to take the 'flabbiness' out of British industry.

NOT, however, referring the opulent boardrooms with their leatherupholstered chairs, oak tables and whisky-cabinets.

Heath campaigned through the Confederation of British Industry to get industrialists to shed labour as a means of intimidating the working Meanwhile he about, for example, his Common Market policy and introduction of the hated Industrial Relations Act.

Now figures just released by the Department of Employment show the extent of Heath's 'policy on jobs'.

• In the past year, more than 450,000 jobs have been lost in manufacturing industries.

• Total employment—varying around the 8.7 million mark in the 1960s - is now below 8.3 million. understand is that tane jobs What important losses are not simply seasonal symptom; the experts say that most of the jobs have gone permanently. union' -CIR report THE Commission on InJustrial Relations yesterday published its first report since becoming statutory body under the Industrial Relations A The report recommends that the engineers' union be given full recognition for the manual workers at the Gloucestershire metal-refining plant of Engelhard Industries.

The CIR is to work as : tool of the new Industria Relations Court established by the Act. It can impose compulsory procedure agreements.

Evolved in the strike. soaped by the union leaders who will try and sell it out. The leaders have to do this, because if the miners win it they can't let that happen, and What should a Labour government do if they come back in?

'They should give us what we want-but will they?' asked Pat. 'Harold Wilson is also good at soft-soaping.

'Miners should get more holidays, fewer hours, higher wages and better safety measures' Then, with great feeling, Pat told us how she really hated the pits and the way in In reporting the devastating loss of jobs, 'The Times' says: *Individual industries have been reducing their manpower requirements at an annual rate of just over 5 per cent.

'Labour-shedding has been widely spread, yielding imand cost savings, Productivity portant gains in One of the hardest-hit industries is engineering, where 96,000 jobs (8 per cent) were cut last year.

Steel jobs are also under fire, with three more closures announced by the British Steel Corporation:

NEWPORT Tube Works in Monmouthshire, Wales, 1,120 jobs will be lost by the closure of the works; APPLEBY-Frodingham works, Scunthorpe, with the sacking of 270; COOKLEY rolling mills, Brierley Hill, Staffordshire, which now employs 170.

During the present financial year, which • began in April 1971, the BSC's closure programme has affected 50 plants. And a total of 19,000 men have been thrown out of work.

Of this total, some 13,000 of the cuts are permanent, while the other 6,000 are claimed to have been laid off because of the recession in the steel trade.

Since the industry was nationalized four years ago, by the bs have ard leashed the board led by Labour - appointee Lord Melchett. AN INDUSTRIAL close by the end of this WORKERS at the Alfred Herbert machine-tool subsidiary near Manchester are considering a plan to stage an occupation if management goes ahead with its closure.

About 1,100 men will be thrown out of work by the proposed close-down of Churchill Machine Tools at Broadheath, Altrincham.

Churchill is a member of the giant Alfred Herbert combine, the largest tool-making group in Europe. Its estimated losses during the past year are f2m due to a chronic decline in orders.

Figures released by the Department of Trade and Industry last month show that new orders for the first nine months of 1971 were 43 per cent below those for the same period in 1970.

spokesman for the Churchill company said that the Altrincham plant would letters have to be signed. Miners rightly asking exactly who wrote letter; they seem to recall a similar during last year's strike.

In Castleford — in many ways the centre of militancy in YorkshirePHILIP WADE spoke to two miners' wives whose husbands are deeply inwhich they dominated the lives of the families who worked in them.

'I don't think men should They, shoul pit and work.

be employed elsewhere. It's degrading.

'We're supposed to be progressing, yet men are still going down there when machines could do the work.

'It's a terrible life for a miner's wife, really. I'm in a rut and I've no money to do anything else.

I like photography but it's too expensive. And natural things like going to the hairdresser and buying clothes 1 can only do if Brian lives at THE TORY jobs jobs were axed in Food, drink, tobacco Chemicals & allied Metal manufacturing Mechanical engineering Instrument engineering Electrical engineering Vehicles Textiles Building materials Paper, publishing Construction Public utilities & mining Melchett is the former Julian Edward Alfred Mond, and his family hold the largest private stake in Imperial Chemical Industries, Britain's fourth largest company.

What has been the trade unions' response to these massive attacks on their jobs?

Monday's decision by the national committee of the Amalgamated Union of EnTriumph men CAR WORKERS at Triumph's Liverpool plants yesterday voted to back the strike there by 350 bodysection men.

The body section stopped work last Thursday in protest against the dismissal of two men for refusing to obey a foreman's order involving ransfer of work. close Dy ia further develop- the end of this vear-as 'a further develoDyear-as ment in the rationalization of the group'.

Since the beginning of last year, the Herbert group has slashed its 11,000-strong work force by 3,000 men.

The Altrincham factory makes two types of grinding machine used by steel mills and paper manufacturers. Its annual sales are worth £5m.

The statement said the company ıntends transferring the location of the Churchill plant to Coventry in the Midlands.

LESS JOBS

Mr H. N. Raine, the managıng director, said Altrıncham employees would be offered alternative jobs in Coventry, but he admitted that the relocation would lessen the number of jobs availablé.

The chairman, Sir Richard Young, was even more frank. redundancies in hat further declared were on the cards as part of the policy to 'streamline our overheads'. 'shake-out', or ho the year ending O WORK 834,300 455,700 547,500 1,104,400 148,000 855,800 793,000 601,000 468,900 320,200 620,200 1,242,400 715,100 YORKSHIRE Maureen and Geoff Carr the pit. Even then I do things by myself.

'All factories should be run workers and not by businessmen, and workers should share the profits, Pat added.

"There should be no such thing as workers. We should all be one class of people.' Ho minis he strikeir wage increase everyone else will win theirs. But the only way they'll win is by kicking the Tories out.

'It doesn't bother me how long they stop out. I shall manage-as long as they win.' almost ober 19 IBS CUT FALL 32,300 16,500 45,100 96,100 7,100 46,900 40,700 52,600 6,000 16,000 29,700 53,000 17,100 gineering . Workers gives a clear indication. The policymaking committee decided to abandon the national pay claim. Instead, the union will now negotiate at plant and district committee level.

This abdication of a fight against the Tories and their pay 'norm' shows up the trade union bureaucracy in all its cowardice.

back strike A shop steward told the meeting management had refused to reverse the sackings and claimed the company was trying to introduce new form of authority for foremen.

Bécause of the dispute, Triumph has laid off 2,100 men at its two Liverpool plants and 1,260 at Coventry. The Liverpool men meet again tomorrow.

Sir Richard's own overheads are thought to be untouched by these plans.

He lives in a luxurious manor house at Stratford-onAvon and combines his chairmanship, of Herbert's with well-paid directorships Rugby Portland Cement Co, Ingersoll Milling Machine Co (USA) and the Commonwealth Finance Development Corporation.

Shop stewards at Altrincham have given a warning that they will oppose the closure 'by. every political and industrial means'.

Already there is agreement among the work force that they will not co-operate with the running down of the factory and the transfer of machinery.

Full consideration will also be given to a possible occupation to prevent the removal of the machinery valued at hundreds of thousands pounds.

The Sheikh, representing the stunted capitalist class of E Bengal and balancing between the insurgent Bengali masses and imperialism, is well aware of this.

He used every rhetorica device to depicy to the Awarene from the cheering millions who welcomed him at the Dacca racecourse.

national policy of Bangla Desh.' programme ment rural peasants will believe this piece of demagogy when the see it.

GIVEN HELP

than an imprise baid recognized, elp and a seat in an.

United Nations. foreign capital.

communist on this account.

no tinks with pakistan and mad of denudin exchequer lany hatred against you.' Moot Editorlal Board paper Wednesday January 12 Queen's Hotel, Rutland St Speaker: lan Yeats NEWCASTLE irsday January 7.30 p.m.

'Bayhorse'

Wesigate Rd Speaker :

Vlake the Tory government resign!

Return a Labour government pledged to restore full employment and repeal all laws against the unions! DAGENHAM: Wednesday 1, east Ham Town Hall The struggle for socialism in Bangla Desh.

LUTON: Thursday January 13, 8pm. Recreation Centre, Old Bedford Rd. 'Support the miners'.

CORBY: Wednesday january 19, 8pm. Civic Centre. The 'Right-to-Work' campaign.

E LONDON: Tuesday January 11, 8pm. All BY A FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT The Sheikh's words can only mean that he recognizes the need for solidarity with Bhutto against the developing 'mass movement in W Pakistan as well as in Bangla Desh.

On the vexed question of Indian troops the Awami League leader remained equivocal: "They will be withdrawn the day we want it. •I had discussions with Indian Prime Minister Mrs Indira Gandhi.

I know her. I have high regard for her."

Conscious of the explosive situation in the rural areas, where the defeat of Khan's army has roused the peasantry to take up arms against the system of usury and landlordthe Sheikh values the Indian presence as the most decrepit capitalist system. the powerful guarantee of the At the same time Sheikh will, no doubt, try to use the mass movement as a counterweight to prevent the Indian army from annexing the territory. 1972 could well prove to be an even more decisive year for the Bengali people than 1971. Leeds police inquiry starts TWO POLICE chiefs yesterday began a special inspection into the Leeds City police Sir John McKay, the Chief Inspector of Constabulary, and Mr James Starritt, Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, travelled to Leeds to prepare for the investigation which will last about a month.

In the past few years 12 Leeds officers have been convicted of various offences and pressure for an inquiry into the city's force has built up steadily.

LEEDS SHEFFIELD 'S Premise GLASGOW Room 1 Partick Burgh Merkland st Tube Teonen Jont MEETINGS Hallows Hall, Devons Poplar. Support Miners.

N LONDON: Thursday January 13, 8pnh Miners' Town pay struggle.

SE LONDON: Thursday January 13, 8pm. Deptford Engineers' Club (opposite New Cross Station). Support the miners.

SW LONDON: Tuesday january 18, 8pm. Small Hall, Clapham Manor Baths, Clapham Manor St, SW4. 'Right-to-Work' campaign.

CROYDON: Thursday January 20, 8pm. Ruskin House, Coombe Ra, E Croydon. Support the miners.

Special course of lectures decision of ATUA November 6 build revolutionary party.

TUESDAY JANUARY 18 Essential Marxism TUESDAY JANUARY 25 Economics and Politics TUESDAY FEBRUARY 1 istorical Materialism today Lecture Room 1 Digbeth Hall, Digbeth BIRMINGHAM, 8 p.m.

given by (SLL national secretary) Sunday January 16 Speaker stephen John! Sunday 0 uary 18 lestern Worki Portobello Speaker:

Stephen John:

Monday January 17 Stephen Joins