DEFEAT THE TORIES

threat on RAIL AND DOCKS union chiefs may be planning their most ignominious retreat yet in front of the Tories' arrogantly outspoken preparations for industrial war.

The railmen's leaders appear to have dropped plans to restart their work-to-rule, while the Transport and General Workers' Union has called together its docks officials today prior to discussing 'peace' proposals with the port employers.

Heath's weekend warning that there will be no surrender by the government on either front will have intensified the danger of capitulation by the union top brass.

Counting in the rail ballot is now unlikely to be completed before Wednesday.

A written report on the 82per-cent poll - in which the unions predict a six-to-one majority for further industrial action-will then be handed to an official of the National Industrial Relations Court. All three unions have arranged meetings for that day to discuss their next move.

It has already been intimated, however, that a further work-torule is probably off; the next round of industrial action could consist merely of a relatively ineffective overtime ban and ban on rest-day working.

Two excuses are being put forward - the legal dangers new work-to-rule. and the fact that it would be unpopular the middle class.

One union leader got himself quoted in the mass-circulation 'Sun' newspaper yesterday morning as saying: 'We want to avoid the provocation of commuters seeing a railwayman walking inflames feelings, Platform. That This is exactly the sort bleating Tory Ministers want hear. With Heath they Correspondent poised like vultures for a possible meeting to announce emergency powers.

Similar dangers exist on the docks, where a national strike is threatened from Friday over demands for more pay, better holidays and the right to pack and unpack cargo-containers.

Today's gathering of officials is expected to take place at Fransport House before a key meeting of the port industry's National Joint Council.

There, the employers will table proposals arrived at in secret talks with T&GWU general secretary Jack Jones for a scheme which could temporarily transter the present redundancy crisis out of the docks.

The plan would involve the setting up of a joint working party between port authorities, shipowners and stevedoring firms to try and bring new work into the ports. Men would be encouraged to find jobs in outside industry while keeping their registration as dockers as a fallback.

By themselves, such proposals would clearly carry little weight with the T&GWU rank and file in the docks.

Jones and docks secretary Tim O'Leary, however, are expected to lay two arguments before their Friday, they will point out, is the expiry date for the industrial court's ultimatum to the union to control its docks stewards. The union could be paralysed if there no sign of this being complied with. dangers of a split in the union A meeting of T&GWU drivers on Sunday defeated a move to 'hive-off' the road-transport section, but urged that containers should be unfit drivers' work. Turn to p. I2, Col 1 THE 14th ANNUAL CONFERENCE of the Socialist. Labour League salutes the dockers; railwaymen and all those sections of the working class who are in the forefront of the struggle for basic rights, for their wages and conditions of work.

We are profoundly convinced that the determination and power of the working class in these struggles can make the hated Tory government resign. We call upon workers everywhere to fight for the whole trade union and labour movement to be mobilized to achieve this aim and to return a Labour government pledged to socialist policies.

It is fear of this power and resistance of the working class which drives the Tory government to show its real face, the face of arrogance and hatred of the working class, the face of men who have decided to dispense with democratic rights and to attempt the imposition of the open dictatorship of the state, acting in their own class interests.

This is the meaning of their use of the National Industrial Relations Court to try and smash trade unionism. This Court has usurped the rights of parliamentary • debate and control. It has chosen the road to dictatorship That why millions workers are coming into struggle against the Tory government, to defend their basic rights.

Heath's speech at Luton Hoo last Saturday was part of this same ruling-class strategy. He challenged trade unionists to take on the government and claimed to stand for the consumer, the citizen, against the organized PAPERBACKS CENTRE OPENS THURSDAY 10 a.m.

IN THE WEST END New Park Publications Ltd is pleased to announce the opening of the Paperbacks Centre at 28 Charlotte Street, W.l. next Thursday, June 1, at 10 a.m.

Mr DAVID MERCER, the wright, has kindly agreed to All readers of the Workers invited to join him.

This is the fraudulent talk who are Drebarin' Bonapartist dictatorship. means rule by decree. It means independent action by courts, by army and police, by the Privy Council, without any reference to paramese, and with the ing class deprived of all rights that стат stands above the interests classes, representing 'the consumer'.

Far from representing the people, they have no mandate whatever for their attacks. They set me tet police ba enter lit Cominon Markel, they rents, policies intolerable price rises — all this mandate from the people. o The h, cons and fth refusal fight, and seeing the open betrayal of the Jenkins group, calculating a collapse bv th at this crucial stage of the huggies and or ad dockers' fions Cainst the Industrial Relations His Luton or His spinet staterepetition ment at the end of the miners strike in February. When he told the miners' leaders demand any more they would be taking on the government, thes leaders retreated: they settled for a partial victory on wages when the government could have been brought down.

The dangers of such a collapse of leadership are even graver today.

Since February 19, the Tories have equipped with the dictatorial judgements of the NIRC They have made _orebara tions for provoking conditions General Strike, in which wholewell-known playopen the shop.

Press are cordially sale arrests and the use of roops would be the order of the day.

Retreat in the face o Tories' threats will not make them turn back. Their own crisis and fear of the working class drives them forward with their plans for dictatorship.

Now is the time for every section of the working class to be united in action to force the Tory government to resign.

The way forward is for Councils of Action to be set up in every area of the country. These will include trade union branches, trades councils, factory committees, local Labour Parties, all working-class political parties and groups, tenants' organizations, unemployed-every section of the people in struggle to make the Tories resign.

It is from these Councils that the strength of the working class will be mobilized to insist on socialist policies from the Labour government which replaces the Tories.

At the very centre of this great struggle is the question of building the alternative working-class leadership. The Labour leaders and their Stalinist assistants do everything to prevent the working class from confronting the Tory government in struggle.

Fighting on the policy of building Councils of Action, to make the Tories resign, the Socialist Labour League calls upon workers everywhere to join our ranks and to expand the circulation of our daily Workers Press. In this way we will carry through, in November of this year, the transformation of the Socialist Labour League into a Passed unanimously Monday, May 2), 1972. DAVID MERCER

ONE SMALL BUT HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT SECTION MISSING FROM OBITUARIES