Mujib keeps left out of new assembly

MOST powerful position in the trade union movement in Britain is held by Victor Feather.

On Monday, his 'inner cabinet' of the. TUC issued a terse statement offering the miners 'great sympathy. But instead of offering fighting leadership Feather and the union chiefs announced they were actually abdicating - NO summit meeting of transport unions would be called to coordinate the miners' Even right-wing miners' leader, Joe Gormley, had to tell the press he was disappointed' by this failure to give support, and in the pit towns miners began to say: The TUC is trying to do another 1926? THIS is the ambiguous statement of Jack Jones, leader of Britain's largest union, the Transport and General Workers:

'Our members are being asked to assist the miners in any way they can. Clearly, no picket lines will be crossed and there will be opposition to any abnormal movement of coal or other fuels in order to try and break the strike?

But what does he mean by 'abnormal movement'? Why isn't his call to his 1.6 million members absolutely precise support the miners, no strike-breaking, no movement of ANY coal or other fuel? ELECTRICIANS' union doesn't have a press officer, we were told when we phoned yesterday. When we pressed for a comment on the miners' strike the word was that 'the man who usually deals with the press says we have nothing to say'.

The union is led by Frank Chapple, who is president of the Joint Industrial Council which bargains over wages and conditions in the power industry. Power stations now become the focus of attention in the miners' battle. But from Chapple so far only silence.

No circular had been issued from the union headquarters giving any direction on the strike. ONE of the key unions involved is the General and Municipal Workers' Union -but you wouldn't know it.

More than 30,000 members of the G&MWU work in the power supply industry. The union's mansion headquarters, Ruxley Towers, said yesterday the members were working normally.

One of the senior officials in the union is Jack Biggin, also secretary of the Joint Industrial Council. No statement has yet been made by Biggin or anyone else in the G&MWU on the miners' strike.

President of the union is Lord Cooper; last year's TUC président, who proposes to register his union under the Industrial Relations Act. SHEIKH MUJIBUR Rahman intends to take a firm grip on power in Bangla Desh and exclude the left-wing parties from his government.

This was shown when he stepped down from the presidency and took office as Prime Minister in a government composed entirely of members of his Awami League party.

All nine Ministers were members of the previous government, which functioned during the conflict with Pakistan.

Mujib announced that a Constitutional Assembly would be set up composed of the elected members national and provincial assemblies. on the National Union of Mineworkers' executive to keep the strike going until the claim was met in full.

IAN YEATS reports from S Wales: Miners mounted round-the-clock pickets at 20 open-cast pits Supplyesterday cal halt coal power stations and prevent oil being taken in.

The move followed lodge meetings throughout the coalfield.

'Busloads of men are also This confines it to those who took part in the elections held while the country was part of Pakistan. It excludes the National Awami Party, which boycotted the The assembly will be certainly more to the right than it would be if elections were held today.

Mujib's aim is a Britishshich are residen 'the President shall in the exercise of all his functions act in accordance with the advice of the Prime Minister'.

A new Chief Justice has been sworn in wearing a British-type wig. Later he administered the oath of nihire to the naw Procident VILLE we new Dr Abu Sayeed Choudhury.

PAKISTAN has severed diplomatic relations with Bulgaria following that country's recognition of Bangla Desh.

Five other countries have so far recognized Bangla Desh and others are expected to do SO shortly, including the Soviet Union. In the United States Senator Hubert Humphrey has also called for recognition.

The Pakistan government has stated that there can be по meaningful talks with Sheikh Mujia, waile Indian troops remain in BanglaDesh, while the Indian representative at the UN said that troops would be withdrawn as soon as both countries considered it practicable.

What this means is that the Indian troops will ensure that the left-wing guerrillas are disarmed SO that Sheikh Mujib's government can be firmly established. Mass picket for AND THE MINERS WE ARE SURE regular readers will agree that our coverage of the miners' strike over the last week has outstripped that of any other newspaper, including those with enormous resources for slandering and attacking the strikers.

And we're keeping up the pressure.

Today-besides the second part of an exclusive interview with miners' secretary Lawrence Daly on page two we have stafi reporters Stephen Johns, Ian Yeats and Philip Wade all filing up-to-the-minute news and features from the coalfields.

ON PAGE 4 we carry a special investigation of the great 'safety' scare — and miners' reaction to it.

£1,250 Fund rises to £479.60 YESTERDAY'S post raised £141.74, bringing January's total up to £479.60. A great effort.

The determination of the miners, the mass movement in Merseyside • against unemployment and the growing support for the Rightto-Work campaign shows that everywhere, more and more trade unionists are joining the fight to defeat the Tory government.

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