Workers Press no. 767

workers press

Q.C. DENOUNCES

TORY COURT

FOOD PRICES soared by 17.2 per cent between June 1970- the month of the last General Election-—and March 21 this year When Agriculture Minister Mr James Prior made this announcement in the Commons yesterday there were shouts for his resignation. Prior, who was recently pro- moted by Edward Heath to become deputy chairman of the Tory Party, brazenly told MPS that the prices situation is now under better control'. When he attempted to con- tinue, Mrs Renee Short (Labour, Wolverhampton North - East) shouted: Rubbish. Utterly dis- graceful. Resign. Pack it in.

Incompetent.' She was called to order by the Speaker. Earlier Mrs Short had asked how a railwayman taking home £14.10 a week could face the present situation of rising food prices. In his reply Prior said that since last July there had been a marked fall'. When he revealed the increase William Price (Labour, Rugby) asked: 'Aren't you ashamed of that answer? Don't you understand what that figure means to millions pensioners low-paid and workers in this country who as the biggest regard you disaster in this government in spite of all the competition?'

Tory MP Sir Gerald Nabarro showed how the Tories contempt- uously treat the Labourites' jibes.

He got up to 'congratulate' the minister 'on causing this upward curve to flatten out'. • shop

THE

3,500 floor workers at the Trafford Park, plant of GEC-AEI ended their eight-week-old work-to-rule and piecework ban yesterday so that negotiations can go on

INCORPORATING THE NEWSLETTER •

DAILY ORGAN OF THE CENTRAL COMM

THE INDUSTRIAL Relations Court was accused of wielding a big Tory hammer against the unions before the Court of Appeal yesterday. The charge came on the third day of the rail unions' battle against an order forcing a ballot on their members. Morris Finer, QC, for the white collar union TSSA, challenged the court's impartiality. The government, GEORGE WALLACE, racialist gover- nor of Alabama, may be permanently paralysed below the waist as a result of the attempted assassination on Monday, doctors said. Yesterday his described as 'satisfac- condition was tory', although he is still on the critical list. First to sit-in in chester area ar pay and holidays. But over the full demar stewards say will shop they continue their ban on over- the Bredbury time because the firm refuses tain a 24-hour to negotiate on reducing the Stockport plant working week. INCORPORATING THE NEWSLETTER • WEDNESDAY MAY 17, 1972 • No. 767 • 4p DAILY ORGAN OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE bias towards the Industrial Relations

BY STEPHEN JOHNS

Act: .. one thing is clear. It is inevit- he said, had 'put a hammer in the able when you create a special court hands of the National Industrial that the court seems to get a vested Relations Court. interest in the Act. And if the Act is *If the descends, the hammer one which happens to embody a very muscle which moves it is largely, and highly controversial policy, the court almost exclusively, the muscle of the almost inevitably is put in a situation government,' he said. in which from the public point of He pointed to the extraordinary view, it be, as it were, seems to committed.' nature of the case which dealt not Mr Finer warned of the grave with a battle between employer and employees, but employees and gov- nature of the decisions the court was The Act, he said, had vir- ernment under an emergency making. pro- tually been created overnight.

cedure. It is not an organic part of our highlighted He also the unique law. It has grown very little. It con- powers of the and court over law complex set of enormously industrial life. tals an laws which have been created vir- It is a very unusual thing in our tually overnight with very little his- law to have a special court created torical precedent for a very particular Act of Parlia- It is of utmost importance how ment. It might make some lawyers these first cases are dealt with.'

think there is a good deal in the old The being heard before case. system of keeping courts general.'

Master of the Rolls, Lord Denning, Continuing his ten-hour address, Lord Justice Buckley and Lord Justice he went on to imply the NIRC had a Roskill, is expected to end tomorrow Hours retreat but Bredbury fight on OVER 900 workers at KN's Bredbury steel works in Stock- port, Lancs, yesterday held firm on the three points of the greater Manchester. This engineering industry pay claim In was despite the set-back to the district-wide action which came on Monday when a mass meeting of shop stewards agreed that normal working could be resumed in Manchester factories if management offered pay increases and longer holidays.

the dispute began on March 27 and some plants are on This amounted to a retreat on short time anyway. the key demand or tne claim Io a shorter working week- one on Union officials in the area who which the employers in the area have campaigned the pas have been sticking firm against any resumption of normal work without concession on i had litele choice A spokesman for the Bredbury hours, say they men who began the action ten ago when they occupied weeks In adopung the new course The AUEW circular, the settle- -said: We are stick Lemolan ment in the shipbuilding indus- ing it out, we've been battling out too long accept the on wages steered through boilermakers firm's latest offer of £3.50.

leader Danny McGarvey, agree- The spokesman said there was anG similar parts of the British 'bitter ments feeling' among the men Corporation and ICI Steel have a circular sent out by the Amalgamated Union of Engineer all weakened the original Inree point claim. workers execuave

WO1GI

made it clear that the hours

AUEW

district organizer fo demand longer a Manchester, John was no Tocher that the battle

DILOTILY

yesterday major factor in shorter hours not been Snis was a had persuading shop He said the number adopt the 'new tactic deals signed by firms which ol allow of resumDIOn normal included hours and holidays had reached concession. working where firms offered sub- stantial wage increases and longer 45 The Manchester action — part First to sit-in in the greater Man- annual holidays. chester area and still going for demand for shorter hours of the original national engineers demands the men at will still be pressed by an over- paye claim -began with a district time ban- -but this is hardly ban on piecework. This led steelworks main- threat to Manchester enD overs to sit in strikes by workers whe tain a 24-hour occupation of the overtime ban operated management attempted to locl An throughout the district them out of their factories.

before

workers press

Q.C. DENOUNCES

TORY COURT

FOOD PRICES soared by 17.2 per cent between June 1970— the month of the last General Election-and March 21 this year When Agriculture Minister Mr James Prior made this announcement in the Commons yesterday there were shouts for his resignation. Prior, who was recently, pro- by Edward Heath moted to become deputy chairman of the Tory Party, brazenly told MPs that the prices situation 'is now under better control. When he attempted to con- tinue, Mrs Renee Short (Labour, Wolverhampton North - East) shouted: 'Rubbish. Utterly dis- graceful. Resign. Pack it in. Incompetent.' She was called to order by the Speaker. Earlier Mrs Short had asked how a railwayman taking home £14.10 a week could face the present situation of rising food prices. In his reply Prior said that since last July there had been a marked fall'. When he revealed the increase William Price (Labour, Rugby) asked: 'Aren't you ashamed of that Don't you answer? understand what that figure means to millions low-paid of pensioners and in this country workers who biggest regara you as the this government in disaster in spite of all the competition?

Tory MP Sir Gerald Nabarro showed how the Tories contempt- uously treat the Labourites jibes.

He got up to 'congratulate the minister 'on causing this upward curve to flatten out'.

THE

3,500 • shop floor workers at the Trafford Park, plant of GEC-AEI ended their eight-week-old work-to-rule and piecework ban yesterday that negotiations can go on

INCORPORATING THE NEWSLETTER •

DAILY ORGAN OF THE CENTRAL COMM

THE INDUSTRIAL Relations Court was accused of wielding a big Tory hammer against the unions before the Court of Appeal yesterday. The charge came on the third day of the rail unions' battle against an order forcing a ballot on their members. Morris Finer, QC, for the white collar union TSSA, challenged the court's impartiality. The government, GEORGE WALLACE, racialist gover- nor of Alabama, may be permanently paralysed below the waist as a result of the attempted assassination on Yesterday his Monday, doctors said. 'satisfac- condition described was as tory', although he is still on the critical list. First to sit-in in chester area ar and holidays. But over pay the full deman will shop stewards they say continue their ban on over- the Bredbury: time because the firm refuses tain a 24-hour i negotiate on reducing the tọ working week. stockport.plant INCORPORATING THE NEWSLETTER • WEDNESDAY MAY 17, 1972 • No. 767 • 4p

•SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE

bias towards the Industrial Relations

BY STEPHEN JOHNS

Act: • one thing is clear. It is inevit- he said, had 'put a hammer in the able when you create a special court hands of the National Industrial that the court seems to get a vested Relations Court. interest in the Act. And if the Act is 'If hammer descends, the one which happens to embody a very muscle which moves it is largely, and highly controversial policy, the court almost exclusively, the muscle of the almost inevitably is put in a situation government,' he said. in which from the public point of He pointed to the view, be, as it were, extraordinary … to committed.' nature of the case which dealt not with a battle between employer and Mr Finer warned of the grave and gor- nature of the decisions the court was employees, but employees The Act, ernment under an emergency making. he said, had vir- pro- tually been created overnight.

cedure. It is not an organic part of our He also highlighted the unique law. It has grown very little. It con- of court over law and powers the enormously complex set of tains an industrial life. laws which have been created vir- 'It is a very unusual thing in our tually overnight with very little his- have a special law to court created torical precedent. for a very particular Act of Parlia- of utmost importance how It ls ment. some lawyers these first cases are dealt with.'

Hisal take think there is a good deal in the old The being before case heard system of keeping courts general.'

Master of the Rolls, Lord Denning, Continuing his ten-hour Lord Justice Buckley and Lord Justice address, he went on to imply the NIRC had a Roskill, is expected to end tomorrow Hours retreat but Bredbury fight on OVER 900 workers at GKN's Bredbury steel works in Stock- port, Lancs, yesterday held firm on the three points of the This engineering industry pay claim in greater Manchester. was despite the set-back to the district-wide action which came on Monday when a mass meeting of shop stewards agreed that normal working could be resumed in Manchester factories if management offered pay increases and longer holidays.

the dispute began on March 21 and some plants are on short This amounted to a retreat or time anyway. the key demand of the claim for shorter working week- -one on Union officials in the area who which the employers in the area campaigned advi

LIC

have been sticking firm against any resumption of normal A spokesman for the Bredbury say they had men- who began the action hours occupied in adopting the new course.

weeks ago when they The AUEW circular, the settle- mell plant said: we are suck it out, we've been battling ment in the shipbuilding indus ing this long on wages steered through out too accept the by firm's latest offer of £3.50.'

boilermakers Danny Header McGarvey, and similar agree- The spokesman said there was parts of the British ments 'bitter feeling' • mot out by the men Steel Corporation and ICI have over a circular out sent weakened the original three- Amalgamated Union of Engineer point claim. executive ing Workers' which district Tonize said made clear that hours

AUEW

demand Manchester, Tocher, was longer battle shorter hous that This was a major factor in shorter had been 110| persuading shop stewards al done d He said the number to tactic' of allow- deals adopt the new signed by. hrs which resumption normal concessions on working where firms offered sub- hours and holidays had reached stantial wage increases and longer 45 The Manchester First to sit-in in the greater Man- chester area and still going for annual nonedys demand for shorter hours of the original national engineers demandsthe men at will still be pressed by an over- claim—began with district pay -but time ban- wide . This led Bredbury steelworks main- this is hardly: Dan threat to Manchester employers to sit-in strikes by workers when tain a 24-hour occupation of the overtime An ban operated management attempted to loc throughout the district them out of their factories.

before

PAGE 2 Workers Press, Wednesday May 17, 1972 WHILE the Queen fascinates the French rulers with her boring homilies and her flashing tiaras the British ruling class is fighting a desperate—and losing battle —to remain in the trade war.

Despite Sir John Donaldson's determined efforts to improve production by stemming wage increases and disciplining shop stewards through the National Indus- trial Relations Court the fact is that industrial produc- tion continues to fall and the shadow of devaluation grows menacingly larger. The 'Daily Telegraph', which recently called for an Industrial Relations Act and the extension of the implementation of a 'social contract' to bind individual workers to the state, is extremely worried. In an editorial entitled 'Shades of Weimar', the 'Telegraph' laments: 'The government has in any case already sold the pass, in so far as wage inflation at 12-14 per cent a year after the miners' and railwaymen's wage settle- ments must inevitably mean price inflation at around 10 per cent annually. Productivity can hardly improve at more than 4 per cent a year within the foreseeable future. The low state of businessmen's morale, and To all this the 'Telegraph' adds the poor balance-of- payments figures, massive rises in British export prices, fall in volume of exports and 'endemic labour troubles' leading to a sizeable increase in foreign car imports—'even before Common Market entry'.

The austere 'Economist' was even more outspoken: 'We are being driven towards a Weimar situation where a pound at the beginning of your career will be worth less than a penny during your retirement.'

The 'Daily Mail' spoke figuratively: 'Once before in Germany un- this century we've seen it happen.

der the Weimar Republic when working men wheeled their worthless wages home in barrows.

'The Guardian' just as gloomily predicts: 'After the appalling April trade figures, no one seems to doubt any more that the pound will be devalued again quite soon.... 'The gnomes of Zurich seem to expect a 10 per cent move in December, and gave Mr Geoffrey Rippon an unpleasant few minutes last week questioning him about it.... (Naming a day for the next devaluation-Anthony Harris May 15, 1972.) If this is what the Queen meant when she told Pompidou 'we may drive on different sides of the road but we are going the same way, there is little doubt that the French bankers-arch-believers in monetary discipline in others—are going to take a very dim view of British entry into the Common Market.

Behind these dismal figures is the continuing resis- tance of the working class to the corporatist measures of the Tories and a growing determination to defend democratic rights despite the cowardly and treacher- ous retreats of union leaders.

If devaluation now seems inevitable as a means to recoup part of Britain's declining share of world ex- ports, it is largely because the Tories realize that decisions and decrees of NIRC alone cannot halt the resistance of the trade unions to inflation and wage cutting. At the same time Nixon's August 15, 1971, measures and the consequent devaluation of the dollar com- pound the underlying uncompetitiveness of British industry and bring nearer the prospect of massive further devaluations. the deficits followed 'Telegraph' editorial concluded: 'If present trends con- tinue, the pound will go the way of the German mark under the Weimar Republic. The writing is on the wall.'

the Tories prepare for devaluation-and While advertise the fact in advance to prevent the avalanche of speculation that hit sterling in 1967-they have nọ intention of conceding anything more to the workers.

If their policy of wage norms is to work, if the NIRC's writ is to run unimpeded and if further devaluations are to be avoided then the Tories have no other course but to take on the working class in a sharp and sudden attack and defeat it. And if such a pro- vocation fails, they will retire to new positions and prepare for civil war. The Weimar Republic led to the Third Reich of Hitler because the reformist and Stalinist leaderships of the working class failed to produce a socialist alternative to inflation, unemployment and the traud of bourgeois democracy. The present leaders of British labour are treading the same road taken by the German labour leaders in Weimar-but with this important difference: Today there exists a Trotskyist movement and a daily press which has assimilated the lessons of Weimar and is determined to build the revolutionary alternative to Stalinism and reformism. North Vietnamese troops now threaten Hué, Kontum and An Loc

PRESIDENT

Nixon's ing floods in the Hanoi visit to Moscow is on

BY OUR FOREIGN DESK

William despite the

DOCKAO

US Secretary and terror bombing of Washington revealed against North, claimed Monday that North Vietnam. buildings, Ine destrov na me doc ace rivers of North Vietnam bridges, airfields, rail- ing could well lead to a Nixon, Patricia the had been mined, as lines, missile sites, negotiated settlement- way President's gave and the ports. an ominous statement in bOrI lacullics first firm reporters the ven cies. •e oriona trip supplies by water. secret talks in Moscow. The going ahead most serious repond yesterday And Saigon sell-out Soviet of all, White targets however, ceremony ute in Red

SOULSULCU

House on Monday. the had cut the pipe- dykes. the Soviet line carrying fuel from been one of the main the •North the Two motives for the bureaucrats prepare dykes were Demilitarized trade secret diplomacy Zone seriously damaged by the liber-

UNCISIVE

Ouang Will Lne hulerican brovince ralus last week and wild Torces aure threatening leader, North Vietnam is command spokes- the monsoon season three now being subjected the from May openinge key cities- -Hué Kon US ever aerial pilots waterways tum and An Loc-all nese could provincial capitals. had flown 1.800 sorties unleash devastal"

TANANARIVE,

capital of One of the chief demands of the background of the three-week strike crisis Madagascar the Malagasy is Republic, was which precipitated the crisis was put under a military governor worschine memnauona econom situation. cecolonizaton Tne yesterday President as educational system, still con- The prices of the island's stap Tsiranana tried to reassert his trolled to considerable extent exports mainly agricultur the French Ministry authority after four days of produce-are talling, the cost U1 Education. rising and unemplo living 1s clashes and demonstrations.

student The demands were ment is growing. backed by the most militant trade Just over a year ago, Isiranar governor, appointed the new

FISEMA

union, the to rcucialiol used creat on a provisional Dasis accoraing down a peasant uprising in tl des syndicals malgaches), Whose an official announcement members took part in demon- south of the blaming Army Brigadier Gilles stration Friday which on was 'Maoist elements' His a politicall fired on by police. kills several nundred peasan took eftect immediately. and youth. demonstrators also called The huge for the annulment of the co- At the weekend, he threatene demonstration against the government operation between agreements equal brutality against the Tananarive Monday has on and Madagascar, which munist axitators wo me claime seriously shaken Tsiranana's rule allow the French government were organizing the current u station over 3,500 troops on the TaDO anu-communist. The president favours dialogue with island. One the slogans South Africa and his government raised on the demonstration was: General closely indication tied france. agreements are sinister of furth Luc co-overalon slave agreements. repression to tormer colonlal power. come. concert DOCKERS' leaders on the IS pet cenper cent pay rise to United States West coast ATHENS security police mac Bridges had earlier asked his have backed down from a several arrests on Mondav whe members stand by for Joint fight with the Nixon govern- about 200 Athens university st WIld cockers dents shouted ment over pay. if the Pay Board cuts back our anu governme. The West legotiated settlement'. The Pay slogans and sang a song callir longshore- coast for freedom during a demonstr DUal u lldo

CUL

acuitveu announced on Monday they had action on arter orolonged strike tion after a concert. diached agreement fi scales both coasts. The concert, attended by 5,00 However, the East coast dockers' dictated Pay students and former cabin leader Gleason tailed to board. 1 nolllas This means Stalinion, headed support the west coast in or- ministers wao are opponents former Stalinist ganizing national shut-down, the regime, was organized by a Bridges, Bridges the Association Students fro has accepted he excuse all Board cutting a needed o back owe

Fighting the Tories' Rent Bill THE FIRE Brigades Union has called for a special con- ference of the TUC to re- affirm the policy of non- co-operation with the In- dustrial Relations Act.. The union's annual confer- ence last week also carried reso- lutions calling for the defeat of the Tory government and its re- placement 'socialist with a Labour government'. The seconder of this motion called for a General Strike as the way to force the Tories to resign.

The union's executive was de- feated on two attempts to change union They procedure. wanted conference to meet once every two years instead of every year and recommended that ver- batim reports of conference be discontinued. But both suggestions were heavily defeated by the delegates.

Scientific,

ASSOCIATION

of Technical Managerial and Staffs members at Lincoln's Dorman Diesels plant have voted by 35 to 28 to continue their strike for 'fair' redundancies. Previously the vote had been 100 percent in favour. The told management that it union would secure a return to work on acceptance of a three-point agreement. The management has not accepted. On June 1 there will be an in which area ASTMS meeting support will be sought from other members of the union in the GEC combine. On June 5 a meeting with other unions will be held to decide on joint policies against redundancies. ASTMS delegates will call for supporting action if further redundancies are announced.

It is commonly accepted that sackings feared in other sections will probably occur before the proposed meetings. As one picket commented: 'It's no good waiting to get your head cut off before fight- ing.'

ALL TRADES UNIONS

ALLIANCE

MEETINGS

Fight the Tories' 'fair rents' Bill WANDSWORTH: Thursday May 18, 8 p.m. Selkirk Hotel, Sel- kirk Rd, Tooting Broadway.

NORTH KENT: Tuesday May SOGAT House, 23, 8 p.m. Essex Rd, Dartford. DAGENHAM: Tuesday May 23, 8 p.m. Co-op Hall, Fanshawe Avenue, Barking. CLAPHAM: Tuesday May 23, 8 p.m. Small Hall, Clapham Manor Baths, Clapham Manor St, SW4. WEST LONDON: Tuesday May 23, 8 p.m. 'Prince Albert, Wharfedale Ad, off York Way, Kings Cross. SOUTHALL: Thursday May 25, 8 p.m. Parkway Rooms (Rent office), Racecourse Estate, Northolt (next to swimming pool). NORTH LONDON: Thursday May 25, 8 p.m. 'Bricklayer's Arms', Tottenham High Rd (nr White Hart Lane) CROYDON: Thursday May 25, 8 p.m. Ruskin House, Coombe LUTON: Thursday May 25, 8 p.m. St John Ambulance Hall, Lea Rd. SOUTH EAST LONDON: Thurs- day May Club (opposite New Cross Station). ACTON: Monday May 29, 8 p.m. Co-op Hall, High Rd.

EAST LONDON: Tuesday May 30, 8 p.m. "Aberfeldy', Aber- feldy St, E.14.

BY PHILIP WADE

Our Housing Correspondent

JUST OVER

two years ago thousands of Greater London Council tenants went on rent strike against the imposition of yet another 50p increase.

The point of strongest resistance to GLC plans was Poplar in East London. Tenants on several estates in the area staged marches and demonstrated outside the GLC's headquarters. Those to hold out last were tenants on the Lincoln Estate. But eventually the GLC isolated them, took some tenants to court and won. The rent strike was finished. Now the tenants are preparing once Britain's for with most more battle powerful Tory-controlled local authority.

With the backing of the Tory government and the Housing Finance Bill, the

GLC

intends to raise the rents fl in October.

'Nine years ago when I moved in here I was paying £3.50 a week. Since then it has doubled to over £7; secretary of the Part of the Lincoln Estate, Pl Lincoln Tenants' Association Ron Dunn told me. 'And that's for living in a concrete jungle with fine view of the railways and gas- works! 'But where does it stop. Where's the finishing line? This goverrment freezes your wages at Any increase per on this level is soon swallowed up by rent and rate increases with- out taking price rises into account. 'There's doubt this no new Rent Bill will make hardship

SAYS POPLAR TENANTS

more general on this estate. At

LEADER RON DUNN

the moment you have some tenants in rent arrears and this will increase. entitled to have anything at all We are the serfs and that's the 'What are they going to do way with people who can't pay- they want yc stay. As for the campaign against evict them? Put them on the streets? the Bill; the big weakness seeths be to people wanting wait 'It's no use the Tory govern- for the Labour return of the Bill gives ment saying you government repeal it. if have more opportunity you 'One of the troubles main less money to spend. behind this I suppose is that 'As for the means test I've there is no leadership of the never been one for them. They movement as whole. and you are an invasion of private rights certainly need one. are forcing people's 'We need 250,000 GLC tenants they But where does hands by putting the rents up to say no. the high. According Tory leadership from for that? SO to come thinking, workers Labour should not The Party gIve

BY OUR OWN REPORTER

HEAD of the Confedera. tion of British Industry, Sir John Partridge, has opportunity to discuss our ideas taken up premier Edward together- -then see if we have some sensible joint proposals to Heath's call for a volun- and report to you vour colleagues. tary wages and disputes Partridge admitted to his council. audience of industrialists and that bankers the country was Heath made the appeal 'still in something 'still of a crisis last Saturday when address- There *a was not hope in hell' of greater stability ing the annual Scottish Tory if the general of in prices run Party conference. pay settlements was significantly forced up again. At the CBI annual dinner at Partridge the Hilton last night "The

CBI

badly needs help the said the creation of such a body tangible signs of from would help bring about reason- the of trade unions in pursuit able settlements'. a policy that be can every- one's benefit.' proposed body, The compris- This "lets-get-together' call to

TUC

ing industrialists, the and

TUC

treacherous bodies, would be consumer embrace. Having belted the union independent both of manage- the Tories leaders in the courts, ment and trade unions', he said. and its CBI now want cajole to 'Yet it would be their creation, them into a reiuvenated Prices rather than something imposed and Incomes Board. as a last-ditch experiment. Only this PIB will be backed flirtation And in obvious an the vicious legal machinery

TUC

with general secretary the Industrial Relations Act. Victor Feather. he added: Some of our thoughts in this regard As said in Monday's we may not best far removed from may not be so Press: Workers wielding the threat of the Act and the NIRC to Heath. his guest Tories the unions to Turning the want Partridge join a corporate state-style wages of honour. went on: hope we will soon have an council. Workers Press, Wednesday May 17, 1972 PAGE 3 Estate, Poplar THE NORTH WEST'S slum problem could be eliminated within the next seven to ten years, it was claimed yester- day. Slum clearance in operations the region were at a 'remarkably buoyant level', John Boynton, chairman of the North West Economic Council told a press a lead on it; they should organize conference. the fight. private houses 'As for the trade unions, most were completed in the area in the tenants members are quarter compared said Mr Dunn, himself a member authority public of NATKE, the film and theatre dwellings.

BBC.

union, working at the General Strike suppose by all not just dockers workers, railwaymen would stop and the Tories. Tenants follow would the trade unions if a lead given and there was a meaning behind it. 'There are many things to be done. Time is running and we mustn't leave it too late' WAGE-PRICE policies of suc- workers scapegoats public sector, the Society of Civil Servants' chairman Cyril Emer- son told his conference yesterday.

confi- Much of the lack of dence in the of present system stemmed from the negotiation of who actions governments machinery interferred with the and broke agreements made with them. Speaking about the 1971 pay negotiations, general

CANTATAT

Iohn Dryden said they were held up for two months between the presentation of the union's case and the official reply. "Wild fed by rumours were 'If such a council of employers kind leaks of an unparalleled from official sources,' he claimed, and trade unions is established, adding that 'could Tories have information the will taken Britain a prejudiced further the have negotiations step on road to a Bonapartist state' which had yet to take place'

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186a Clapham High Street, London SW4 7UG.

PAGE 4 Workers Press, Wednesday May 17, 1972 "The Sunday Times' has a reputation as a progressive, liberal and even possibly a left' publication. However a study of the paper's editorials_since April 1970 provides a very different picture. In this series IAN YEATS examines the politics of "The Sunday Times'.

Part two With all but one opinion ought and grow more rich more slowly than it might.

poll predicting up to a "There are some good men 100-seat majority for the in the Labour government and Labour Party on the eve they have done some good things. It would not be a dis- of 1970's June election, grace if they were returned, it may have some people would be a disaster. It not would just be a missed oppor- been surprised to open tunity for something distinctly their paper on une 14 better.' and read: The campaign against Labour "The endorsement of "The had been building up for some Sunday Times" is for Edward time. Conservative Heath and the APRIL 5: 'It was good to have Party Mr Heath's firm commitment There were really no grounds on the early reform of the trade for surprise. The decision in unions yesterday' contradicted no way the MAY 31: 'Potentially the most blatant class politics the paper notable difference of all be- invariably pursued through its tween the parties is in their leader columns and elsewhere approach to industrial rela- in the paper. tions.' It than was never more MAY 31: 'Trust us seems to confusion to deduce from the be Labour's slogan. It would paper's reports of opinion polls have if more appeal the and speeches plus pictures of record had been economic Labourites triumphant that better over the last four years; implied editorial support and one is more inclined to follow someone who at least tells how he hopes travel.!°" to was filled with talk of a General right-wing What was wrong with Labour's economic record? a feature that the 'flood tide Suddenly 'The Sunday Times' disclosed that it believed in the very same crisis upon which genuine option'. Heath was focussing his entire But he added: 'Without any election campaign. doubt a government is wanted

JUNE

7: 'It is not our fast- in power rising money wages which are bad but Britain's failure by strategies — certainly any fair international com- parison to get value for the extra money. lationship 'Mr Heath must return to States and Europe. exposing the undeniable naked- 'None of this will be forth- the ness of. government coming from a Labour govern- over the relationship between earn- ment, but it might emerge from productivity ings and and Conservative hence between earnings and afterwards or [though prices.' personally find this difficult to JUNE 7: 'Can Mr Wilson any believel from a Labour admini- longer go on disguising by refreshed by a new generalities and sheer mandate.' genial impudence the fact that where there used be Labour to there is now • a large strategy The government's policy hole. "The Sunday Times' on incomes and trade chiefs unions is vividly in disarray. not opposed to the were BY JUNE 14 for 'The Sunday Labour it was Party because Times' it was all the way with left and they immutably right.

the Tories. They knew it had no genuine socialist teeth and judged it "The Tories have made an record 'an purely on its as absolute commitment to cut administration' of the bour- the Tories would in- taxation, geoisie's fortunes. crease savings, they would end This is from another clear the indescriminate subsidies in remark in the June 14 lead: local authority housing, they 'Roy Jenkins has shown him- would better value for get self a conservative chancellor money from the vast subven- Tory at least as skilfull as any tions to private industry.

chancellor since the war.'

'They would begin the But, it went on to warn: difficult but inescapable reform "What likely of we are to get industrial relations where Labour paralysed. from Labour is a zealous and is They under would get Britain uninspiring caution moving again.' Britain with fewer which of these, be it noted, develop incentives will its All less fully than it were policies designed to en- resources Wllson (top) and Her savings, COLlare and, hopefully, gro to ti the cost ever class, a cost to by new industria legislation. The lead continu 'Mr Heath better Prime Minist Wilson. He has a sel to the national capacity

IOI

tration which will I has fougl man. He wholly ligent and He is campaign. Party has! Unable resis of capitalism logic under belly of Times' nevertheles to show through: of lil 'On issues the environment, ed the arts [Labour] st av out more cor civilized, tolerant If the Tories win like to see representation beca d Heath. r. by June 14 l investment growth-what- to the working be enforced istrial relations tinued: potentially linister than a self-dedication good and uthless concen- will be fresh on ivilized, decent fought an intel- •honourable is without ques- leader the Tory the cold resist the soft alism, "The Sunday managed heless of liberty, race convincingly for erant society. win 'We would strong Liberal because of the r. by June 14 it was all the way with the Torles Liberal's capacity for produc ing new ideas and because of their stand for Liberal values' -a stand which, by inference, the they backing could not afford to take.

were Doubts But though there was a lot of Wilson-bashing there had been a maior element of con.

fusion about 'The Sunday Times' position in the early to the election. The run-up reason was that right up to the poll, they had doubts about Heath as a leader. Visual jokes appeared in April when on the 12th Roy Jenkins was pictured "striding stark across landscape [blasted heath]'. 17 James Margach On May wrote of Tor 'black despair' and there were endless pictures and drawings of victorious Wilson alongside clearly broken Heath. Heath could do nothing He right. the the Was public loved to hate. On May 24 a picture showed Heath at the helm of his yacht off Har- wich with the pointed capition 'aground'. Margach was also worried that Heath's Selsdon man had been identified by the public as a 'basher' and that this would deter a big pro-Tory vote. But by June 14 Heath and his hard line anti-working-class policies was the best bet. in sight. Three days after the Tory victory 'The Sunday Times' was cock-a-hoop, but noted soberly: 'Of all the campaign promises given by Mr Heath, none was more explicit than union reform-the government should not be deterred from the policy on which it has worked so long' Ronald Butt noted the victory was grounds for 're- newed confidence in the political maturity, shrewdness and responsibility of the British electorate'.

CONTINUED TOMORROW

Rome authorities have started an inquiry into a multi-million pound butter smuggling racket involving Catholic chari- ties. The allegations are that large quantities of butter are being illegally imported into Italy by charities with names suggesting ties with the Catho- lic church. 'This inquiry is the latest in a series of affairs connected with food imports from Com- mon Market countries and the enormous sums of money to be made from these operations.

It is, in fact, a boom indus- try called 'Euro-fraud'. Sicilian investigating magis- trates are looking into the activities of what they believe are a Mafia family who have muscled in on the lucrative butter business. Butter transactions yield record profits if the importer can evade Italian customs because butter is duties, cheaper in every Common Market country outside Italy.

Other EEC members have larger stocks of butter and therefore favour its export.

Consumer prices for butter an in Europe and the EEC range from about 26p a pound in Britain to about 38p a pound from about 25p a pound in in France and West Germany.

butter in Italy is about 58p a pound. And butter produced in other Common Market coun- W. A. (Tony) Boyle,. president of the American United Mine Workers' union, has been 'invited' to appear before a Federal grand jury in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, investigating the 1969 murders of Joseph Yab- lonski, his wife and daughter. Yablonski and his family were shot at their home in Clarksville, on New Year's Eve, 1969. murders came three weeks after a union election in which Yablonski had narrowly failed to unseat Boyle. The murdered man was the leader of widely-supported "revolt' inside the union against Boyle's bureaucratic dictatorship and his corrupt ties with the mineowners.

Though he was a former aide of Boyle's Yablonski had con- vinced many miners that the union bureaucracy could be ousted and the fight against the mineowners taken up on a Pope Paul: 'gravely concerned' about th tries is generally better quality than Italian butter because most of the country's milk fat output is used for cheese- Therefore imported making. butter is in great demand in Italy. It has been discovered that fraudulent importers have bought cheap butter in Eastern Europe, shipped it to Belgium or some other EEC country and then re-exported it to Italy 'forged of with certificates origin. This method in many cases circumvents duties customs and such shady import deals are common. A favourite ploy of importers is to declare that butter or other shipments are destined for charitable insti- tutions such as orphanages, thus obtaining reductions Or waivers of import duties.

Two out of a total of 11 groups now under investigation more militant basis. big There several were in unofficial stoppages number of coalfields when news of Yablonski's murder came through. But the Federal Bureau of Investigation dis- played great reluctance to probe too deeply into the case.

Over 28 months later, seven people are in custody, among them the men who are said to have carried out the actual Their evidence has shooting. implicated several officials of Mineworkers' 19, district centred on Kentucky. spoken They have also about receiving instruction for the killing from a man called "Tony'—who has yet to be identified. Boyle is the highest- ranking "Tony' in the union.

The FBI's dilatory conduct of the murder investigation is in marked contrast to the speed with which it moved against Boyle on other charges relating to UMW contributions to Democratic and Republican funds. Earlier they this year obtained a conviction against Boyle on this charge-the first ever under little-known a 1' about the Implications for suspected customs fraud have been named as 'Opus Dei' (God's Work) Tand 'Opus Christie' (Christ's Work).

A magistrate investigating the frauds 'middlemen, said they acted as for the dealers. And he has charged 23 people -none of them from religious orders — of being behind the scheme. The Pope is reported to be following the relevations with 'grave concern'. . In over a year, the customs are said to been defrauded of £6m in the importation of 3,500 tons of butter. The world-wide Catholic community of priests and lay- men known as Opus Dei stated that they had nothing to do with the butter importers and in fact had taken a legal action against them to change their name. The group, they say, has complied. post-war Act. The judgement in this case establishes an im- portant precedent in prevent- ing unions from using their der • money for political purposes is clearly aimed and at illegalizing any moves to form a Labour Party based on the trade unions. The FBI presumably took action against Boyle on this ground because they hoped militant trade unionists would not contest the decision in the light of their hatred for the mineworkers' boss. Meanwhile, as the investig- ations continue into the Yablonski murder, the finger points more and more directly the union headquarters. at Boyle and several of his aides are being called before the Pittsburg grand jury to testify about the transfer of union's $20,000 from the national treasury in Washing- ton to District 19. Prosecutor Richard A. of the Sprague, in charge state's case against the seven defendants arrested so far, has said the $20,000 was used to hire the men. who killed Yablonski. Workers Prose, W Iron Otto' Brenner, who died in Frankfurt last month, was for 20 years chairman of West Ger- largest trade many's union, IG Metall. At the head of the 4 million- strong union, Brenner collabor- closely with successive ated German governments, winning Common a place on the Market's economic and social committee for his pains. thanks to Brenner It was West German en- that the gineering industry went for the better part of his 20-year span of office without a major strike.

The record was broken only when more than last year, 500,000 union members struck for higher wages. Brenner did his best to the restrict the strike to district, Baden-Württemberg keeping the majority of his members in work despite strong rank-and-file demands for action. With this record, it is not surprising that Brenner should have been mourned by the British TUC, which sent Hugh Scanlon to attend his funeral.

What is more interesting is the attitude of the West German Communist Party, which gave glowing union leader a the obituary in its recently legal- ized paper "UZ. headline: Under the 'Brenner's heritage — don't forget the anti-capitalist aims' it said: "All those who harassed Brenner during his lifetime cried crocodile tears at his death. But the workers' move- remember what ment should Brenner said in his last great speech at the fourth Inter- national Workers' Conference of IG Metall.' It quotes Brenner on the subject of Perspectives of Workers' Participation' to the effect that 'One should not confine oneself to detailed corrections of the capitalist planning and decision-making process. Workers' participation • Press, Wednesday May 17, 1972 PAGE 5 is the attack on the employers' autarchy. It is radically demo- cratic and anti-capitalist...

In fact, as used the slogan by Brenner and the ruling social-democrats is a thinly- disguised effort to draw the workers' organizations closer to management and the state.

The idea is that workers become integrated in the decision-making process' and in this way reform capitalism from within. The same speech contained the observation that 'participa- tion does not end conflicts but creates the possibility of having an influential position should conflicts arise' This form of corporatism is enthusiastically supported by the Stalinist paper, which says IG Metall has always empha- sized that 'the anti-capitalist origins of the trade union movement remain alive for us, that we have not made an eternal peace with the ruling state of society, that we do not consider participation as form of accommodation, but as an important social func- tion to counter the one-sided decisions of profit-oriented employers'! Above: Hugh Scanlon who was sent by the TUC to attend the funeral. Below: Otto Brenner

PAGE 6 Workers Press, Wednesday May 17, 1972

A PROFILE OF RICHARD MARSH, CHAIRMAN OF THE

rail 'Daily Telegraph' reporter to The £20,000-a-year write: 'On the face of it there boss Richard Marsh told little to choose between the railwaymen on May Mr Marsh's concept and that Mr Davies [Tory] 5 the Jarratt award was of John Secretary of State for Trade a 'bloody good increase and Industry' by any standards'. It is unlikely Marsh would disagree with that. He boasts He added: It would have of having Conservative irresponsible offer many been to more.' friends and after the tussle in the House of Commons over Marsh used almost the same Peter words on June 24, 1968, the Transport Bill, then, Environment of Trans- Walker, now as Labour Minister Secretary, told reporters: 'Dick port, he was confronted by a and I should be in the same similar rail dispute. pay party.' He told the House of Com- mons: 'I want to make it clear that it is quite out of the question for any settlement of this dispute to be reached on Political boundaries in fact than that any basis other do not worry Marsh, stamped which the Board are satisfied in the self-help they tian 968 British Rail de- afford.' very much can mould characteristic of Heath Tories. ficits, and his new young were financed from the Mini- When the ex-Labour Exchequer, but under the ster accepted the job as chair- of the Transport provisions British Rail from Bill Marsh himself steered man Tory government he was asked through the Commons, the if he felt the move held any industry was brought into line contradiction. with old-fashioned business Marsh replied: "There is an principles and stood firmly on its own financial feet. between amazing similarity Labour Party and Conservative Marsh sacked as of Party large Minister Transport in coal wagons. December 1969 for section of government today allegedly is administration and different Wheninge Harold Wilson. from returned When to the the traditionally political ministry of the 19th century.' Labour front bench in Novem- The notion of ber 1970 as shadow Minister government of Housing merely administrative and Construction as an the running of the nationalized entity of question posing industries was one of his first the ownership of wealth and the class nature of society targets. Marsh's thought. He told a meeting of the characterizes Industrial Co-partnership Asso- On July 2, 1968, when Marsh •Nationalized first became Minister of Trans- ciation: indus- should treated port in a glare of publicity as tries be no differently from Labour whizz-kid, he was major com- interviewed by Fenton Bresler paniès in the private sector.

of the 'Evening Standard'. He added: 'The objectives of the nationalized industries Bresler asked: 'Is there any should be clear dividing line between the commercial rather than political or social.'

political parties?' major "The reply was remarkable- His remarks prompted Right: Marsh. Above: Walker: 'Dick and I should be in the same party'

MAN OF THE BRITISH RAIL BOARD, BY

from a member of the govern- ment.' Marsh had told him: The line becomes very much a more you leave out subtle one if the extremists on either side.

idea that the British The people are split down the middle into two diametrically opposed Describing his view of what politics is all about, he con- tinued: 'You start on the basis that everyone wants the best possible standard of living. But you can only ensure this by making decisions and the right decisions on how you are to nation's the the use Comment Bresler: 'I shook my ears. It sounded as if I was back months earlier a few talking to Aubrey Jones, chair- man of the Prices and Incomes Board, who, though an ex- Tory cabinet minister and still Tory Party member, had been speaking in almost exactly the same apolitical terms.

Marsh Within this context believes: 'The simple truth is that an industry in either the public and private sectors can be inefficient or efficient. It has nothing to do with who owns them. Only how they are and the political managed climate in which they operate.'

Marsh delights in contrasting what he believes to be the irrelevance and inefficiency of parliamentary debate with • the businesslike, non-partisan de- cision-taking of top managers.

Though he claims working- class origins, his family appears to be rooted fairly securely in the labour aristocracy. His father and grandfather before him worked in skilled jobs on the Great Western Railway and Marsh once told a pressman: 'I promise you, I was never hungry? When he left elementary school in Swindon the ambi- tious streak which was to drive him to ministerial posts before the age of 40 drove him first into the army and next into at Transport House job a where, he says contemptuously, he worked as a 'glorified clerk'.

with association Transport House proved fruit- ful in one respect and his next move was to spend two years reading Economics at Ruskin College, Oxford, which, he says, he detested. After a short spell as a white-collar worker with the London Transport Passenger Board, Marsh began an eight- year career with the National Union Public Employees ending it in 1959 to become MP for Greenwich at the age of 31. A year earlier he had be- come known popularly as Mr Facing Both Ways because of his volte face on CND to bring himself into line with Hugh Gaitskell. From then on his flirtation with the left was over and after a taste of govern- ment in April 1966 the most

IL BOARD, BY IAN YEATS

he would say to Hugh Mass- ingham of the "Telegraph' was: • "What is wrong with capi- talism is that it does not work very well". He has certainly done his best to improve it.

While he was Minister of Power in 1967-1968 he recom- mended a fuel policy based on the most economic fuels and promptly proceeded to turn the North Sea into a gas bonanza for private enterprise. As part of this economic realism he laid down that cash assistance to coal would only be short-term and urged special arrangements—redundancy pay, supplemented increases early pensions-to help miners to leave the industry which he as smaller and highly saw technological. He gave the industry £200m in 1967, but told t: miners: "The purpose rf the Bill is to enable the coalmining industry to have breathing space to maximize the high rate of pro- ductivity increase in which it been engaged in recent years.' In the decade up to 1967, miners were being made re- dundant at an average rate of 35,000 a year and while Not- tinghamshire miners threatened to end their political levy to the Labour Party if the pit closures went on, Marsh ticked off coal chief Lord Robens for disclosing that the plan was to reduce the number miners from 387,000 then to 277,000 in 1971 and 65,000 in 1980. In July 1967, Alex Eadie, Labour MP for Midlothian, took Marsh to task in the House of Commons for being offhand with miners about closures and redundancies.

Marsh replied: 'You have developed a habit of making offensive supplementaries at question time, and declined further reply. There were many miners who thought Robens was the sole instigator of the closures at the end of the 1960s. But Robens' Marsh made position clear in October 1970 when the public were clamour- ing for his resignation after the disaster at Aberfan, Wales.

He said: 'Some people mis- understood the position. Lord Robens had not the supreme position of a Minister in a department. He was the first among equals in a Board, all of whom were responsible to the Minister? In the same year Marsh took the apparently radical step of calling for workers' participation in the steel industry. He said: I do not believe vou can carrv out maior re- forms which are necessary in this industry unless you can carry the men with you. I don't believe you can carry the men they with you unless are of these parties to some decisions. If this is a success it can only produce good for manage- ment relations, the efficiency of the industry and the well- being of the men who work in it? To Marsh workers' parti- cipation making the meant wheels of capitalism turn more smoothly with the considera- tion that if they did so workers might benefit. As Minister of Transport in 1968 the 'national interest' consistently preceded the of bringing claims workers, him into collision with striking busmen and later railwaymen in defence of the Labour government's prices and in- comes policy. His reaction to the break- down of talks in the current rail dispute was typical: 'The unions have decided to take on the state. This has not been a negotiation. It has been a hold-up. We are in a very dangerous situation.' Marsh's record in mining, outlook, was a shining recommendation when the Tories started looking for a new rail chief. appointment in On May 1971 he made it plain that his responsibility was to run a business, adding: 'Social im- plications are nothing at all to do with us at British Rail.'

In October the Financial Times' reported: 'Mr Richard the new chairman of Marsh, the British Rail Board, yester- day went out of his way to stress that he would continue the policy of closing down lines which were uneconomic.'

By 1972 he was considering slashing the railway workforce from 270,000 to 200,000 on the grounds that 60 per cent of British Rail's expenses were labour costs given that no further track could be torn up without biting into the hard core of the rail system. During the protracted talks on 5,500 rail workshop redun- dancies he told the railway- men: 'The whole lot could be closed for the cost of bringing forward the road programme for six months. dividualist hater Marsh has consist- ideology, ently devoted himself to pursuing the efficient working of any enterprise with which he has been involved with an energy and single-mindedness • Tory businessman might any envy. He has also advanced him- self. As he says, a 'hair shirt' never appealed to him. When he took over at British Rail one reporter com- 'Marsh mented: really does seem to enjoy being chairman of British Rail. The job, apart from anything else, gives him status and the sort of salary he needs to live in the style which

PAGE 8 Workera Press, Wednerday May Pages from Railway History, Yeats. Part six Stanley Baldwin •More railwaymen came out in sympathy with the miners on May 4, 1926, than had struck in sup- port of their own de- mands on September 26, 1919, say National Union of Railwaymen (NUR) sources. A good part, if not the whole, of the reason for this determination to fight were the reverses suffered in the years after 1919: wage cuts in 1921 —agreed to by Thomas on the grounds thạt they might have been. worse - and in more 1923-1924 and 20,000 redun- dancies. Yodnesday May 17, 1872 Pages from Railway History, 1839 to 1972. By lan

1926: THE

C. T. Cramp 1924 the 59,000 In January members of the Amalgamated Society of Locomotive Engin- and Firemen

(ASLEF)

ects struck against wage cuts.

ASLEF

NUR

joined men strikers on the picket lines but the

NUR

leaders refused call their men out in sympathy.

The union historian Philip Bagwell says: In the of Messrs Thomas and Cramp Doint general secretaries] the deplored be- was to be Strike would destroy con- 1t Lause fidence in the negating machinery set up in 1920.

'Critics of Mr Thomas were asserting that ever since the December 1923 election had resulted in the formation of a Labour government, with Mr Thomas as its colonial sec- retary, he had been strongly opposed to any drastic action by the union. 'Within a few days of the commencement of the strike he was due sit next to the to Prince of Wales at a banquet.'

The 1924 strike ended when

ASLEF

leaders signed an agreement which did no more than make the rail companies proposed wage cuts bite gradu- ally instead of immediately.

Afterwards an NUR member named A. E. Rochester tried to form a breakaway union accusing the NUR leaders of *shamefully abandoning their posts in the face of the enemy' 'deliberately - planned and treachery towards a neighbour- ing unit under attack' By 1925 the Tory govern- had mounted a major ment offensive against the working class in a bid to ward off the affects of chronic slump.

Having watched living stan- dards plunge or less more continuously since 1919 and unemployment their among members rocket upwards, the railwaymen needed little coax- ing to throw their weight be- hind the General Strike. The miners in were an equally militant mood. With the ending of coal subsidies in 1926 the coal owners were demanding wage cuts of be- tween 20 and 40 per cent.

Baldwin had made the government's position clear as early as July 1925 when he had told the miners: ... all the workers of this country have got to take re- ductions in wages to help to put industry on its feet.'

Despite the determination of large sections of the working class to fight the Tories, 1,000-strong meeting of trade union executives at the Memorial Hall, London, waited more than eight hours on April 30, 1926, while: "The industrial committee of the TUC was engaged in the final discussions at No 10 in an attempt to find a com- promise making possible a return. to work on the coal- fields and the last-minute abandonment of the plan for a General Strike'-which only 49,000 of the TUC's 4 million members opposed. The railwaymen's leaders prominent among the were right wingers of the TUC who were only too eager to bring the General Strike to its and speedy end on eventual May 12, 1926. backed to the They were hilt in the TUC and the country at large by the strident, but fake, militancy of members and supporters of the Com- munist Party. Seven months after May 12 Thomas said in an interview: 'Never once ... did I waver in my views, my certainty, that disaster lay in adopting the last resort of a General Strike as a way out of the labour troubles of the time." Why, then, did he not speak out at the packed Memorial Hall meeting? He said: 'What would have been the lot of a leader who, at that moment, had stepped forward and said: "You are all wrong, you are being betrayed, beware you are rushing to your doom"? I tell you frankly that a situation had come along in early days of May • last year when no leader in the land who came forward with advice like this would have been listened to' Why, then, did he not re- sign? I did not resign because I felt certain that I could do far more good by staying in than going out.' As far as the bourgeoisie was concerned he certainly did. It was Thomas who got secret talks going between Sir Herbert Samuel for the govern- ment and the negotiating com- mittee of the TUC in the Bryanstone Square house • of 'his mining magnate friend Sir Abe Bailey'. It was Thomas who spoke out more forcefully than any- one else for an acceptance by the TUC of the government's alleged willingness to negotiate on the basis of the Samuel Memorandum which promised selective wage cuts to be post- An Executive Committee meeting of the NUR which took place at Unity House In 1926. J. H. Thomas Is seated at back of table to the right of the chairman : poned until after the miners were 'reorganized'. And it was Thomas as much as anyone else who was res- ponsible for the TUC ulti- matum to the miners to start negotiations and which fighting on alone for nine months and returning to work with empty pockets. From the moment the General Strike ended, the rail- way companies, together with most other employers, rounded viciously on the working class.

The rail unions put their names to agreements with the companies which said they recognized that the strike had that they been wrong and would not in the future call a strike without prior dis- cussions with the companies and that they would not en- courage. supervisory staff to strike. The agreement added that strikers would not necessarily get their old jobs back. In a broadcast Thomas des- cribed the deal as one 'which in my judgement is not only satisfactory but will set an example for others to follow'.

Another of the 'most im- portant documents to be signed in British industrial history'— in July by Thomas-came 1928 when he agreed to a 2$ per cent wage cut. The com- panies had asked for 5 per cent. He went on to express the hope that the first agreement under which 'men voluntarily surrender their wages in order to help the railway companies would be an example to other industries'. It certainly was. More wage cuts were to follow. In August 1931 Thomas finally made his political position unequivocally clear. He joined the Labour traitor Ramsay MacDonald's coalition government and resigned as NUR general secretary.

CONTINUED TOMORROW

Over the last year and more especially in the past few weeks, news programmes and docu- mentaries have taken on a new sense of urgency. Not that anything seems to interfere with the calm, professional mono- tone of the newscasters themselves, but the Ken- neth Kendalls, Peter Woods and Richard Whitmores have found announcing themselves one major international and national crisis after another. An average evening's news- cast takes in at least one con- frontation with the National Industrial Relations Court, a minimum of one bomb explo- sion in Belfast, one or more offensives by the NLF and the Democratic Republic of Viet- nam, barbaric B52 retaliation from the United States, loss in profits at some monopolist firm, and recurrent redundan- cies. this is announced All of daily in that smooth, unruffled manner, which renders

BBC

all things equal. The most pro- found human disaster delivered in the most uniform tone. The Churchillian Dun- kirk spirit is not dead, it lives on in the announcers who keep their wits about them all round are losing when theirs. As the situation grows daily more desperate for the western world, television marshals up its forces of earnest experts.

Each conflict has its corre- sponding 'specialist', its intelli- gence evaluator. Inevitably, as fighting forces the people's resistance in Indo- prove yet again their China heroic determination to put an end to capitalist intervention- ism in their countries, the expert of the forces of reac- tion, Sir Robert ('No Exit From Vietnam') Thompson, is wheeled out by Panorama to deliver the age-old maxims of counter-insurgency (i.e. barbar- ism), and the spurious specu- of ultra-conservative lations pacification planning. For those who have watched the newscasts of Inde- all pendent TV and the BBC, one quite striking feature emerged. The BBC news cover- • Vietnam has been age on extremely biased (more so than usual), uninformative and Their reporter, confusing. Michael Clayton, who has just returned to this country after working 'in the field' for the month, seemed to have last lost his BBC Code Book of objectivity somewhere between US High Command Head- quarters in Saigon and the area around An Loc. His impartiality got stuck, ARVN (Thieu's like the troops) somewhere on Route 13. It's quite a long time since one has witnessed such con- flicting, tendentious and, at times, downright untrue evalu- ations. ITN's 'News At Ten' has come off as almost revolu- tionary by comparison. Not only has their own team, with reporter Richard Linley, gone into the heart of the conflict zones, but they have shown a degree of independent judge- ment, which has been entirely lacking from the BBC. This is probably why 'News At Ten' has consistently enjoyed one of the highest audience ratings, even in competition with light entertainment. You can fool some of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time. In the midst of all the con- flict, 'Man Alive', usually the pioneering pillar of 'people's politics' ', chose to ignore the world situation in favour of Hollywood-or, at least, Hol- lywood as it is made in down-

BARBARISM

town Tucson, Arizona. George Plimpton, virtuoso of the can journalist decided try to the

DUKE

•As it ton rocks' Press, April succeeded, everyone Indeed, add, Groucho would still service of "The Green the debate

LOCKS

should continue. De a Man Plimpton. and saw we here's your obsessed him breakdown. deliver, what slung swagger. the whole In win une in that little bewildered The Mount.' John Wayne In 'The Green Berets' : serving ultra-right barbarism

BRONCS AND

BUREAUCRACY

TV REVIEW BY ANNA TATE

versatile his hand Tim Hor- Workers programme great goo that proving an acting are rare, great While when the to barbar- Wayne Berets, one Hor- Tim and vital Bogart/Gary etc. George and director, 'Rio Lobo' the amateur "This line: mister!' not easy all the with a western low- passes art he has 'Don't look 'unless Sermon on ats': serving ultra-right barbarism The programme was a nice, if trendy joke, with Plimptor losing his way to the set walking like a drunken ostrich boots, in his bronc-busting fluffing his one and only line Howard and having even ed Hawks chide him with those words which every actor dreads to hear: 'I'd sure hate to have to give this line to someone else. Thursday night, came up with one of the best feature films to emerge from Cuba in the 1960s, 'Death of a Bureaucrat', a hilariously funny, delirious dig at bureaucracy in the revolutionary frame- Cuban work. The film was made in 1966. One has the uncomfort- able feeling that with Castro's turn to Moscow and subse- quent outburst against intellec- tuals, the same film would not have been possible in 1972.

Combining the most inspired techniques of film- western making history together with roots in and insights into his revolution, own culture and director, Tomás the young Alea, has achieved a stunning A combination of synthesis. Buster Keaton, Bunuel, Laurel and Hardy, Jean Vigo, Marilyn Caribbean Monroe, Cuban attitudes and Fidel Castro communism, have made for a great comedy. The point at which individual human social and emotional problems become merely numbered hiles in an endless series of depart- in the anonymous ments is apparatus, administrative deplored by Alea, but deplored in clever satire-perhaps the most effective artistic weapon exists when used to that revolutionary ends. Sad to reflect that the time might have come in Cuba when Alea script will possibly an have to be sent through a bevy of bureaucrats with only the hope of ending up in the 'Procedural Speed-Up Depart- ment', where the queue will be as long as the red-tape.

Workers Press, We God moves in strange ways, they say. He also uses some strange for expressing His avenues will-at least according to Rev Kenneth Wood, vicar of St Boniface in Plymouth. According to the Rev Wood the Almighty has chosen none Britain's star other than Stalinist James Reid as His latest spokesman on earth.

The Plymouth parson writes in 'The Guardian': 'It is a fact of our age that when bishops speak few notice or listen, but when union men speak they do.

I am quite content that the Holy Spirit should use James Reid to speak for Him and I wo! d think that the bishops are not complaining.' In fact the Reverend is not that far off the mark. Through- out the UCS struggle Reid always highlighted the role of the church. In the most recent of his many interviews to the capitalist press he • told the ultra right-wing 'Scottish Daily Express' that he was a Christian. 'Express" reporter Jack Webster asked Reid who were the people who had influenced his life. At the top of the list Reid placed Jesus Christ: •.. I am influenced by the social teachings of Christ as expressed in the Sermon on the and the Beatitudes. Mount [Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth: Blessed are the poor for they shall see God.] They amount to a social ethic to which I sub- scribe. Reid continued: 'Yes I am Christian. I believe that a Christianity, like all major religions can only last on the basis of humanism-with a small "h" of course.' The former secretary of the Scottish Communist Party went on to list Tom Payne, Shaw and Shelley. as Burns, other influences. Press, Wednesday May 17, 1972 PAGE 9 One notes Karl Marx, Engels and Lenin, who had a healthy loathing of religion, particularly Christianity, not were mentioned. No doubt the Holy Spirit was pleased by His disciple's words.

FCM

America, you just had to do it. The Pill, in some circles in the US, is referred to as la fertility Can you imagine the bedroom conversation just before the lights go out: Lurleen, 'Er, excuse me, have you taken your fertility control medication?' 'Affirmative.' The new 'New Statesman' has wasted no time in trimming its sails to the right-wing of the Labour Party. Issue No. 2 under Anthony Howard, the Great White Hope of the Hampstead set, carries a new policy on the Common Market-the NS is now for it!

Thus the NS lines up along- side the Tory right-wing 'Spectator' in backing Britain's entry. Note of discord about Howard's decision to put editorials back on the front page. 'We've got no policies really, why should SO we broadcast it on the front page?

Great white hope, A. Howard Moscow Trials Anthology Paperback, 62}p

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Schools strike due today PAGE 10. Workers Press, Wednesday May 17, 1972

BY SARAH HANNIGAN

thousands of West Lon- don school students have

BY OUR OWN REPORTER

erupted onto the streets demanding an end to can-

IN PREPARATION

for ings and victimizations. Britain's entry into the Common Market a group of And in expulsion and threats German business represent- the youth, severe canings, atives are touring Britain's the majority of them 13- to leading freight forwarders.

15-year-olds, have refused to be browbeaten. The visitors studying are methods of getting goods in and Today the people behind the out of this country. the Maoist-dominated campaign, Schools Action Union, hope to W. Behr, head of the European schools section of Davies Turner Ltd, re- all-London London education ceived the party of 17 Germans protest to Hall, headquarters at County firm's London Westminster. quarters. the demands behind What are He and Julius Lada-Grodzicki, gained this campaign that has director of Davies Turner, support from a large variety of them details of freight gave schools? Germany and routes UK, between They are demands that have and the documentation béen pupils for among customs procedures, duties and Issues any time in the past few years- taxes, insurance and trading con- compulsory school uniform, ditions. no canings or detentions, schools The German party included Dr rules to be decided not prisons, Schultz, of the Wuppertal Cham- enforced and by the whole Commerce; Herr ber of Engels school and no victimizations.

of the Bayer complex; Herr Hut- Half-way through the campaign welker of the Titan Iron and a demand for free school milk- Steel Co; executives from the taken away by the Tory govern- machinery, chemical and pharma- ment-was added to the list. ceutical and silk industries and a representative of the Rhineland The pupils themselves have Co-operative Movement. partly explained the reason for their unrest. One 13-year-old boy Figures just released show that remarked when questioned by the Port of London handled more representatives of the Tory press: than 200,000 containers through lilbury last year and there woul 'We the the same as dockers be 300,000 and the r.s year railwaymen-if they can come out, why can't

PLA

director general, John we?' Lunch said: And a group of girls told me: 'When Tilbury container port "They don't arrest the ra" way- is fully extended it will have maximum capacity of between men and the dockers, yet they and 5 million tons and esti- are arresting us.' we mate that it will reach this about The youth complain of having 1974-1975. in stuffy classrooms to sit with 'The PLA has taken Britain's all the closed in windows sum- entry into the Common Market mer and of freezing in into account in this estimate and They complain of uniforms which has already planned for the are too hot in summer and too next stage farther down river.'

cold in winter. The daily paper that leads the fight against the Torles. £20.28 for 12 months (312 Issues) £10.14 for 6 months (156 issues) £5.07 for 3 months (78 issues) If you want to take Workers Press twice a week the rates are: £1.56 for 3 months (24 issues) £6.24 for 12 months (96 issues) Fill in the form below NOW and senid to: 186a Clapham High St., Circulation Depl., Workers Press, London, SW4 7UG. I would like to take out a subscription to Workers Press.

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Name Address Behind all the press Maoist adventurist m Pupils in revolt during a recent Hyde Par School dinners, they say, are disgustingly poor. First, second and third formers in some schools invariably have Yor it wait until their second dinners, turn which by then are either cold or like left-overs. It is clearly not just the leader- ship of the Schools Action Union (SAU) which today has brought these children out of the schools on to the streets in such big numbers. The SAU leadership, by play- ing around asking the capitalist press for £10 for an interview, have opened the door to witch- hunts and 'red' scares against the youth fighting to defend their rights. This leadership has refused to

BY OUR OWN REPORTER

A WEST LONDON hospi- therapy psychiatric group clinic if it is taken over by another hospital in the area.

The Paddington Clinic and Day Hospital functions as therapeutic community in which medical staff, psychologists, social workers and occupational therap- Ists work together with the patients in a group situation.

They make attempt to an in- explore the basis of an dividual's illness in relation to his family and the community in which he exists.' proposals made by St But Mary's hospital, Paddington, the which will soon take over Day Hospital, make no provisions for such treatment. Instead the treatment favoured by St Mary's-the use of drugs and electro-convulsive therapy treatment—is in direct opposition to the methods employed at the Day Hospital. months, the staff In recent and patients at the hospital, supported by local Labour Party organizations and trade union a group of local doctors and rist misleadership, these

-ULD

: Hyde Park rally link the legitimate demands of youth in schools to a fight against the Tory government, whose con- sistent attacks on all aspects of education have helped to build the tensions that exist in up schools today. Increased dinner charges — leaving over 1 million children in the country unable to afford the meals-stoppage of free milk to the over sevens, cutbacks in teacher training school and building projects, are only some of the measures. Rising unemployment means that many thousands of youth face years on capitalism's scrap- heap, the dole queue. Some will find low-paid jobs with little or no prospects. have been campaigning for the retention of the hospital in its present form. So far their demands have drawn a blank from the North West Metropolitan Hospital Board, the Department of Health and St Mary's board of governors.

Day Hospital's catchment one with above area an average incidence of emotional disturbance and already suffering from a chronic shortage of psychiatric facilities.

At the three main hospitals in the area patients have to wait for up to six weeks for a first consultant appointment. Apart from the Day Hospital, individual psychotherapy is and group almost unobtainable. On the other hand the Day "open-door' Hospital has an policy and there is no waiting list. Staff at the hospital were involved in making 'Family Life', the film directed by Ken Loach and produced by Tony Garnett, which describes how an indi- vidual is driven further into schizophrenia by the attitudes of The society. screenplay was adapted by David Mercer from his play 'In Two Minds' vitch-hunts and the At the same time the whole trade union movement has as good as been declared illegal by the National Industrial Relations Court. All of these questions today facé youth at school. The ten- sions that are building up under- neath the surface of society today as a result of capitalism's crisis take many forms. Just as the mass movement of youth in schools heralded the advent of the enormous class struggles of the May-June days in France 1968, the movement of school children in Britain also signifies the rising tide of mili- tancy and hatred of a working class moving into battle against the Tory government. Sandy Ratcliff as the young girl driven to schizophrenia in the film 'Family Life' The film tried to bring out the way in which conventional psychiatry attempts to force the individual to act in a way that conforms demands of the society and, having failed, desig- nated her as incurable.

Right-wing teachers want a 'trouble' THE CANADIAN Con- gress of Labour, meeting camp for in Ottawa, has passed an resolution emergency pupils calling for an amnesty for all union leaders im- prisoned Quebec By:Education Reporter province. This is the first reported GROUP of gesture of solidarity from right-wing the of the Canadian teachers rest special labour for the centres to be movement up throughout Scotland for 'troublesome pupils and persistent truants'. 'the Honours Graduate Teachers' Association has A BILL defining the functions asked the Secretary of State of the Bureau of State Scotland for examine Security (BOSS) and provid- juvenile dennquency ing for a high-powered state schools and to provide facili- council, ties for 'offenders'. security was pub. lished yesterday in Cape They say they want a kind Town. /of ordinary halfway-house between The council, with Prime Min- Balthazar Vorster ister its school which Annoyed 'anti-social' pupils between Challan ment on the formation of national 13 and 16 could receive Phl security or they i relation to training. , republic reactionary suggestion "he t wil also policy for sort of training camp to combat any particular threat for dissenting with Boss. Africa and,

SCIOOL

canteer association's 140e will determine intel. annual conference Glas or Ret reading vich a House has finished. just had its reading of receivet Dacking. Assembly (Lower House), At the moment troublesome pupils are getting off lightly,' crucial Ted unred recommenda. one told the meeting. 'But such tions made by Justice Potgieter's Commission of Inquiry the pupils could into rective Wall. a centre lor a short period nations security without having any blot on concerned suggestions their record.' for narrowing the terms of the General Law Act Amendments association also called 1he the Duoncallol for a £1.000 wear crease matters relating to state security for senior qualified teachers.

the police, armaments,

BOSS

and also clause which TV

BBC 1

9.38, 9.20 Pogles' Wood 11.05, 2.05 Schools. 10.45 Boomor with Becker. Nai Zindagi Naya 1.00 Disc Dawn. 1.30 Jeevan. Green. 1.45 News, camberwick

ITV

Play 4.40 weather. 4.15 school. Jackanory. 4.55 Rolf. 5.10 Pixie and Dixie. 5.15 Search. bican. 1:40 12.45 Bar- schools. bican Remember. 5.44 Hector's House. 5.50 News lime weather. 2.32 Good Afternoon. 3.00 House party. 3.15 Dr Simon Locke.

3.45

NATIONWIDE.

6.00 Edgar Wallace. .40 Hatty Town.

6.45 WHERE IN THE WORLD.

4.55 Lift 5.20 Off. escape Inte Night. 5.50 News. Travel quiz.

7.00 SPY

The

6.00 TODAY.

TRAP.

Execu- tioner, episode 1.

6.35 CROSSROADS.

7.25 STAR TREK. The Trouble 7.00 MISS TV TIMES. London with Tribbles. Final.

8.10 THE

EXPERT. Where Are

7.30 CORONATION STREET.

You Going? 8.00

THE

MAX BYGRAVES

9.00 NEWS,

Weather.

SHOW.

9.20 SPORTSNIGHT. The Euro- 9.00 CALLAN. Do You Recog- pean Featherweight Cham- nize the Woman? pionship. 10.00

NEWS.

10.20

DOWN

Series. Conservation pro EARTH. (New

10.30 ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL.

11.25

PROFESSIONAL

WREST-

gramme with Kennet Allsop_ Spike Milligan,

LING.

Anthony Smith. 11.55

WHAT THE PAPERS SAY.

Anthony Howard.

10.50 24 HOURS.

11.25 ANGLERS' CORNER.

12.10 ASPECTS OF FAITH.

BBC 2

11.00 Play 5.35 O on

FILM: 'THE PICTURE OF

School. University. 7.05 Measure conscience •anacis Donna 7.30 NEWSROOM, Weather. aday tation to you dad

8.00 TIMES

REMEMBERED.

Viliy corcotion Denis Tuohy talks to Denis Victorian society of late Rake. era. 8.10 MAN ALIVE. Pop festivals.

11.05 NEWS, Weather.

9.00 POT

BLACK.

Snooker

11.10 LATE NIGHT LINE-UP.

competition. Quebec workers who have been hit by Draconian anti- union laws. Three leaders of the Common Front of public service unions who organized a 200,000-strong strike last month are now in jail serving one-year terms for contempt of court. Fifty-two other union officials have been sentenced to imprison- ment and fined for defying the courts. However, the central union leaders are not prepared to fight gives an administrator the right to prevent certain evidence be- ing given in court. The third recommendation was that certain authorities should be permitted to intercept post telephone conversations in certain circumstances. 'But as the government has accepted all the findings of Justice Potgieter's one-man in- quiry, it was believed here that would be included issues in a General Laws Amendment Bill to be introduced towards the end of the current parliamentary session. Under the terms of the Bill, BOSS's functions would be to: MARTIAL LAW authorities have detained 24 more people, about halt of them girls, for printing left-wing the pamphlets under name of the 'Dawn' organization, it was announced in Turkey yesterday. The security forces' move in Hurd Hadfield as Dorlan Gray and Ange Dorian Gray' tonight's BBC 2 film at 9.

REGIONAL TV

CHANNEL: 10.20, 1.40 Schools.

4.05 Paulus. 4.20 Puffin. 4.25 Good afternoon. 4.55 London.

6.00 News, weather. 6.10 To- wards the year 2000. 6.35 Cross- roads. 7.00 Treasure hunt. 7.30 London. 11.55 Epilogue. News, weather. WESTWARD. As Channel except: 3.55 Gus Honeybun. 4.20 News.

6.00 Diary. 11.55 News, weather.

11.59 Teach a man to fish.

SOUTHERN: 2.30 Film: 'Lavender Hill mob'. 4.00 Houseparty. 4.15 Enchanted house. 4.30 Cross- roads. 4.55 London. 6.00 Day by day. 6.30 University challenge.

7.00 Jokers wild. 7.30 London.

News. 12.05 Weather. 11.55 Epilogue. ANGLIA: 2.30 London. 3.15 Miz- zen, main, foremast. 3.45 Yoga.

4.15 News. 4.18 Cartoons. 4.30 Romper room. 4.55 London. 6.00 Workers Pross, Wedneaday May 17, 1972 PAGE 11 RIGHT-WING shop stewards at CAV, Acton, have com- North London plained to the district committee of the Amal- for the overthrow of the Quebec gamated Union of Engineering or the Federal gov- government, Workers about the behaviou ernment which backs it. of 'troublemongers'. In Montreal, a spokesman for No names are mentioned and the Canadian Congress of Labour no charges have been made. urged the Quebec government to The fight against tele-control of for resumption monitoring and site prepare production negotiations by scrapping legisla- deals has been led by left-wing 1l-day tion which ended the shop stewards who have now public service strike: because they been singled out recently exposed the deal which This, the spokesman said, dropped one department's bers six places in the CAV pay would restore 'social peace' to of the Thousands structure. workers all over Quebec are on The men claim the deal saved strike against the jailing of their the management €16,000. leaders.

COLLECT,

evaluate, correlate MAN should colonize the comets and interpret national security the planetst because rather than intelligence for the purpose of they rich water and identifying detecting and are any chemicals necessary for life. And threat or potential threat to the could 'stepping they provide of security the republic and stars' on the way to other stars.

advising the Prime Minister of forward This vision put was such a threat; Professor Freeman yesterson y

COLLECT

departmental intelli- Dyson, the Institute of gence at the request of any state Advanced Studies, Princeton. department, and to evaluate and College, Speaking at Birkbeck transmit such intelligence to the London, Dyson said that men department concerned; and to who colonize comets would have to revert to the tree-dwelling life PREPARE and interpret for the intelligence our ape-like ancestors. of a national He was giving the third J. D.

any threat estimate relating to to the security of the country and Bernal lecture. to formulate a policy of national

THE STRIKE

by skilled tool- intelligence. SCCUrILY Smiths Industries at makers Limited, Cricklewood, North London, today enters its eighth week. working Yesterday three-day 250 introduced for semi- was Istanbul came after the detention workers skilled, mainly women, week in of 13 stu- at the factory as the strike began last Ankara dents for similar offences.

to take effect. "Dawn' The 70 toolmakers are demand- The pamphlets were distributed in Ankara last week of £8 a week ing an increase following the execution and a reduction in hours to 35.

of three left 'Turkish People's Management's last offer was Liberation Army members. £2.40. and Angela Lansbury as Sybll Vane In Oscar Wllde's 'The Picture of film at 9.20. 6.35 Crossroads. London. 6.00 News. What's on?

About i Anglia. 7.00 Shirley's world. 7.30 Lon- 6.30 University 7.00 challenge. don. 11.55 Music at night.

Dr Simon Locke. 7.30 London.

ATV MIDLANDS: 3.10 Afternoon.

TYNE TEES: 11.00, 1.40 Schools.

3.35 Horoscope 3.45 Women. 1.25 Enchanted house. 2.30 Good 4.10 Mrs Muir. 4.40 Grasshopper afternoon. 3.00 Sound of :. 3.15 Hadleigh island. 4.55 London. 6.00 Today. 4.10 News. 4.15 Cross- Crossroads. 7.00 Odd 4.40 Make a 6.35 roads. wish. 4.55 couple. 7.30 London. London. 6.00 Today. 6.30 Univer- sity challenge. 7.00 Jokers wild. 7.30 Landon. 11.55 News.

ULSTER:

11.00 Schools. 4.30 12.10 4.50 4.55 Epilogue. Romper room. News. London. 6.00 Reports. 6.15 What's on? 6.35 Crossroads. 7.00 Sport-

SCOTTISH: 11.00.

1.40 Schools. ing challenge. 7.30 London.

3.30 Pinky and Perky. 3.45 Cross- 4.10 Dateline. roads. 4.55 Lon- YORKSHIRE: 11.00 Schools. 2.32 6.00 Dateline. 6.15 Cartoon.

don. 6.30 More Good afternoon. 3.00 The sound are together. 7.00 we 3.15 Hadleigh. 4.10 News.

7.30 London. of Jokers wild. 10.30 4.15 Crossroads. 4.40 Hatty town. Organization. 11.30 Late call. 4.55 London. 6.00 Calendar. 6.30 11.35 Wrestling. University challenge. 7.00 Jokers wild. 7.30 London. 11.55 A

GRAMPIAN:

11.00 Schools. 3.38 12.25 policy of appeasement. News. Women. 4.10 Jimmy 3.45 Weather. Stewart. 4.40 Enchanted house. 4.55 London. 6.00 News, weather. 2.30 6.05 Grampian week. 6.35 Cross-

GRANADA:

11.00 Schools. 7.00- wild 7.30 Edgar Wallace. 3.30 Yoga. 3.55 roads. Jokers 4.10 News. London. 10.30 Marcus. Welby. Camera action. in Peyton Place. 4.40 Paulus. 4.55 11.25 Wrestling. 12.00 Epilogue.

Stalinists back Nixon's secret talks PAGE 12 Workers Press, Wednesday Ma TRIUMPH Motors manage- ment proposals for abolish- ing piecework in a new pay deal incorporating Measured- Day Work suffered another rebuff yesterday. A mass meeting of 650 workers at the Radford, Coventry, plant endorsed their shop yesterday stewards' committee recommen- dation to reject the MDW pro- posals. Monday's over- This follows whelming rejection of the deal by 220 shop stewards represent- ing 9,000 workers at the Canley plant—the largest of the Coventry Triumph car assembly works.

Only one shop steward voted for acceptance. At the Radford plant, however, AUEW convenor Tom Healy told the men that 'sometime in the future' they might have to 'modify' their attitude in rela- tion to MDW, although rejection of the proposals was the correct 'tactic' at present. For many men in the Triumph factories the ending of piecework Will mean a drop of at least £4 a week in wages. The British-Leyland manage- ment is desperate to introduce MDW in all its plants. As 'The Times' reported on Monday May 15, the present confrontation at Triumph is be- ing closely watched by manage- ment at Austin Morris, Long- bridge, near Birmingham, the last big obstacle in Leyland's fight to abolish the piecework system.

HEADS of the 219 Inner London Authority Education secondary schools were given full backing today to deal with children play- truant to support demon- ing strations today (see p. 10) Dr Eric Briault, the authority's education officer, told the heads in a letter that they had 'full reasonable for all support measures' to prevent pupils play- ing truant. They also had backing deal those who had to with to already stayed away and bring the schools back to normal'.

LEADERS of the Stalinist- backed British Campaign for Peace in Vietnam yesterday support for the expressed forthcoming secret talks be- President Nixon and tween Soviet leaders. Dick Nettleton of the Cam- for Nuclear Disarmament, paign said: I would hope that talks would proceed and that Nixon would see the light of day He was speaking at a press conference organized by the BCPV to launch a demonstration to the American Embassy in London on June 4. The demon- stration is being supported by

LATE NEWS

NEWS DESK

01-720 2000

CIRCULATION

01-622 7029 PAY OFFERS of between 7 and 10.8 per cent to weekly-paid BBC staff were vesterday rejected by the unions as 'totally inadequate' from the BBC A statement unions said they also refused to accept the management's rejection of their claim for a shorter working week and the Corpor- ation's refusal to agree to a number of improvements. The unions are the Association Broadcasting Staffs, the Electrical, and Telecommuni- Electronic National the cations Association of and Kine Employees and vision Society of Graphical and the Allied Trades. The unions will today week. meet again PRODUCTION was halted at the Chrysler Ryton, Coventry, car assembly plant yesterday where were idle. They 2,000 workers night-shift sprayers supported walked out on Monday who night, supported by the rest of the production force, following a dispute over colour batching.

resday May 17, 1972 THE TRANSPORT and 6- General Workers' Union is to appeal against the key decision of the Industrial Relations Court which requires them to sack or expel 'rebel' shop stewards from the union. union, Counsel for the Peter Pain, QC, told the Appeal Court yesterday that his submission boiled down to a point of law-as to the responsibility of a union for its shop stewards in a situ- ation where the stewards were going flatly against the union policy but the union Here you a the National Union of Students and 'left' Labour MPs. Nettleton expressed the hope that Labour Party • and TUC representatives would take part in the march and send speakers to a Trafalgar Square rally.

He said TUC policy on Viet- 'good and correct' nam was as of the Labour Party, was that although it was 'only really yes- terday® in parliament that the Labour leadership had begun to implement its policy. Digby Jacks, Communist Party president of the National Union of Students, attacked British for the government support Americans in Vietnam. 'Because it is a Conservative A PAY dispute between workers and management at John Brown of Clyde. Engineering Limited bank ended yesterday when 800 a rise of employees accepted £2.50 to all houriy-paid workers, an extra day's holiday in 1973 and an increase in the minimum time rate to £23. In addition, holiday pay for 1973 will be based on average earnings rather than the minimum time rate.

WEATHER

MOSTLY dry with sunny spells Wales. over England and but isolated showers in south-east England. Northern Ireland and southern Scotland will have rain at times. North and north-west Scotland will have scattered showers and sunny spells.

Outlook for Thursday and Friday: Changeable. Some rain or showers at times. Sunny periods.

Temperatures near normal.

Registered as a newspaper at the Post Published Workers Press. 186a Clapham by 186a Hish Street, London.

SW4 7UG.

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did not strip them of their authority. The case involves the blacking of two North West haulage firms by dockers on Merseyside.

Fines totalling £55,000 have imposed on already been the T&GWU in connection with the issue. The Court agreed that the hearing of the appeal should be speeded up and it is likely to start on May 30. . Last Friday Industrial Relations Court the adjourned for 21 days action on further contempt of court against for the union. Mr Pain said yesterday: "The Industrial Relations Court has adjourned the matter for the union to put itself in order-to dismiss the shop stewards or re you are Jack! You can do the chop government we are not auto- matically assuming that it will do the worst,' he said. The gov.

ernment's position had to exposed by demanding dissocia- tion from American policy.

This demand will be one of the central slogans of the June 4 will also demonstration which call for the immediate with- drawal of US troops. Arthur Latham, Labour MP for Paddington North, is leading a group of Labour MPs to the Soviet Embassy today to establish the Soviet attitude to reconvening the Geneva conference on Viet- nam. Latham is one of the MPs supporting the march. •See Nixon's Moscow trip P 2.

MAY APPEAL

FUND REACHES

£928.50 ALL EYES of the working class are focused on the legal attacks by the NIRC. Workers everywhere are becoming more and more determined to fight back in every way they can. Workers Press must reach out to all those involved in this fight.

Help us to expand our circula- tion Into new districts. Take extra copies yourself to sell. And par- a special ticularly, lets make enor this month for our appeal Fund. So far it is a great achieve- ment but we still have £821.50 to raise betore the end of the month. So press ahead today.

Post all your donations immedi- ately to: Workers Press May Appeal Fund 186a Clapham High St, London, SW4 7UG. expel them from the union so as to revoku any authority they may have. Clearly it raises an issue in the industrial world of the up- most importance. I feel sure that however tough the Industrial Court might be, if the matter was being debated in this court they would hardly hold my clients in contempt, said Mr Pain. Today the Court will rule on another case of blacking-this time on Hull docks-where shop stewards are refusing to handle the lorries of a Bradford-based warehousing firm. haulage and HERMAN ROBERTS, the first rank and file trade unionist to join the National Industrial Relations Court, yesterday heard his first case. Roberts, member of the National a Union of Journalists, was formerly industrial correspon- dent of the 'Birmingham Post'.

Judge Roberts heard an appeal on a redundancy pay claim.

he chopping Arthur Latham to lead delegation to Soviet Embassy.

* THE YOUNG SOI

The eight-page youth paper which leads the fight against the Tory government, for the right to schools the dole queues. Please send me 'Keep Left' for one ye I enclose £2.86 Name Address

FROM OUR OWN REPORTER

THE NATIONAL Industrial Relations Court yesterday continued indefinitely a ban on unfair industrial action by the Technical and Super- visory Section (TASS) of the Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers at C. A.

the Newcastle Parsons, engineering firm. The order stops alleged threats and intimidation by TASS mem- bers against fellow workers at Parsons. The interim order was granted to the United Kingdom Association of Professional Engineers (UKAPE) on April 28.

UKAPE brought the action in the NIRC following a reference to the Commission on Industrial Relations on the question bargaining rights at Parsons.

today's five-minute After private hearing, when TASS again Kenneth boycotted the court, of Peplow, general secretary UKAPE, said he assumed that the order would continue until the CIR reported back to the court. 'After nearly three years of activity we have protected our members and the claim by TASS for 100 per cent membershif he Parsons has been dropped, 'We now have industrial peace at Parsons-which is something we thought would never happen.

Now I hope the company can get a full order book and get every- body back to work' Peplow said that following the of the dispute at settlement which was announced Parsons weekend, UKAPE had to last decide whether to discontinue its court action or ask for the order to be continued. As the Association's purpose in going back to the NIRC had been to ensure peace while the CIR investigated the bargaining rights question they decided the on latter course. 'It is a safeguard against further trouble? said Peplow. • Yesterday Eric Hammond, an councillor executive electricians' union, made an un- expected appearance before the He was representing the court.

EPTU,

the electricians and plumbers' union, in its fight against a claim for bargaining rights launched by the 1,000- strong Electricity Supply Union.

The Yorkshire-based 'union' wants the legal right to bargain on behalf of power workers at the Ferrybridge 'C' power station Ink.

FFICIAL WEEKLY PAPER

SATURDAY MAY 13, 1972

Plenty of news, views and features at 3p a copy. 186a Clapham High St, London, SW4 7UG. for one year