T&GWU AT THE CROSSROADS

tackle "no-go' areas ULSTER Supremo William Whitelaw made it clear yesterday that he is actively considering the invasion of the Bogside and Creggan 'no-go' areas in Derry.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Whitelaw said that it would be possible, 'at a considerable cost' to go into the areas, but that 'was only the first part of the problem'.

'Having gone in', he said, 'one has to stay there, in terms of guerrilla warfare, for a considerable time.' He went. on: 'I am not prepared in any way to accept the I can, Seek to end it as soon as present situation and I will cerI can.' In another reference he said: About the position in the diffiult areas, I can only add that prietly clear made me in stion 1 laye made POSIOL matters cannot be inexhaustible, because it is extremely important that these areas do return to democratic rule.' He criticized MPs, some of whom he said, thought his attitude was lacking in courage.

It is not a question of courage. It is simply a question of a common sense approach to the whole future', he told them.

• Over 5,000 Belfast workers marched to the city centre yesterday demanding government action against the shooting of four Protestant workers. outside Mackie's engineering factory, Springfield Rd on Tuesday. See What We TODAY'S SUMMIT meeting of Transport and General Workers' Union officials will take decisions which threaten the livelihoods of thousands of dockers and lorry drivers.

The union bureaucrats who have been falling over themselves to implement the wishes of the Tory National Industrial Relations Court meet in a mood of extreme crisis.

They are currently in roaring on a scale not seen since Dunkirk.

In the past three weeks general secretary Jack Jones has presided over the following retreats: • The union has recognized the court and decided to participate in its hearing—a flagrant breach of the TUC Congress decision last September to boycott all workings of the Act. • The union has paid fines imposed by the National tions Court. • This week two officials of. the union appeared before the Court and gave evidence. Court president Sir John Donaldson commented yesterday: 'We have been greatly impressed and assisted by the oral evidence which union officials have given retreat totalling £55,000 Industrial RelaALEX MITCHELL in this case. They have advised their Hull shop stewards to cease blacking Panalpina [a Bradford road haulage firm], but regrettably without any effect.

'We have no doubt that this advice is sincerely given and that the officials conheeded, senuinely hope that it will be These men, commended by Donaldson yesterday, today meet in judgement on rank-and-file members of the union.

They are commender! by Donaldson who has already delivered historic judgements which attempt to descroy the democratic rights of trade unions. In respect of the T&GWU this is what Donaldson has so far decreed: • Unions have been told they must sack or discipline shop stewards who defy the Court or face massive penalties. In short the Court is asking union leaders to become industrial 'policemen'. • Shop stewards must be disciplined sacked, even if this runs the risk, 'in short term', of a national docks strike. • In the case of the rail pay dispute, Court has emerged as a body with powers to intimidate workers and demand settlement on terms dictated the government.

The purpose of today's meeting is to find a 'strategy' which will then be put to mass meetings of dockers throughout the country. But the days of the Jones 'formula' are over. Nothing that this meeting comes up with can possibly save the jobs of dockers and lorry drivers. The economy is in desperate or by straits and as the monopolists drive into the Common Market they want a fast, cheap container service on the docks.

They want to achieve this service at the expense of dockers' jobs.

As we showed in figures earlier this week, the employers have already cut the London docks work force from 22,000 in 1968 to 15,433 today.

On June 2 Southern Stevedores will close its Royal Docks, making 1,100 dockers redundant. In its annual report the Port of London Authority announced that its sackings would be stepped up to 2,000 this year.

While ese attacks are being made, there is also an incidious policy of voluntary redundaucies operating without any objection from the docks leadership.

More than 1,000 London registered men have accepted severance since the pay-out money was increased to £2,300 on March 20. The National Dock Labour Board has now authorized a further 1,000 severances in London.

Jones has no strategy to fight this decimation of docks jobs. And each step he takes in co-operating with the Industrial Relations all 160 Cour the ability of his union.

Rank-and-file T&GWU members are justly alarmed by what is happening at the union headquarters. They have a right to demand an emergency conference of the union.

Such a conference could affirm total opposition to the Act and prepare for the mobilizing of members in all unions to create the political and industrial conditions to get the Tories out of office. • See p.3: Court order to T&GWU.. • Walter Cunningham, Hull shop ste wards' chairman says: "The blacking stays'—S