Italian motor workers show the way The fight against speed-up at Pirelli

throughout the post-war period. It is the main buyer of petro-chemical synthetics from Agip (the state petrol firm) and the major supplier of tyres to Fiat and cables to the state telecommunications and electricity new attacks begin THE CHEMICAL trade unions of the Pirelli 'Bicocca' factory in Milan called one-hour stoppages and mass meetings on all shifts against the police repression of workers and trade union officials.

factory Famitalia also struck against the police charges on eight workers following demonstration at Montedison's offices in the city.

The state is now working all out to bring legal sanctions against the labour movement.

Two trade union officials, Michele Tedesco and Giusseppe Diotti, have now been charged with obstruction and threatening behaviour in connection with alleged incidents dating back to April 1966.

The revival of laws inspired by the fascist penal drawn up under Mussolini is a threat to the entire Italian labour movement.

Piergiargio Bellochio, editor of "Lotta Continua', leftwing weekl inciting trial in Milan military personnel disobedience, apology for crime versive propaganda'.

Verdict reasons

The court, which a month ago sentenced Francesco Tolin, editor of 'Potere Operaio', to 17 months imprisonment, has now given the reasons for its verdict.

Tolin was held guilty, among other reasons, because he 'published anarchist theses and in particular urged workers to disobey the law at a politically inflammable moment'.

The struggle against police repression from the rank-and-file workers in the factories, forcing the union In 1948, 21,000 workers were employed at the Bicocca plant, about two miles from the city centre.

But by 1959, Pirelli had run its labour force down to 12,000 without reducing The number of workers has remained constant since then, about half of them being with Pirelli since the early postwar period. This has helped to a great sense of solidarity amongst the workers.

When unemployment rose sharply in 1964, the employers took advantage of the situation to force the workers back pay and working conditions.

Using lock-outs in different shops, the Pirelli management imposed a new contract that was in many ways far worse than the expired one.

These new terms included abolition of bonus rates, the revision of piece-work and the doubling of the serperiods necessary grade promotion. bureaucracies had failed to do two years earlier-despite the pressure of a total strike.

The battle was joined again in 1969 as part of the overall offensive of the Italian working for higher pay, shorter hours and improved social services and living conditions.

In mid-September Pirelli stated that no increase over 1,000 lire a month could be made to the production bonus -the union claim was for 15,000.

The management threatened workers with the sack and provoked them by importing tyres from Spain and Greece.

The workers, incensed Pirelli's deal with two fascist regimes, overturned the ployers' cars in the management car park. the Pirelli rank-and-file committee shy away from political luestions and regard the Communist Party's role as of little importance.

The counter - revolutionary role of Stalinism is ignored by these workers at their-and their whole class's—peril.

Leadership

The present situation in Italy - exemplified by the enormous militancy and class confidence of the Pirelli worB-LEYLAND (BATHGATE)

WORKERS ACCEPT and productivity deal was accepted yesterday A PAY at a mass meeting of the 2,500 shop-floor workers morning at British-Leyland's Bathgate After an argument over the voting method, the deal was passed by a majority of 16.

In addition the validity of the vote has been called into question because a local bus strike prevented up to 1,300 more men from attending the meeting.

The deal gives a flat £2 10s increase and an additional payment of up to f2 a week tied to a 10 per cent productivity increase.

Yesterday's decision reverses the rejection by the shop stewards last month of condition tying the increase to maintaining a level of output at 106 per cent (bonus level).

The deal is in line with Lord Stokes' drive for Measured-Day Work in the combine because the tying of forelgn Incensed by the importing of tyres from Greece and Spain Pirelli workers turned over management cars at the Milan plant. kers-cries out for bold revolutionary leadership that can lift the struggle from a trade union to a political level, towards the perspective power.

Groups of workers in key factories are beginning to learn of the developments made by Trotskyism in Britain and have shown a great interest in the Workers Press.

The construction of the Italian section of the Fourth International is now an immediate and most urgent task. Scotland plant.

wages to productivity, even though in a limited way, opens the door for work-study.

The management will insist that the productivity level has to be 'proved' by their experts.

The Department of Employment and Productivity's assessment of the deal, which is to come, will bring with it attempts to tighten the productivity conditions still further.

Asturian

coalfield them without pay until Sunday.

Spain's fascist government so far has not dared to take any action against the strike, though the law provides heavy prison sentences for strikers.

General Franco's new 'technological' cabinet now faces a crippling fuel crisis.

Stocks of coal are at rock-bottom, and it is desperately trying to import coal to break the strike, particularly from the United States and eastern Europe.

The Asturian miners have already clearly exposed the weakness of the fascist regime, now mortally afraid of the resurgent Spanish working class.

Franco's ministers are forced to lean on the Stalinist regimes of eastern Europe in order to prop up the rotten edifice of Spanish fascism.

cloudy with occasional rain. Bright intervals. Winds SE, strong with gales in exposed places. Cold. Maximum 5C (41F).

Edinburgh and E Scotland: Cloudy with periods of sleet or snow. Winds SE, strong to gale. Cold. Maximum 1C (34F). Weekend outlook: Mainly cloudy with occasional rain.

(about homes.

than in any Western country.

sures on the family.

PARKINS

THESE ARE some of tl conditions in the Zic which were revealed in 'Conference on Human Jerusalem. e facts and figures about nists 'promised land', the report of a special Needs' held recently in Social workers and government administrators participated.

The conference described housing as the most difficult social problem in Israel..

It listed a number of consequences of bad housing conditions in the country.

Firstly, the shortage of homes within the means of young couples, and the small size of apartments was contributing to the declining birth rate.

The Zionists are very concerned that the Jewish birth rate should increase.

Health hazards

Secondly, overcrowding causes serious health hazards, and lack of facilities for children to study made educational inequality inevitable.

Thirdly, bad housing conditions and neglect caused 'a feeling of rootlessness' among the population of some development areas.

Fourthly, this situation did not provide an incentive for qualified manpower to live As this report shows, the points which concern its authors most are the ways in which the housing problem aftects Lionist policies rather than the fact, in itselt, that working-class families are suffering bad housing.

Needless to say the conland' ference could not advance any solution to the problem.

Incidentally, the fact that figures for Jewish families are collected and considered separately is a reminder, if one is needed, of the racialist nature of the Israeli state.

It is nonsense for any Zionist propagandists to pretend that Israeli citizens are 'equal before the law'.

The report shows, of course, that Jewish workers, as well as Arabs, are oppressed by Israeli capitalism.

It also indicates the special oppression of Jews from Afro-Asian countries in Israel.

The Zionists have often either pretended that these immigrants did not suffer any disadvantages, or that 'education' would help them gain equality in Israeli society.

This report shows that the conditions of Israeli capitalist society are perpetuating racial oppression of Jews of Afro-Asian origin.

Refused housing

This aspect of Israeli society was highlighted recently by an incident at Lydda airport, when police were called to deal with some families from Persia who refused to accept housing being offered them in a development town.

This brought out the point that Jewish immigrants from Afro-Asian countries have to sign an undertaking, on arrival in Israel, to accept housing 'wherever available' No such requirement is Confusion over dock closure THE INTERVENTION of the government Chief Whip and Bermondsey MP Robert Mellish spells a warning that concerted efforts will be made to divert the fight against the closure of the Surrey docks into a blind alley.

Mellish has told the Surrey men he believes the docks can be made to pay their way.

He hopes to ask the Minister of Transport within two weeks to stop the closure.

Recalling the redundancies caused in the area last year by the Hay's Wharf closure, Mellish says the Port of London Authority should take greater account of the social consequences of closure.