Socialiet Labour League

INCORPORATING THE NEWSLETTER • PUBLISHED FROM TUESDAY TO SATURDAY • NUMBER SEVEN • TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1969 JAN 3 1 1370 PRICE Bd Catholic and Protestant workers under fire AT BOTH SIDES FASCIST CLAMPS DOWN By a foreign correspondent DETAILS were published on Thursday of Franco's new labour code.

It represents a complete victory for the hard-line opponents of concessions to the working class.

Since the fascist victory in the 1936-1939 Civil War, the Spanish working class has been forcibly enrolled into 'syndicates', which embrace not only the workers of particular trade or industry, but also the employers.

With the hisses firmly in control of these fake 'unions' and strike action outlawed, the Spanish working class has forged its own illegal independent organs of struggle, boycotting the fascist-dominated 'syndicates".

Despite pressure from 'liberal' sections of the ruling class and the modernizers' in the lower ranks of the Catholic Church, Franco and his capitalist and landowning allies have come out firmly for the retention of all the old anti-working-class laws.

Franco appointed The syndicates will continue to group workers and employers in the same organization, with their natiopal president appointed directly by Franco.

The last ten years has seen a deep-going revival in the Spanish working class, with new forces unaffected by the defeat of the Civil War moving into positions of leadership.

Any relaxation now by the Franco regime would corB.B.C. pay offer rejected THE ASSOCIATION of Broadcasting Stafi (ABS), representing nearly a third of BBC workers, has rejected a 4 per cent pay increase.

The offer included backdating to July 1 but the membership has turned it down as inadequate to meet the increased cost of living.

They are not prepared to strike yet, but a decision on when to start a work to rule will be made at a meeting this morning.

New developments This is a new development in the industry.

The ABS has always had the reputation of behaving more like a middle-class professional body than a trade union.

The BBC has encouraged the ABS along this road in order to prolong its own refusal to recognize the more militant Association of Cinematograph, Television and Allied Technicians (ACTT).

Pressure

This move by the ABS membership also reflects the increasing pressure on workers in television and radio.

They know that the sedate BBC image is only possible for its own internal bureaucThe workers in the studios, cutting rooms and elsewhere are putting in longer and longer hours as the external crisis makes itself felt.

Less than a week after their formation was trumpeted in the capitalist press, the 'heavy squads' - special bands of club-wielding soldiers trained to pick out demonstration 'ringleaders'— were in action for the first time.

More than 40 arrests followed their intervention on Saturday night in a crowd of people in the Woodstock Road area of Belfast. The squads were sont in after troops" itui allegedly been fired on from the crowd.

Attempts by the extreme right-wing Rev Ian Paisley to clear the largely Protestant crowd from the street were ignored and he was forced back from the crowd by tear gas.

On Sunday, troops were again brought in, this time against procession Orangemen leaving the dedication service for Rev Paisley's new £175,000 'Army out' The demonstrators shouted 'Out, out, army out!' as they marched in defiance of a government ban on processions.

One thing emerges absolutely plainly from this weekend's battles-neither the Protestants nor the Catholics have anything but hatred for the army.

• By Frank Cartwright More broadcasting hours to fill, two channels, educational programmes and colour innovations all cost more money than the BBC has available.

So in recent years the pressure has been for more and more productivity-more output in less time.

The recommendations made by the American team of management consultants are also beginning to take effect.

At present the crisis takes slightly different forms in commercial television and the BBC.

But in the coming period the essential issues which unite the workers in both sections of the industry are bound to become more sharply defined. John Spencer B-Leyland strike OXFORD, MONDAY THE one-day srike against short-time working at British - Leylard, Cowley, Oxford, brough the entire plant to a halt.

Despite the disrupting activities of certain elements at last Frida!'s meeting (seen below) it was a major success.

The canteer women picketed the factory with he men, thus ensuring tha he scabs who drifted int work will be deprived of meals. Standard-Triumph workers solid for LIVERPOOL'S 1,150 Standard-Triumph strikers meet on Thursday to hear the result of yesterday's talks between shop stewards and union officials. They have been on strike for seven weeks.

Management-union SWINDON BY-ELECTION OCTOBER 30 IT IS understood from remarks made at the Labour Party conference that the by-election will take place on October 30.

The Young Socialist candidate is Frank Willis, a local engineer and member of the Socialist Labour League.

victory Workers' Press reporter in London last Friday, arranged at Brighton the previous day, ended in deadlock.

unionists our Press SEVERAL trade unionists from the Merseyside have sent their greetings to the Workers' Press Faced after seeing it prodi FROM R. REYNOLDS, mi ember of Liverpool district cr ommittee Amalgamated Union Engineering and Found Iryworkers and Convenor Lu Icas Industrial Equipment (in personal capacity) :

Arranged by Engineering Employers' Federation, the talks included leaders of the Transport and General Workers' Union and the Amalgamated Union of Engineering and Foundryworkers-just returned from the Labour Party conference.

6,000 carworkers at the company's Coventry, Birmingham and Tiverpool plants have now been thrown out of work by its refusal to settle the demands the northern plant's body-shop workers.

The dispute is over the men's three-month-old claim for lay-off pay and revision of the bonus scheme.

Stewards point out that arbitrary lay - offs without notice over the last few years have reduced workers to virtual casual workers.

Wages have been eroded since they gave up some bonuses five years ago.

They are now fighting for not only a £4 10s. rise, but more stability.

Strength

Their strike has gathered strength not only internally but externally.

At last Thursday's mass meeting just two voted against staying out.

Messages of support and donations to the strike fund have come from dockers and other car workers.

Mr Len Brindle, convenor of British-Leyland's Lancashire bus and truck plants, has promised to move a resolution for 'moral, financial and all other support' at the combine executive's meeting in Birmingham tomorrow.

British-Leyland's refusal to meet the Merseyside claim proves the necessity for united supporting action both inside and outside the combine.

Donations and messages of support should be sent to :

Mr. G. Paterson, • 1 Stonedale Crescent, Liverpool 11. ORDER THE DAILY NOW I would like to subscribe to Workers' 3 months £2 10s. Od. 1 year £10 Os. Od. Two editions (for any two days you select) 3 months £1 Os. Od. 1 year £4 0s. Od.

to: Circulation Organizer, Workers' Press 186a Clapham High Street, London, S.W.4 greet for a whole week.

As supporter of the weekly 'Newsletter' and then the twice-weekly, - think that the daily paper is a tremendous achievement and has big part to play in the working class.

A • daily paper like the Workers' Press will develop workers' political consciousness.

You can't have that without speaking out and speaking the truth, which is the aim of Workers' Press.

For example, I appreciated the way "The Newsletter' spoke out on Ford's and the penalty clauses in the last struggle of Ford's workers.

Others were suggesting that the result was a victory when it was not.

'The Newsletter' told the truth. Now Ford's workers have the same struggle again.

I wish the paper all the best and a rapid increase in sales.

WALLY I MILLER, Amalgamated Union of Engineering and Foundryworkers' steward and member of the shop stewards' executive committee, Vauxhall Motors, Ellesmere Port: paper fig good for thee workers It is cause.

the labour movement keeps up the high standards that we have seen during our The reports on our struggle at Vauxhall have been very good indeed.

I wish you every succes. SID CARTHEW, member of the National Union of Seathat if the Corkers" Press It is considered by carries on the same role as "The Newsletter' in giving a lead as well as supporting workers' struggles, then we wish it every success.

Unlike other papers you know where you stand. • More greetings tomorrow Trades Unions Alliance conference For workers' conferel All car, car components delivery are invited to a motor workers' conference Digbeth Civic Hall Digbeth Birmingham aturday November 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Write for credentials to :

R. Parsons, 21 Strawberry Path, Blackbird Leys, Oxford.

Conference lee: 5s. a persor (TEL.: 01-720 2000)

As the repression tightens, it becomes clear to every worker that the sole purpose of the military intervention has been to assert the sacredness of capitalist property.

The British General Freeland is now , the real ruler in Belfast. The process of 'cleaning up' has begun.

Blows all rounc The army directs its blows against Paisleyites as well as against Catholic and Protestant workers.

This emphasizes the class character of the army intervention. A military dictatorship must establish its supremacy against allcomers.

Those opponents of Marxism in the Communist Party and the revisionist 'International Socialism' group, who extolled the military intervention as a necessary step to prevent harm to life and limb, now find that themselves drawn into the preparation of imperialist dictatorship in Ulster.

The Socialist Labour League reiterates its consistent call for the withdrawal of the troops.

Only by a struggle around this slogan, which starts from the class character of the military intervention, can Irish workers be successfully brought to a realization of their real enemy-British imperialism.