Workers Press no. 785

workers press

TORIES CHANGE

ANTI-UNION TACTIC

BY ALEX MITCHELL

THE RESISTANCE of the wo the Tories to re-organize the strategy. And their greatest alli war on the working class are t Afraid of the growing mili- tancy of their own members, these leaders today become the accomplices in the Tory plan to weaken and demora- lize the working class. The first and most pressing reason behind this strategy is to isolate the rail unions. Following their defeat at the hands of the miners, the Tories are desperate to strike back-and they've chosen the railmen as their chief target. The trade union collaboration which is hitting the rank and file and isolating the rail work- exposed on a variety of ers fronts: • TUC leader Victor Feather told the National Union of Sheet Metal Workers' conference in Aberdeen on Monday night that he welcomed the continuation of tripartite talks with the Tories, the CBI and the trade unions.

The talks were of mutual benefit', he said. 'Our members lose money when there's a strike, employers lose production and orders, and the economy suffers, he whined. Not a word, notice, about lead- ing the trade union movement in a fight against the Industrial Relations Act and the govern- ment. Just intenser levels of col- laboration. • Hugh Scanlon, president of the Amalgamated Union of Engi- neering Workers, has handed the Tories their biggest bonus.

By abandoning the national pay claim to plant-by-plant bargain- ing, the engineers fight has been decimated. In Manchester, the scene of the first major battle, the employers are rubbing their factory hands after as one another collapses in the face of their powerful offensive.

Speaking to Birmingham shop stewards on Monday night, Scan- lon showed the extent to which he is prepared to go. 'We don't strikes, we want settle- want , he said. ments' Feather: 'mutual benefit' from talks with Tories.

INCORPORATING THE NEWSL

DAILY ORGAN OF THE CENTF

the working class has forced ize their industrial relations test allies in this camouflaged ss are the trade union leaders.

Jack Jones, general secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union, was yesterday to be found sitting around table with Lord Aldington, chair- of the Port of London man Authority, discussing a Munich- style peace agreement to avert a national docks strike. (See profile, page three.) This comes on top of Jones's recent decisions to pay £55,000 fines to the National Industrial Relations Court and to attend the court. • The new placatory tone of Sir John Donaldson, the NIRC president, is also opening up the conditions under which unions into registering will be cajoled under the Act. leader, Electricians' Frank Chapple, is setting the pace in

TUC

retreat from terence. In his election manifesto now circulating, Chapple says: The movement's policy should be to get trade union representatives on the NIRC and industrial tri- bunals which are going to sit in judgement. Defence of our members is the overriding principle, and for this in favour of reason am our remaining a registered union.'

These appeasement noises by the trade union leaders are made at a time when the economic crisis is rapidly worsening.

Gold edged over the $60 an ounce mark on London bullion markets yesterday. The peak price was $61.50, S22 above the price official gold set by US Congress two months ago. Herbert Ingersoll, the big tool- consortium, has 12 kin been dropped into liquidation and the Vickers company threatening to close down its shipyard at Barrow-in-Furness, which employs 8,500 men. Every economic indicator points towards higher and higher unemployment, accompanied by rises in the price of basic foods- and bread—to Common meat Market levels. The biggest danger facing the working class is that it could, if not alerted be taken unaware by the Tories' creeping offensive.

The collaboration of the trade is union leaders enormously assisting this process. The fact remains, however, that the government is by no means out of the woods. Although the trade union into leadership may be off the Tory parlour, the rank-and-file isn't. The strength of the work- ing class can force the Tories to resign. A campaign along these lines must be initiated at once; an immediate start can be made by building Councils Action which include all sections of the labour and trade union move- ment. INCORPORATING THE NEWSLETTER • WEDNESDAY JUNE 7, 1972 • No 785 • 4p DAILY ORGAN OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE A worried man. Sir Sidney gress taiks with british Kall.

BY IAN YEATS

TALKS between British Rail and the three rail unions adjourned were yesterday after nearly three hours with no new offer from the board.

Leaders of the three unions told return to the were to Marylebone board's head- quarters at 2.30 p.m. today for a final decision. Following last week's ballot of the railwaymen, the unions stood 28 Charlotte St London W1

BOOKS • PERIODICALS • NEWSPAPERS

UNE 7, 1972 •

No 785 4p

THE SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE

ene on his way to yesterday's "no pro- firm yesterday on May 1 as the date from which the board's 12.5-per-cent pay offer must be given. After the talks Sir Sidney Greene, general secretary of the National Union of Railwaymen, said: l am very disappointed with the situation. We have made no progress whatsoever.' Asked why he thought the board had asked them to return today, he said: I would have thought if somebody says to you to come along they are going to

LS • NEWSPAPERS

IMPORTANT

FEATURE SERIES

Starts today Cliff Slaughter today com- mences an important series of articles beginning with 'Why a Labour government?'

THURSDAY: Capitulation to bureaucracy FRIDAY: Centrism and the working class SATURDAY: International Marxist Group (IM G) writes off the working class MONDAY: Centrism and the crisis of reformism TUESDAY: The political independence of the work- ing class Make sure you follow each day's instalment of this theoretical series. tell you something'. Ray Buckton, general secretary of the locomen's union ASLEF, told reporters: "They have made no offer whatsoever to us.

A spokesman for British Rail yesterday's said exchange of views had provided something for both sides to discuss, but he would not say whether this meant any softening of positions.

The executives of the rail unions met yesterday afternoon to hear reports and discuss the situation.

NOW OPEN

Mon, Tues, Wed, Fri 9 a.m.-6 р.m. Thurs 9 a.m.-7.30 p.m. Sat 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

workers press

TORIES CHANGE

ANTI-UNION TACTIC

THE RESISTANCE of the wo the Tories to re-organize the strategy. And their greatest alli war on the working class are tl Afraid of the growing mili- tancy of their own members, these leaders today become the accomplices in the Tory plan to weaken and demora- lize the working class. The first and most pressing reason behind this strategy is to isolate the rail unions. Following their defeat at the hands of the miners, the Tories are desperate to strike back-and they've chosen the railmen as their chief target. The trade union collaboration which is hitting the rank and file and isolating the rail work- exposed on a variety of ers fronts: • TUC leader Victor Feather told the National Union of Sheet Metal Workers' conference in Aberdeen on Monday night that he welcomed the continuation of tripartite talks with the Tories, the CBI and the trade unions.

talks were of 'mutual The benefit', he said. 'Our members lose money when there's a strike, employers lose production and orders, and the economy suffers, he whined. Not a word, notice, about lead- ing the trade union movement in a fight against the Industrial Relations Act and the govern- ment. Just intenser levels of col- laboration. • Hugh Scanlon, president of the Amalgamated Union of Engi- neering Workers, has handed the Tories their biggest bonus.

By abandoning the national pay claim to plant-by-plant bargain- ing, the engineers' fight has been decimated. In Manchester, the scene of the first major battle, the employers are rubbing their hands factory after as one another collapses in the face of their powerful offensive.

Speaking to Birmingham shop stewards on Monday night, Scan- showed the extent to which lon he is prepared to go. 'We don't strikes, want settle- want we ments, he said. Feather: 'mutual benefit' from talks with Tories.

INCORPORATING THE NEWSI

DAILY ORGAN OF THE CENTE

the working class has forced lize their industrial relations test allies in this camouflaged ss are the trade union leaders.

Jack Jones, general secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union, was yesterday to be found around sitting table with Lord Aldington, chair- of the Port of London man Authority, discussing a Munich- style peace agreement to avert a national docks strike. (See profile, page three.) This comes on top of Jones's recent decisions to National Industrial Relations Court and to attend the court. • The new placatory tone of Sir John Donaldson, the NIRC president, is also opening up the conditions under which unions • into registering will be cajoled under the Act. Electricians' leader, Frank Chapple, is setting the pace in retreat from

TUC

ference. In his election manifesto now circulating, Chapple says: 'The movement's policy should be to get trade union representatives on the NIRC and industrial tri- bunals which are going to sit in judgement. Defence of our members is the overriding principle, and for this I am in favour of our reason remaining a registered union.'

These appeasement noises by the trade union leaders are made at a time when the economic crisis is rapidly worsening.

Gold edged over the $60 an ounce mark on London bullion markets yesterday. The peak price was $6150, $22 above the official gold by Us Congress two months ago. Herbert Ingersoll, the big tool- making . consortium, just been dropped into liquidation and the "Vickers company is threatening to close down its Barrow-in-Furness, shipyard at which employs 8,500 men. Every economic indicator points towards higher and higher unemployment, accompanied by rises in the price of basic foods— meat and bread—to Common Market levels. The biggest danger facing the working class is that it could, if not alerted be taken unaware by the Tories' creeping offensive.

The collaboration of the trade union leaders is enormously assisting this process. The fact remains, however, that the government is by no means out of the woods. Although the union trade leadership may be off into the Tory parlour, the rank-and-file isn't. The strength of the work- ing class can force the Tories to resign. A campaign along these lines must be initiated at once; an immediate start can be made by building of Councils Action which include all sections of the labour and trade union move- ment. INCORPORATING THE NEWSLETTER • WEDNESDAY JUNE 7, 1972 • No 785 • 4p DAILY ORGAN OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE A worried man. Sir Sidney Greene on his way to yesterday's 'no pro- gress' talks with British Rail.

BY IAN YEATS

TALKS between British Rail and the three rail unions adjourned were yesterday after nearly three hours with no new offer from the board.

Leaders of the three unions told return to the were to Marylebone board's head- quarters at 2.30 p.m. today for a final decision. Following last week's ballot of the railwaymen, the unions stood 28 Charlotte St London W1

BOOKS

PERIODICALS • NEWSPAPERS

JNE 7, 1972 • No 785 • 4p

HE SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE

ene on his way to yesterday's 'no Pro- firm yesterday on May 1 as the date from which board's the 12.5-per-cent pay offer must be given. After the talks Sir Sidney Greene, general secretary of the National Union of Railwaymen, said: 'I am very disappointed with the situation. We have made no progress whatsoever.' Asked why he thought the board had asked them to return today, he said: I would have thought if somebody says to you to come along they are going to

IMPORTANT

FEATURE SERIES

Starts today Cliff Slaughter today com- mences an important series of articles beginning with 'Why a Labour government?'

THURSDAY: Capitulation to bureaucracy FRIDAY: Centrism and the working class SATURDAY: International Marxist Group (IM G) writes off the working class MONDAY: Centrism and the crisis of reformism TUESDAY: The political independence of the work- ing class Make sure you follow each day's instalment of this theoretical series. tell you something'. told reporters: "They have made no offer whatsoever to us'.

A spokesman for British Rail said yesterday's exchange of views had provided something for both sides to discuss, but he would not whether say meant any softening of positions.

The executives of the rail unions met yesterday afternoon to hear reports and discuss the situation.

NOW OPEN

Fri Thurs 9 a.m.-7.30 р.m. Sat 9 aula-5 par.

UNIONS UNDER FIRE Beatings will PAGE 2 Workers Press, Wednesday June

AROUND THE WORLD

BY JOHN SPENCER

JUST six months after the de Awami League government of 1 for a confrontation with the A presidential decree at the end of last month imposed a penalty of up to five years jail for strikes and so-called 'unfair labour practices' in the nationalized industries and other state enterprises. This has met with powerful resistance from the workers, who are determined to protect the rights they won in the struggle against Pakistan. Their militancy by the rapid in- is increased crease in basic commodity prices -some have risen 200 per cent since independence. The government is already applying repressive labour laws.

said Motor Co

THE

Toyota yesterday its small cars would be from imported com- assembled ponents in the Irish Republic from next October. announced in The company Tokyo that Irish interests would organize a company to new assemble and market its Corolla sedans by September this year, month start production a later. expects about 400 cars to It be turned out this year with components and know-how pro- vided by Toyota. Assembly in the Irish Republic enables Toyota to overcome the tariff barrier of 75 per cent im- port duties levied on assembled car imports to Ireland. It also gives Toyota a toe-hold in the Market and a base to Cemmon . compete with British and Euro- pean motor firms. has denied that the Tejota new venture is an attempt to form a production centre withir the EEC, but this assurance will be taken with a huge pinch of salt by the company's British and European rivals who are ex- tremely worried about the threat of increased Japanese exports to Europe. MORE THAN 400 miners were feared trapped underground when an explosion ripped through a colliery 300 miles west of Salis- bury, Rhodesia, yesterday.

A spokesman at the Wankie miners435 Colliery said 468 black and 33 white-were feared trapped. Rescue teams from neighbour- ing South Africa joined Rhodes- ian squads racing to the disaster scene. Weeping wives gathered by the mine, anxiously waiting for news of the fate of the trapped men.

Rescue teams were working under chaotic conditions to try and reach the miners, according to reports reaching here.

A spokesman of the mine, owned by the Anglo-American said rescue teams Corporation, were on their way from all parts of the country but no casualty figure was yet known. Two teams were already burrowing under- ground. It was still impossible to tell how many men were entombed or give details of deaths or injuries. • Rescue conditions were de- scribed as difficult. sday June 7, 1972 the defeat of Pakistan, the ent of Bangla Desh is headed h the Bengali working class.

Dacca home service announced earlier this week that the govern- view. of ment took a serious recent incidents at a Dacca tex- tile mill. The mill workers had won an agreement from the management to pay 150 takkas (about £8) to every worker as relief and full arrears of pay for the lay-off period. The government stated offici- ally that such action was quite illegal under existing laws and added that 'anti-social elements involved.. • will be appropri- ately dealt with. The government is going to take eleems sures to ion andr take all measures to the statement said. Tajuddin Ahmed, the Finance Minister, has said the govern- ment will not tolerate any acts of indiscipline and lawlessness in various factories and official establishments. Unless employees worked regu- larly, he threatened, they would not be paid from the public exchequer. threats These already are being put into operation.

Earlier this week the govern- ment decreed that the former. president of the left-wing Labour Federation, Toha, Mohammed must surrender to the authorities by Friday or suffer confiscation of all his property. Toha, -. who once served as secretary to the peasant leader Maulana Bashani, was a consist- ent fighter against the Pakistan

BY A FOREIGN

CORRESPONDENT

AS premier-designate Giulio Andreotti embarks on his search for a new Italian government following the May General Election, the Labour Ministry has forecast a rise of up to 100,000 in the number of industrial un- employed by the end of this year. The loss of jobs will hit sections practically all industry, apart from food and motor manufacturing. The Ministry the expects building industry to be particu- larly hard-hit: it estimates 7.7 per cent of the country's 1.8m building workers will lose their jobs by December. The building industry is the biggest employer in Rome and other areas of central Italy. But the decline will also be felt in the heavily-industrialized North, the Ministry says. Unemployment and underem- ployment affect more than a I workers in Italy. million Problems are already piling up on the Ministerial desks even before the Ministers are selected.

The election has done nothing to solve the chronic parlia- mentary crisis which brought down the last government. The bankruptcy of Italian bourgeois democracy is underlined by the bourgeois politicians' panic in the face of threats from the extreme right. The fascist. leader ...Giorgio Abdul Mannan: 'subdue mis- creants'. who remained in occupation throughout the Bangla Desh period of the repression last year.

property includes Toha's the important left-wing newspaper 'Gana Shakti' ('Peoples' Power"), which the government is anxious to suppress. The Awami League has its own 'yellow' trade union, the Swamik opposition to the Labour Its leader, former strikebreaker Abdul Mannan, is an MP in the National Assembly. He has urged the government to arm 50,000 followers in order to 'sub- due the miscreants'. He said: 'All these should be hunted out in a purging cam- paign and brought before people's courts.' Headed by Sheikh Mujibur Awami League Rahman, the government still enjoys the un- the pro- critical support of Moscow Stalinists. The Central Committee of the Communist Party of Bangla Desh called last week 'on all patriotic help implement the peeple to programme and nationalization progressive measures (1) other taken by the government towards the establishment of socialism'!

whose Italian Social Almirante, Movement won almost 10 per month, cent of the votes last is reported to have said that if the government continues to fall 'we short of its functions are ready to replace the state' Almirante added that these were not mere words: I invite FOREIGN Ministers of the European Common Market began talks in Luxembourg yesterday to prepare the Market summit Common 1 due to be held in October.

Pompidou President of France has already cast a question mark over the summit with his statement that there is no point in holding it unless is produces results. Pompidou's statement is likely to. be discussed—-at least informally — by the Ministers their two-day at meeting. The French president's state- ment is interpreted in EEC circles as part of a French bid influence retain national

BY OUR FOREIGN CORRESPON

SIXTY-EIGHT people, including clergy, appeared in court at Cape with attending an illegal assembly Assemblies Act. Those arrested were among thousands who gathered out- side St George's Cathedral on Monday, to protest against police brutality in breaking up an anti-apartheid demonstra- tion on the cathedral steps last Friday. Despite threats from the Nationalist government, the stu- dent leaders are planning to con- tinue their campaign of demon- strations, which has drawn in hundreds of workers against the apartheid regime. Another demonstration is planned today in Johannesburg, where student leaders are deter- . their movement will not mined be outlawed. of students walked Hundreds out on Monday night from the African University of the North- mat Turfloop, near Pietersburg in the northern Transvaal, where the movement among students of both races began last month.

The university registrar, W. N.

Galloway, said that between 300 and 400 of the 800 students who • lectures yesterday after attended reregistering following the closure of the college last month walked out again during the night.

our opponents not to consider them as such,' he said. These threats were enough to produce a call from the Repub- coalition lican Party-a likely partner of Andreotti's Christian emergency Democrats-for an administration based anti- on fascism. within an enlarged Common Market. The different nations are already jockeying for positions within the enlarged EEC. The French are particularly anxious that the political secre- tariat of the Market be situated in Paris, where it can come under Pompidou's in- firmly fluence. Trade topics are also promi- nent on the Foreign Ministers' particular the agenda - in question of relations between the enlarged Common Market and the remaining countries of the European Free Trade Area.

The Common Market mono- polists want a special relation- ship with the European capital- ist countries that are outside the Market. This demand is bitterly opposed by the United States, which fears its goods will be discriminated against in Europe.

RESPONDENT

cluding a number of Anglican at Cape Town yesterday charged ssembly banned under the Riotous The students who walked out were protesting against a decision of the university council not to readmit 22 students involved in which sit-down • strike a mass originally began the current wave of student demonstrations.

Premier Balthazar Vorster has publicly supported the police brutality last Friday and blamed the demonstrations on 'agitators, subversives and communists'.

He said police actions like that on Friday did South Africa great deal of good' and would be repeated 'every time law and order is threatened'. When opposition MPs dem- anded an inquiry into the police he replied: 'I am not anybody's prepared waste time'. This kind of talk may go down the Nationalist die- well with hards, but its only effect on the student movement so far has been to strengthen it. The movement the among is of South African students extreme importance-it indicates that the youth are no longer pre- pared to tolerate the repression of the Vorster regime and are come out openly prepared to and challenge its brutal police.

French UP TO million two workers are expected to respond today to a one-day strike call by the Stalinist-backed

CGT

union confederation. The strike is in support of demands for a minimum guaran- 1,000 teed monthly wage of francs (£75) and retirement at 60. Bus and rail services, the Post will be Office and newspapers virtually completely shut down.

The strike call is not supported by the other major union con- federations. The CFDT has said the strike is simply an that electoral manoeuvre on the part of the Communist Party. Certainly the strike will not win the demands set out by the CGT-and it is not designed to.

Ever since the overthrow of de Gaulle, the CGT leaders have stuck rigidly to a policy of divert- ing workers' militancy into ave- of protest and partial nues actions. The government has already said it will introduce the mini- mum wage in 18 months time- a promise which the CGT cor- rectly says is hedged with too many conditions. But the Gaullist regime will not change its policies simply as a result of the "pressure' of one- day strikes, however many work- ers are involved. In organizing this stoppage the CP hopes to regain some credi- bility among the union rank-and- file who have become increasingly frustrated by the CGT leaders' tactics over the last few years.

BY AN INDUSTRIAL REPORTER

SHOP STEWARDS at London's Heathrow airport yesterday met union leaders to discuss further action in their fight against General Aviation Ser- vices (GAS), the Canadian- based aircraft handling com- pany. The stewards have already re- imposed a 'black' on GAS.

Blacking has now also spread to Marriott's, a large American catering company which has contracts with some airlines at Heathrow. Airport workers have been in- structed not to handle any airline which is served by Marriott's and, as • result, • some airliners were taking off yesterday without full catering.

Iberia passengers arriving in London have had to carry their own luggage. The unions fear that GAS-a highly-mechanized company - will redundancies create if allowed to win any more contracts. At present the company serves Iberia, Ceylon and Saudi- Arabian airlines. Small firms in cross-Channel INDUSTRIALISTS from small firms in France yesterday met representatives of the Confeder- ation of British Industry's smaller firms' council. The ten-man French team, drawn from various sectors of industry, was headed by the president of the General Con- federation of Small and Medium- sized Firms, L. Gingembre.

Discussions at the one-day meeting in London ranged over subjects such as the effect that the Common Market has had on firms and small the French experience-particularly with regard to value-added tax (VAT), public works and public supply contracts and intra-Community trade. It discussed future also prospects for both French and British firms and the opportun- ities further co-operation between them by exchange of information and contact. By our own reporter THE NUMBER of Metro- politan Police officers facing serious criminal or discip- linary charges rose last year, ex-Metropolitan Police Com- missioner; Sir John Waldron, reported yesterday. Sir John, who retired seven weeks ago, wrote in his final report to the Home Secretary: I feel bound to comment on this unwelcome trend.' He said, however, he must emphasize the small number of officers involved, particularly as a 'false impression might be pro- iected by the disproportionate publicity each case attracted'.

Sir John blamed the increase in crime among police officers on the influence of society.

Police officers, he said, were the community in drawn from which they lived and worked and going to reflect the they, were characteristics of current society.

Standards at large had declined in the last ten years, and it was

BY ALEX MITCHELL

YESTERDAY Jack Jones o General Workers' Union sat de ton, chairman of the Port of work out a Utopian peace 1 national dock strike. Even the Tory press is finding it difficult to conceal a note of cynicism in describ- ing the talks. "The Times' yesterday said the joint authoritative committee was being referred to as 'Jack'.

It is this body which Jones and his national docks secretary, Tim "sold' O'Leary, docks delegates meeting last Thursday on the eve of the start of the ducks strike. On the basis of this 'high- powered' committee, the strike was postponed until June 16.

As the talks begin it is timely to examine the form of Lord Aldington, the man who is co- chairman of 'Jack' with Jones.

Aldington is a powerful mem- ber of the ruling class in Britain.

He was educated at Winchester and New College, Oxford, and was called to the Bar in 1939.

At the end of the war he entered parliament as Tory MP for Blackpool North. He was parliamentary secre- Ministry of Supply, from tary, 1951 to 1954 and Minister of State at the Board of Trade from 1954 to 1957. He was knighted in 1957 by Harold Macmillan and made a peer in 1962. While at the Board of Trade he struck up a close friendship with another ambitious Tory of his generation-Edward Heath.

Aldington's business interests powerful and financially are rewarding. He is chairman of and Grindlays National Bank Ltd, which has extensive interests in Africa. The bank's branch in Uganda has recently been through a con- siderable crisis. Ex-President Obote announced 18 months ago that the govern- inevitable that police officers together with other public ser- vants were tempted to fall in line with that decline. During 1971, he said, 3,165 complaints from the public were made against the police — 344 fewer than in 1970 and the lowest figure since 1968.

Making a case for tighter bail restrictions, Sir, John reported that 2,094 people were arrested for indictable offences committed while on bail. In 780 of those defendants had been cases released on bail despite objections by the police. 'By and large, we detect only a third of the crimes committed, so it would perhaps be fair to assume that at least twice as ones of the Transport and n sat down with Lord Alding- ort of London Authority, to peace formula' to avert the ment was going to take a 50-per- cent stake in foreign businesses.

His first attack was on National and Grindlays, and the govern- ment equity was arranged.

Within a few months of the finalization of the semi-national- ization Obote was deposed by a military dictatorship headed by British-trained General Idi Amin.

One of Amin's first decisions was to restore full ownership to the bank. It is certain that Lord Aldington and his board welcomed Amin's thoroughly statesmanlike decision. Aldington is also deputy chair- man of the giant AEI-GEC mono- poly, which has carried out the vicious rationalization most policies; at least 35,000 jobs have been axed throughout the com- bine in the past five years.

His final chairmanship is with the Sun-Alliance-London group of insurance companies which con- trols assets and funds worth tens of millions of pounds. In mid-1971 Aldington took over as chairman of the PLA in place of Viscount Simon. In his first annual report, pub- lished a month ago Aldington revealed the ruthless policies he is prepared to pursue on the docks. He said the previous manage- 1,200 jobs had forecast ment would be axed this year. This was now out of date, he said.

The figure would be 2,000.

He then went on to threaten the dockers, telling them they had to accept this wilful destruc- tion of their livelihoods.

He said there was a 'fear that the PLA might price itself out of the market, or might, as a result of bad industrial relations, prove unreliable'. He then . went on to forecast even tougher productivity on the London docks: "The return on capital of about 4 per cent is many again as the number set out commit crimes when on bail and get away with it,' he said.

In 1971, he went on, there was a 13.4-per-cent increase in frauds to 20,625 cases and forgery and coining rose by 7.3 per cent to 4,680 offences. Of 42,973 persons under 21 who were arrested in 1971, 29,952 or 69.7 per cent were operating in gangs and 7,324 of associating those with were adults. A total of 7,314 were in gangs whose members were all less than 15 years old. He noted that more drugs were now available. Little heroin came Marseilles, from but Chinese heroin was increasingly available.

Workers Press, W clearly much too low, and my colleagues and I, with the full support of the management, are intent upon increasing it' seriously suggesting Is Jones that this man Aldington is going to provide the slightest basis for protecting jobs on the docks?

Or is it that Jones is afraid of the implication of a docks strike, the Industrial of challenging Relations Act, of taking on the Tory government? • Jones' side of The reverse collaboration with people like Aldingtom joreorge Tonge of the national employers Maurice Macmillan, is the deter- mination of shop stewards and rank-and-file dockers to con- tinue 'blacking' container firms and to lobby the next docks

ALL TRADES

ALLIANCE N

Support the dockers and rail- waymen. Build Councils of Action NORTH LONDON: Thursday June 8, 8 p.m. 'Bricklayers Arms', Tottenham High Rd (nr White Hart Lane). CROYDON: Thursday June 8, 8 p.m. Ruskin House, Coombe Road. LUTON: Thursday June • 8, Brigade Hall, Dea Road. St John Ambulance

SOUTH

EAST

LONDON:

Thursday June 8, 8 p.m. Dept- Workers Press, Wednesday June 7, 1972 PAGE 3 Lord Aldington delegates' meeting on June 15 to demand à strike.

FOOTNOTE :

The

PLA

an- yesterday that the noucecl Swedish Svea Line has trans- ferred its London service dock, Royal victold group, to the container terminal at Tilbury.

PLA

docks manager William Caunter line's we comed The decision, and said it reflected 'the Tilbury's SiUWIls aw ar culcss contane nanalng apel Hex- ibility. The

PLA

formally yesterday moved its headquarters nCW the World Trade Centre. follows the controversial decision historic premises in mule bourte. Moscow Trials Anthology Paperback, 62½p

MAX SHACHTMAN :

Behind The Moscow Trial Paperback 75p

ROBERT BLACK:

Stalinism In Britain -cloth £2 Paperback £1 . I < *

ISNO SKY

Death Agony of Capitalisn (The Transitional Programme) Pamphlet 5p Class Nature of the Soviet State Pamphlet 20k n Defence of the October Revolton ramonier The Theory and Practice of Revisionism Pamphlet 15p rostace ivo oer ook. dø oc pamphlet. Order from :

NEW PARK PUBLICATIONS

186a Clapham High Street, London SW4 7UG.

ALL TRADES UNIONS

ALLIANCE MEETINGS

New Cross Station) (opposite Cross SOUTHALL: Thursday June 8, p.m. Parkway Rooms (Rent Office) Racecourse Estate, Northolt.

PRESTON:_

Thursday ănd C 7.30 Railway Com- ai Hotel mercial butler

COALVILLE:

iners Welfare June So reanize Miners' p.m. Councils of Action'. June 12, Hall, Michael's 8 p.m. St Hillside and Knatchbull Rds. NW10.

PAGE 4 Workers Press, Wednesday Jun Part one of a series on revisio Central Committee member League The 'International Marx- ist Group' (IMG) has de- clared against the policy of working for the return of a Labour government. 'Red In their paper Mole' they had already opposed supporting • the election of a Labour government in the 1970 General Election. Now the IMG puts forward the slogan of 'a workers' government based on the trade unions' the and accuses of Socialist Labour League taking 'the road to reformism' because we fight for the return of a Labour government. The first thing to be noted in attacking the is that, Socialist Labour League on this score, they choose to for- it was always the get that programme of Lenin and Trotsky, and of the Trotskyist movement in Britain since its foundation, to carry through the fight for revolutionary leadership by returning the Labour leaders to government office, to expose them in the course of mass struggle for socialist policies. No one can doubt that the working class in Britain is now faced with a life-and-death struggle under political condi- tions which have never been known before. Tory Prime Minister Edward Heath addressed the General of the United Assembly Nations in 1970, just a few months after: being elected to office. He warned that the 1970s would be characterized by more and more 'civil wars'.

This followed his speech to the Tory Party conference, in which he promised that his government would proceed to 'change the course of history of this nation'. We have seen now what this meant: bloody repression in Ulster; rule by judge's decree against trade unionists. As millions of workers come into conflict with bitter Heath's government — on wages, on trade union rights, on prices - the on rents, question arises urgently: how do we get rid of the Tory government, and what is the alternative? Already in the municipal elections, the work- ing class gave notice of its aspirations for a Labour government to replace the Tories. Since then, the judgements Industrial of the National Relations Court have made esday June 7, 1972 1 revisionism by Cliff Slaugher, ember of the Socialist Labour crystal-clear the strategy of the Tory. They are government. preparing all the instruments dictatorship Bonapartist of and rule by decree, in order very soon to provoke a situa- tion of industrial struggle where they can declare a state of emergency and set about severe repressions. The answer must be a political one. The Socialist Labour League places this political fight to remove the Tory government through working-class action and replace it with a Labour government pledged to socialist policies at the very centre of its policies. Only on this pro- gramme will the British work- ing class achieve in struggle its political independence from the enemy class and its reformist and bureaucratic agents. Such political independence will - be • achieved within the crisis of reformism brought to a head by the return of crisis Labour government in conditions. It will be achievend 'spontaneously' 'naturally, but through the of intervention conscious Marxists in this process. The IMG, on the contrary, tells workers that the main question extend the purely in- is to dustrial struggle. The working class continues for large wage to press increases. So severe • the economic crisis and price infla- tion that they are forced to do so. But this militancy on wages, if it continues restricted within the old reformist frame- work, contains grave dangers.

Experience of a purely in- dustrial or economic struggle can teach only the beginnings of politics, or class-conscious- ness. struggles,. From wages workers will conclude only that more militancy means more concessions-or, in some cases, that even militancy wins nothing. Obviously there are grave dangers, for example, that the cowardly retreats of the trade union leadership produce dis- could actually illusionment and splits among organized workers. We must also remember that in a period like the present, millions of workers enter poli- ties and even enter industrial struggles, for the first time, and these workers can very well be turned in a reactionary ith direction all political questions are left to the un- disputed treacherous trade union officials and Labour Party leaders. The demand to unite the organized working class to force the Tories to resign and return a Labour government with socialist policies is the only demand which can pro- vide the basis for binding together all these workers in different industries and at different stages of develop- ment. AT Top: the miners' strike-workers came International Marxist The Group' of Tariq Ali and the Socialists' 'International Tony Cliff give an appearance of being 'to the left' of those who fight for the return of Labour to power. But in essence they work to limit the working class to the purely trade-union, economic level of struggle. When the IMG opposes the it is slogan 'Labour to power' really expressing its rejection of the working class as a force which can develop its own political independence and go forward to power. In voting Labour at the recent local elections, the working class gives notice of what could happen Labour and trade union leaders mobilized the strength at their disposal to force a General cal Election. The Labour leaders do not want to come to office on the crest of a wave of mass feeling and mass action, and so they lead no campaign whatsoever to bring down the Tories.

In their bones the Labour nt leaders understand that, if they were returned to power by a mass upsurge strong enough to bring the Tories down, then they would them- selves be in mortal danger from this same mass move- ment. ers came into bitter conflict with the Heath The workers would demand very definite things of the Labour trade government: jobs, a decent standard living, housing • and health. And none of these things can be granted without breaking the power of the monopolies and the banks. therefore, the Naturally, election of a Labour govern- ment immediately following successful mass action to get the Tories out would produce an insoluble crisis for reform- ism, in which the question of a socialist programme and a new, revolutionary leadership would come right into the middle of the political life of the working class. As the SLL has said many times: a working class strong enough to get rid of the master (the Tories) will cer- tainly be able to deal with the servant (the Labour leaders).

Given a consistent struggle for alternative Marxist leader- ship, therefore, the fight for a Labour government, linked to the fight for socialist, demands

SMASH I SOLIOARITY

TORES

* MINERS

e Heath government. Right: Tariq Ali.

(see the SLL Charter of Basic Rights) is the best way of fight- ing the Wilson leadership and its grip on the Labour move- ment. Because the IMG and IS revisionists long ago accepted the idea that capitalism is no longer the victim of insoluble contradictions and crises, they now ignore the real meaning of the Tory government's actions and the situation facing the working class of Britain.

It is the insoluble crisis of British capitalism, and above all the unbroken strength of the working class, which forces the Tory government in the direction of Bonapartism.

The task of revolutionaries in such situations is to re- sponsibly warn the working class of the enemy's prepara- tions and to fight for policies which can unite the working class for the counter-attack.

That is the meaning of the demand to replace the Tories with a Labour government pledged to socialist policies.

The role of centrists, on the other hand, is to disarm and divide the working class in the face of these developments.

That is the meaning of the IMG's 'workers' government based on the trade unions.

CONTINUED TOMORROW

UNEMPLOYMENT BRINGS

SPACE PROGRAMME DOWN

Redundancy has hit the US space effort with a vengeance; astronauts at Houston, Texas, face a 23 per cent cut-back. Ten of the 43 men in the astronaut corps at the Manned Spacecraft Centre have been Meanwhile, Dr Wernher von ex-Nazi rocket Braun, expert who masterminded the is himself space programme, moving into private industry, where he will certainly be well provided for. The number of astronauts at Houston has already the slumped heavily since space boom of 1967-1968, when as many as 63 were on duty at any one time. Economies-tightened still further by the country's $700m April trade deficit-are blamed along with the surplus of astronauts in a programme that is literally running out of missions and jobs to perform in support of those missions.

'The facts are we have one Skylab three Apollo and missions, director of flight- Donald H. crew operations 'Deke' Slayton said last week., ne "That leaves us with three times as many people as we need to fly those missions.'

Slayton's statement followed the resignation of Apollo-14 astronaut Edgar D. Mitchell and Apollo-15 astronaut James B. Irwin. Col. Irwin confirmed asked to step that he was down to cut manpower costs.

'It's no secret we have too many astronauts, Col. Irwin told the 'Houston Chronicle'.

'Deke asked me if I would consider retiring now and I said I would be happy to go as soon as I can.? Other members of the astro- confirmed that naut corps Slayton had asked no fewer than five and as many as ten astronauts still on active duty status to resign in the next three months. I think Deke was told by headquarters to trim the numbers in the office, one veteran astronaut said. 'Who- ever it was who told him, he's certainly carrying out the orders.' Earlier last week, it was announced that Dr von Braun (60) has retired from the Aeronautics and National Space Administration and is H. to join Fairchild Industries ek. next month. Von Braun, who was respon- sible for the development of the V-2 rocket which Hitler used against Britain late in World War II, spent ten years at Huntsville, Alabama, direct- ing 3,000 scientists in perfect- ing the Saturn moon-rocket.

I am leaving with the NASA has knowledge that enough well thought-out plans to keep it moving ahead for to come, even many years though some of these may have to be deferred because of budget restraints, he said.

Von Braun: private industry Workers Press, Wer I would like to devote my time now to help implement some space projects 1 feel ar of particular I mportance think I can do this best in private industry where the tools Fairchild Industries builds communication aircraft and in satellites and is involved other aeronautical projects. Houston cut-back The follows massive sackings among technicians. Astronauts say that scientist- Phillip astronaut Chapman, who served as mission scientist and Tony Apollo-14, on England, 'who filled the same role on Apollo-16', had sub- mitted resignations. One said that director Slayton has told the astronauts privately that when Skylab ends in early 1974, he would like to have the astronaut corps down to a hard core of no more than 15 men. 'These are the men who would go into the shuttle and who might get to fly the rendezvous and docking missions with the Russians,' he said. 'Slayton really feels that he doesn't need any more than 15 men to start up both these programmes.' Workers Press, Wednesday June 7, 1972 PAGE 5

DUBCEK

MEN ON

TRIAL

A group of leading supporters of Alexander Dubcek, Czechoslovak Com. munist Party first secretary, trial shortly charged with subversion. The trial avas sported in sources' 'usually reliable Prague. who have been group, imprisoned January, in- since clude leading CP intellectuals, them Milan Hubl. former head of the Communist Jiri Littera, College, Party former secretary of the Prague city committee, haros av Sabata, head of the Brno Party committee and Rudolf Battek, sociologist. Also thought to be in the Jan Tesar, group historian, Jiri Madele and former student leader, Karel Kaplan, a scientist.

They have been charged under paragraphs of Article 98 of the penal code he hrst covenue suoverson paragraph deals with subver- sion such and carries penalty of one to five years imprisonment. The subver- second covers large scale and sion periods of during national danger, with a penalty of three to ten years. Top: Dubcek-sup- Alexander face trial. Above: Husak-installed since the coup. Communist Party leader Gustav Husak, installed after Warsaw Pact invasion of 1968, has frequently promised there will be no return to the show trials of the 1950s. But his warning that anyone who in- fringes the law will not go unpunished restores the trial through the back door. Only last month, former chess grandmaster Ludek Pach- was sentenced to years on four charges includ- but ing subversion, was released immediately 'because of his poor health, according authorities. had 18 months in already served prison.

THE SAGA

BRITISH

day June 7, 1972

LION

OF raised Distance the that we had no assuran es their S-odd aeres or and for con- says: sub- John Frank Gilliat, John Brian He said that 'we envisaged Fins henan man one sortim together ande, and Launder and Sidney Long lanni British Lion since it became i privat the second time in 1964 that this proposed panies, has fallen into the financial become British Lion, one of the country's sole remaining whizz-kid, John Bentley Since the £5.5m takeover on site in Middlesex for property production com-

BY ALEX MITCHELL

has of shows (32). at. Sm bid tor ortsh Lick the Peter Ten abovSlater (top develop stok and is the bather Behind therefore. interest is the takes one his big- wry are triponent Wh the vent the Bar Ba2 that Jim Slater has a very keer ill ultimately was an active partner Walker 39), Seretary for Environment 11 minister who, he Shepperton site permission gesty ron odet. other dealinga troni 1970, Ma wants estimated Personal Sebel tact cover Benity, See an ounced that the sees portfolio. which estab- on aim Sater, is 2 Bentley's cindy. the control a sam he is, ettied beans in plastic calls on the to Transve al the Firith mach decided metire doesno crate whether his brief but mercurial as well as taking a 00g poss ise in financial circles, Bentles poly position in this field profit. onto the hialekid eues. etween £2m or business. Bentleys management discovery' John year-old interes monace sumption that can diator receive da car or Shopperton eded choose it can much they sta calculmake from one Middle calculated the sale of their Shepperton For ticular is Middlesex el the d Bentlev. in the pany shal Lord Goodman had The simple swertion ot emerged on the scene six recks could he offer £5.5m of diminishing inancial "ability and in an sakie of his camarthat thi answer is that he is interester no intention economic dangers? * or outda Bentlev has ten phe company went 196- one of restricted production, stock thee dao all There any sPin Express) to Lord icke- Goodmang of Brush one company went pub- promises of a thrusting Third economic picture re-emerged.

It came as a surprise Max on th sarters s server') replaced taling back on the cha belie moon for dependent pro prote departure from the quickly came to grief. In a tion. the contary there was falling back on the old bie to get our films into the circuits feature fis motives for launch- ing British Lion, apart from a ravelinexpans the interna and that therefore the risks in anv where berween 1v and falling back after the chairman Balcon andependent position intainives in the Heat rebruary 1961 that um fit Brish Lion's soho the Nationat vate to brake headed by m and Mayfair ard Shepperton hive-nf and the Tory government at private parliament nema and cndina creemenl.

ach tween the company magne purchase price? El.0m.

construction of thri ate understand the terms on that he would require weeks earlier agreements House of It is the time. tium

PAGE 8 Workers Press, Wednesday June The outcome of the rail. waymen's ballot was as their traumatic for leaders as the initial shock of the operation of the National Industrial Relations Court had been. Possibly even more so. As one perplexed NUR official put it, shrugging his shoulders: A vote like that doesn't even leave us room to compromise.'

But the real griping was left to the editor of the NUR's "The Railway Review'. a front-page On June 2 article by him appeared next to a portrait by the 'man they should have listened to'-TUC secretary Victor Feather, com- plete with cigar, tea cup and stockbroker suit. Assessing the impact of the editor the anti-union law wailed: 'Now it is a right old shambles. Men of goodwill, as with they say, are moaning frustration because they have been placed in a position that they cannot do anything con- structive without appearing on the one hand to be co-operating with the hated Tory govern- to be ment or on the other permitting the trade union tail to wag the leadership dog.'

Yes, indeed! The article begins on a note of subdued hysteria: 'Heath and his colleagues, particularly the lawyers, were repeatedly warned by the trade union movement that they were playing , with fire. They were evidently completely incapable of understanding that the only day June 7, 1972 reasonable way to maintain steady and fair balances be- tween labour and management was by coming to terms with the TUC and the leaderships of the trade unions. 'The TUC has always had a stabilizing influence on indus- trial relations — a reactionary one in the view of many left- wingers.' This cosy relationship need never have ended, writes the editor, but for the doctrinaire arrogance of Edward Heath.

'The only association with the TUC and the unions which he considered necessary was one of total subservience to his own ideas, and the long planned . out by the Conservative Party.' goes on to But surely, he whine: 'He could not have been so mistaken that he did not appreciate that the TUC could never succumb to such an arrangement. What he did was completely to underestimate the strength of the trade union movement and the reality of the feelings of many millions of trade unionists.' The death agony of reform- ism is truly a sickening sight.

Of course it was not arro- gance which led Heath to take on the unions. It was the logic of capitalism in crisis. And he did not under- estimate the strength of the unionists. feelings of trade Quite the reverse. He knew it well that he realized it SO could best be tamed with the help of the trade union leaders.

It is the realization of the role Heath intends for them and is forcing them to adopt nly with the Industrial Relations

CA LOTA

Act which is causing these leaders to sweat so profusely.

The prospects are grim. The has been middle ground destroyed. The choice today is either act as agents for the Tories or fight-as we have seen both of this fly flatly in the face of all the traditions of the union bureaucracy. They are reduced, there- fore, to laments and pleading.

, on the rail pay Commenting dispute the editor says: Instead of letting the "experts" work out a solution without undue pressure, the government charged into arena and messed it all up' "The Railway Review' editor knows that as reformists they cannot go against the govern- ment, but on the other hand cannot go against the they opinions they are supposed to represent. The only alternative is to invite the Tories to back down and this is exactly what he does. He writes of the Tories: 'What they must do now is to attempt to restore the kind of relationship which was pos- sible before the passing of the Industrial Relations Act.'

He hopes the railwaymen's ballot, with its overwhelming vote for more industrial action, has shown them that they are in danger of clashing head on with the entire trade union movement and working class and concludes: 'For the sake of the indus- trial stability of this country it hoped they • have is to be learned their lesson and will act sensibly in the future.'

Some hope. Tea, a chat and compromise are definitely out.

BY ANNA TATE

Having just got back from France where scan- dal still rages over the private publicity profit- eering of men in high (and other) places in the bureaucracy of the box, where television stan- dards are often lower than even the lowest here, it was easy to fall into a light-headed com- placency about the gentle British Corporation and the public rather than private profiteering of

ITA.

The short- euphoria was lived. For at least in France there is widespread scepticism about the extent to which tele- vision is manipulated by the whereas government, objectivity in the admirable

BBC.

I may have reacted as a result of watching Alan Delon the French Revolution fight seemingly single-handed, with not a strand of his sleek, black hair out of place; to being subjected for hours on end to the self-satisfied yet nasal tones of Chaban-Delmas philo- sophizing on justice, morality participation. This last and word has become a national no plausible obsession with explanation having been evolved as to the share in pro- fits-needless to say. Chaban-Delmas It recalled to mind the rebel- lious poster which appeared on many walls in Paris in May, 1968: I participate, You participate, He participates, She participates, We participate, They profit. There is, however, one of French television aspect which is badly needed here- the televizing of parliamentary debates. The whole exercise is extremely revealing in terms of the obsolete nature of the pro- ceedings and open class colla- boration. In France, those who have elected Communist Party mem- bers to the National Assembly can watch them debate it out with the centre-left, the centre, the centre-right and the ex- long treme-right in one example of the futility of peaceful roads to socialism as practiced by the French CP.

British television seemed to provide a refreshing, almost artistic light relief from the ponderous French experience, but when it came to reckoning up the week's viewing it was clear that there had been a surfeit of sirs, a galaxy of gurus a dreadfully disturbing dwelling-upon the late Duke of Windsor. No recriminations, no senti- mentality said one announcer after another, while engaging in the most avid sentimentality.

There are indeed no recrimina- dead, tions-the ex-king is long live the ex-king is the line as his former detractors now pay obsequious homage.

nation's sentiments have been so colonized by the media that it mourns this one man in a way it has never mourned the slaughter of millions in Vietnam. All human values are lost in a morass of distorted feeling as one programme after another pulls out the desired reaction of romantic sorrow.

There is, in any event, 'in the air' a turn towards the past—a certain emphasis on aristocracy, a certain trend toward religion. Programming is, of course, largely a matter accident design. I not impute no conspiracy on the part of the great deciders of telly viewing, nor do I suggest that they could have antici- pated the death of the Duke of Windsor. There has, nevertheless, been during the last week an uncom- fortable mixture of aristocra- tic boot-licking and sacred feet-kissing such as makes the mind boggle. Something is decidely rotten in the state of the middle-class. 'Omnibus' (BBCI) chose to indulge in a well-executed piece of sycophancy with a portrait of the fashionable fashion photographer Patrick Lichfield, otherwise _Patrick Anson, Earl of Lichfield, f3tm in trust and a stately home in Staffordshire, dubbed the 'most eligible bachelor in the world'. , 'one of the world's best- dressed men', and, I would add, one of the men who does not need the further publicity of arty television programmes enhance his already big to business talents. 'It's awfully hard not to resent Patrick Anson', declared Elkan Allan in the 'Sunday Times' and the film was designed to bring out exactly that emo- tion of envy in those less for- tunate. However, I do not subscribe to the general envy. I remem- ber only too clearly that dur- ing the postman's strike it was this very Earl of Lichfield who sent out a fleet of postal mes- sengers on trendy motorbikes.

One does not envy such a man, one opposes him. As a photographer he has the attractive, glossy, accom- plished technique of most fashion photographers—no more, no less. That he leads a life of chauffer-driven Lambor- ghinis and famous, beautiful women, and that a BBC dir- Windsor: morass of Duke of distorted feeling ector wishes us to be moved by this in one way or another, only to illustrate the serves depth of the sickness. Were I to concede that the film quite intelligently was directed, I would at the same time be conceding that intelli- gence at the service of such an end is a debased intelligence.

Even ITV's 'Crime of Pas- sion', a mere light entertain- ment thriller, contrived to pre- sent itself to us in a torrent of titled folk. Lord Ted Willis wrote it. The 'TV Times' in describing it carried the head- line: 'It's a tough life for a Lord'- girl when Daddy's a all this because the two lead- ing ladies, Sally Nesbitt and Lalla Ward are, respectively, the daughters of Lord Hunt and the Seventh Viscount Ban- gor. Equity all round. 'Man Alive' managed to add disturbing if hilarious a dimension to this picture of bourgeois disorientation.

appeared the middle- class meditation maniacs, the gurgling the muddled gurus, maharishi followers. The most unsettling pheno- menon among the offspring of affluent Europeans and Americans since the eclipse of the Maharishi Maresh Yogi (the Beatles' guru), is the emergence of the portly (nay, fat) 14-year-old known uni- versally as the Guru Maharaji, whose promoters in England are the Divine Light Mission.

His message is very simple, so simple, that you might, like me, have missed it altogether.

He has THE WORD but the WORD cannot be spoken. He has

THE SOUND

but SOUND cannot be heard. He has THE HOLY NAME but the question is, what is THE

HOLY NAME.

He also has a private army, private limousine, a a very private bank account, private solicitors and private account- ants. All in the name of love.

His followers have just bought £25,000 house in Highgate with non-mystical funds. The building labourers on the site, asked if they were when turned on to the holy message, said: 'You must be joking.' i agree. But the thing goes bey- ond a joke, for the followers of these mystical sects are growing under the impetus of a search for a leader. There are now Hare Krishna chanters up and down Oxford Street, Anglo-Saxon Islamites wailing it out in the Cotswolds, Egyptian in Gloucester- yoga shire, Maharishis in Blooms- bury and Kitson in the army.

As Tim Fields, of Eton, the Navy, the Stock Exchange and business, the antique noW known as Sheik Raschid, put it: 'We even have someone on the "Financial Times": Perhaps divine light is running out in the City........ ... Workers Press, W Everyone has heard of the gazumping of property prices now rampant throughout the country. Ünwitting buyers turn up to purchase only to find the price has soared beyond hope as estate agents take advantage of the sellers' market. One unfortunate woman in Islington, North London, has just : had the experience of seeing the price of a flat she was after zoom up by £500 in two days. This is the equivalent of about £10 an hour or £180,000 a year. She first became interested in buying the flat, consisting of two rooms, kitchen and bathroom, with part central heating, in March of this year.

The flat was let to friends of hers. The friends were offered the chance of buying the property but declined and decided to move out. Gue explained: 'My friend was kind enough to inform the agents that I was interested in buying the flat. That was in early March. I understood they had offered the flat to my friend at about €5,790, so I offered £6,000. They said they would "get in touch with me"?

This is where the fun started. On April 26 the pros- Mrs Gilmour, pective buyer, received a letter dated April 26 saying the asking price was £6,950. Two days later another letter said the flat was in better condition than the rest in the block. The asking price was increased to £7,450. Not surprisingly the agents had no more to say except for the exciting revelation that they were acting 'on behalf of clients'. It seems there are no bounds to the International Socialists' desire to snuggle up to the Communist Party. A fit of editorial blindness struck IS's 'Socialist Worker' last week when reporting the presidential election in the Electrical and Plumbing Trades Union. As Workers Press pointed out on Monday, there are six candidates in the field. 3 Press, Wednesday June 7, 1972 PAGE 9 They Frank are Chappie ne union's right-wing genera secretary; Jim Dormer, a con- electrician who is a member of the Socialist Labour League; Fred Gore, a Com- munist Party shop steward at London's Heathrow airport; Eric Hammond, an executive member and ex-Labour coun- cillor; Roy Sanderson, a former who joined Chapple's CPer camp as a national officer; and national officer Mark Young, another right-winger. gospel according The to 'Socialist Worker' is slightly different. Sanderson is inexplic- ably omitted. For reasons which are all too obvious, how- ever, Dormer also goes out of the window. This glaring credibility gap is then filled with a straight- forward, old-fashioned lie.

We are told that Gore, who IS clearly

EPTU

wants to support, is 'the members only rank-and-file candidate.

No mention is made of his policies. There is no reference to the fact that his election address does not call for the removal of the Tory govern- ment. Dormer: painted out by IS Since Dormer's candidature is not mentioned, there is, of course, no need to mention the fact that his the only address which calls for action to replace the Tories with a Labour government committed to a clear socialist programme.

Thus the debate is carried out in all the traditions of the Stalinists IS wants to get close to-the liars and falsifiers who painted Trotsky out of history- book photographs rather than explain his relationship with Lenin.

LEON TROTSKY:

Germany 1931/1932 Paperback £1.25-—cloth £1.87} Where Is Britain Going ? Paperback 37}p Revolution Betrayed Paperback 62}p-cloth £1.05 Problems of the Chinese Revolution Paperback £1.12}—cloth £1.87} Permanent Revolution : Results and Prospects Paperback 75p In Defence of Marxism Paperback 75p Lessons of October Paperback 60p Postage 10p per book, 3p per pamphlet. Order from :

NEW PARK PUBLICATIONS

186a Clapham High Street, London SW4 7UG.

PAGE 10 Workers Press, Wednesday June 7, 1972 The struggle in engineering Union chiefs retreat at Daytona over Act By our own reporter A PHOTOGRAPH in a Less than six months after this photograph wa53, taken, May 1972 recent issue of the Amal- 1 ucoudy withdrawn DICKers been and the gamated Union of En- from the gates bitter battle virtually Workers' abandoned. gineering The hand that dealt the death- journal depicted a group blow to the struggle was that of of men on picket duty the union's executive. Although the factory outside Daytona En-

1S SUI

rounded by some the gineering Ltd, a small ot concentrallons enemneerns workers country, the the factory union's leaders have in North-East buckled before the suspicion of Birmingham. tall foul a threat that thev might National Industrial the The Daytona men were in Relations Court. celebrating-if fact that iS Cartwright, the Norman AUEW's East the right word-the first an- Birmingham told niversary of a strike which secretary. me. 'Executive nich sai it was a gave began on January 5, 1971, interpretation for over demands union which said it blacking right for AUEW members recognition. anna to ciny casti but not to It had taken 12 months carry daily picketing and extensive work goods produced for touring throughout Britain Daytona'.

SUDDOIT

earn unest 1cW The effect of this ruling. was column inches. Subscribe! The dally paper that aads the workers press light against Goes. {20.28 for 12 months (312 lssues) (156 Issues) {10.14 for

• MONB

£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 Sl., Irculation Depi., Workers Pres: ondon, SW4 7UG I would like to take out a subscription to Workers Press.

MONDAY

THURSDAY

Days required

TUESDAY

FRIDAY

(Please tick)

WEDNESDAY

SATURDAY

Or Full subscription (six days) for months.

NAME

Amount enclosed £ would like information about

THE SOCIALIST

LABOUR LEAGUE

Fill in the form below and to NATIONAL send

SECRETARY,

LEAGUE,

SOCIALIST

LABOUR

186A CLAPHAM HIGH ST, LONDON, SW4 7UG.

Name Address Birmingham trade unionists with Dayto crucial. In the final week of the strike, a consignment of castings Baker-Perkins, produced by Peterborough, arrived at Daytona.

Victimized shop steward Dale me: The Brierley told Perkins convenor said he could not black the work without direct instructions from the executive.

This was not the first breach of the black on Daytona, sup- posedly imposed nationally by the AUEW executive. = Deputations of strikers had constantly to travel the country their case at plants to argue where the boycott was not being observed. The consignment from Baker-Perkins became the last straw. On Monday, the men went to a special meeting of the district committee, where they were in- formed of the executive's letter.

Recounts Dale Brierley: 'The EC wrote to the DC that under no circumstances was there to be any more blacking of Baker- Perkins as they were a third party to the dispute'. Blacking of work, an ele- mentary trade union, principle, is one of those rights which clauses of the Industrial Relations Act are designed to destroy. In their letter to the DC over Day- tona, the AUEW executive have accepted precisely these clauses of the Act. The sinister logic of the apparently militant policy of 'no co-operation with the Act' is now revealed. co-operate' means 'Don't 'avoid situations where the Act could be used against you' This must imply: 'Therefore before the continuously retreat offensive of the employers, the Tories and the Court'. In other 'Don't co-operate words: but accept the Act in words, practice'. The fundamental lesson of the Daytona defeat is that the right to organize in unions, like every other fundamental working-class be. defended right, can only today by an offensive to remove the Tory government and bring in a Labour administration which will legislate these rights.

The retreat of Scanlon and the engineers leaders on the national pay claim has to be seen in this light. A national strike by engineers, in unity with all other sections in struggle against the Tories, would concretely the pose question of political power. it was from this that AUEW presi- dent Hugh Scanlon and his executive ran away. When Dale Brierley said that the union abandoning national claim didn't surprise April 12), him (Workers Press, he was correctly making the link between the retreat on the national claim and the retreat at Daytona. But what is needed today is more than just an acknowledge- ment of these things; an altern- leadership ative, revolutionary ith Daytona men on the picket line.

has to be constructed to remove the reformists and lead the fight for basic rights.

Although trade unionists and officials like Norman Cartwright can be correctly critical of their executive over Daytona, Cart- wright's own philosophy on the way the wage claim must be fought-plant by plant to make it 'more difficult for the NIRC intervene (see yesterday's to Workers Press)-is really only another form of the 'avoid the Act' philosophy.

COVENTRY

BY AN INDUSTRIAL REPORTER

ENGINEERS' leaders Hugh Scanlon and Bob Wright will tonight address the quar- terly meeting of their union's shop stewards in Coventry.

They will put to the stewards their reasons for dropping the national wage claim and adopt- ing a policy of plant bargaining.

Many stewards in the district feel that the meeting-organized by Coventry's right-wing district just a stunt. Both officials-is sides, they think, will attempt to pass the buck for their capitula- tion before the Tory government.

The meeting could be vital.

leadership's retreat in The front of Tory government the and its Industrial Relations Act could not have taken place it it for the way in had not been which Communist Party members and the right wing supplemented each other's actions to hold back the rank and file. CP Stalinists used the argu- ment that to continue to fight for national action would have break with Scanlon. meant a right wing, like Coventry The district president Jim Griffin, put obviously absurd forward demand that pay negotiations be reopened at national level, despite the employers' intransigence.

wings were careful not Both to call for national action to win the claim. Manchester area the In the Stalinists helned initiate approxi- 27 factory occupations mately embracing some 28,000 workers, but never campaigned amongst Manchester's 200,000 engineering workers to turn local action into national action. As a result of this, engineering workers fought purely wages struggles in isolation from each other, with no political questions being raised. The AUEW convenor of the Ferranti factory at Hollingwood, Manchester, Mike Smith, had Capitalist law cannot - be 'avoided' or ignored. The Tories resort to law because the deepen- economic ing crisis of their system, and because the unabated working militancy of the class puts their own fate as a ruling class in question. The Daytona men fought 18 months the face in press witch-hunting and intimid- None these things ation. could defeat them. the It took Scanlon and reformists to do that. this to say about the struggle at the end of their factory occupa- tion: "The isolation and fragmen- tation of the struggle made it inevitable that no real con- cessions would be won from the employers' (Workers Press, June 2). The record of the Coventry right-wingers is appalling.

Three months ago, at the last quarterly stewards' meeting, it was voted that the claim should be lodged on a plant-by-plant basis, but should be fought for district-wide. On May 9, two months later, a special district committee meet- ing decided 'that in view of the inconclusive number of replies received from convenors on the national claim, we adjourn any decision for four weeks. 'In the meantime,' it prevari- cated, 'we ask all convenors for an up to date report.' With such determination the employers must be splitting their sides. The executive circular of May 9 this year, which allowed the dropping of most of the claim, and called for concentration on three issues-basic rates, longer holidays and a general all-round pay increase — allowed further retreats. In Coventry this has meant action being called off at the Jaguar plant and acceptance of increase on the basic rate, one day extra holiday next year, £4 on the holiday pay this year.

The all-round increase demand has been dropped. Patterton's At Thomas the settlement is £2 on the basic and just over 9p per hour on the holiday pay, with no fight on the all-round increase. Clearly the only way the national claim will be won in Coventry is by a district-wide strike, backed by calling national strike as part of the preparation to force this gov- ernment to resign.

Fighting the Tories Rent Bill

BBC 1

Pogles' Wood. 9.38, 11.35, 9.20 2.05 Schools. 10.45 Boomph with Becker. 12.25 Nai Zindagi Naya Jeevan. 12.50 Eisteddfod. 1.30 Camberwick Green. 1.45 News, weather. 2.25 Derby Day Grand- School. stand. 4.15 Play 4.40 Magic Roundabout. 4.45 Jack- anory. 4.55 Starsport. 5.10 Pixie Dixie. 5.15 and Search. 5.44 Hector's House. News, 5.50 weather.

6.00 NATIONWIDE.

6.45 WHERE IN THE WORLD.

Travel quiz. 7.00 SPY TRAP. Who Among US? Episode 1. 7.25 STAR TREK. The Deadly Years. 8.10 THE EXPERT. A Way to Die. 9.00 NEWS, Weather. 9.20 SPORTSNIGHT. European Light-Heavyweight Cham- pionship. Highlights of 1972 Derby. 10.10

DOWN TO EARTH.

10.40

24 HOURS.

11.15 OF THE lI

BALLAD

SEVERN VALLEY LINE.

Steam railway.

BBC 2

11.00 Play School. 5.35 Open University. 7.05 Measure Conscience. 7.30 NEWSROOM, Weather. 8.00 MAN ALIVE. Aberdeen The New Texas?

POT BLACK.

Snooker 9.00 Competition.

BY PHILIP WADE

THE 'fair rents' established by the Tories Housing Finance Bill could lead to ghettos-with hundreds of families being moved to run- down districts. Tory The latest attack on municipal plans to destroy housing comes in a paper published by the Wandsworth Poverty Action Group in South London. It warns that poverty in the area will increase because of the Bill, which it says is major attack on living standards'.

As rents go up families will have to spend a larger percent- age of their income on rents.

"Those low and on wages fixed incomes will find it difficult to make ends meet, the paper says. Those council tenants who have managed to raise themselves a reasonable standard of to living will, through the "fair rent" have subsidize the to poorer council tenant.' The report makes it clear that in addition council tenants will to subsidize the private have tenants' which rent allowances, subsidizing in effect means private landlords. On the social consequences of the Bill, the report has this to say: 'Poorer council tenants will be those housing directed to' estates where the fair rents are low-that is to the run down estates. 'Private tenants will also be into areas forced by high rents where accommodation is cheaper, and this will mean into areas where multi-occupation and bad housing conditions are rife' Commented councillor Ian Mc- Garry, who resigned as leader of Wandsworth council in protest group's against the Labour decision to implement the Bill: certainly one of our It was féars that rather than seek rebates the poorer families would go for the cheaper accommod-

ITV

11.00 Schools. 12.55 Hatty Town.

1.10 Remember. 1.25 Derby Day.

4.25 Matinee. 4.55 Lift Off. 5.20 Fly into Danger. 5.50 News.

6.00 TODAY.

6.35 CROSSROADS.

7.00 THE SMITH FAMILY.

7.30 CORONATION STREET.

8.00 CADE'S COUNTY. Re- quiem for Miss Madrid. 9.00

THE MAIN

CHANCE

(NEW SERIES). The Kill- ing Ground. 10.00

NEWS.

10.30

THE

ANGLO - ITALIAN

TOURNAMENT. Soccer. 11.25

PROFESSIONAL WREST-

LING.

11.55

WHAT THE PAPERS

SAY.

12.10 ONLY ONE EARTH.

9.20 FILM: 'THE FAN'. By Wilde. Post-World Oscar II London where War Mrs interrupts Erlynn auction to claim owner- ship of exquisite fan then recalls its history. Weather. 10.35 NEWS' NIGHT LINE-UP. Da- 10.40

LATE

Ian MeGarry ation while the better-off families would move out and try and buy their homes. It is also correct to say that in time council tenants will end up subsidizing the landlords of private tenants under this Bill.'

Wandsworth council meets next Tuesday, June 13, to make about the Bill. a final decision Tenants' associations are plan- ning a lobby to try and reverse group's implementation the decision. Sit - in called off at Sunderland ENGINEERING workers at the Hepworth and Grandage works Sunderland have called off their sit-in after a management offer to negotiate on the full claim. The decision was taken at a mass meeting held inside the factory at 7 p.m. on Monday evening. The men want a sub- stantial part of their bonus to be consolidated into their basic and extra for night-shift rate, working. If the negotiations break down the men will immediately return to working sanctions. Richard Greene, Jeanne Crain in The

REGIONAL TV

CHANNEL: 10.20 Schools. 1.10 Paulus. 1.25 Racing. 4.20 Puffin.

4.25 Good afternoon. 4.55 Lon- don. 6.00 News. 6.10 F troop.

6.35 Crossroads. 7.00 Treasure hunt. 7.30 London. 11.55 News, weather. WESTWARD. As Channel cept: 1.00 Gus Honeybun. News. News. 6.00 Diary. 11.55 11.59 Faith for life. SOUTHERN: 1.25 Racing. 4.15 Crossroads. Houseparty. 4.55 London. 6.00 Day by day.

6.30 University challenge. 7.00 Joker's wild. 7.30 London. 11.55 News. 12.05 Weather. Insight to the artist. HTV: 11.00 Schools. 1.25 Derby 4.20 Arthur. 4.30 Cross- roads. 4.55 London. 6.01 Report Wales. 6.30 West. 6.15 Report UP. Dave Cash. 7.00 Joker's wild. By our own reporter THE controlling Labour group on Manchester city council seem ready to throw in their hand and implement the Tory 'fair rents' Bill. If this key northern city decides to go ahead with the rent increases in October it will the door for open other Labour councils in the area to follow suit. So far the Manchester Labour group, who control the council by 101 seats to 31 against the have not reached Tories, official decision one way or the other. Alderman Sir Robert Thomas, council leader, however admit- ted last week that a fl increase from October was inevitable on the basis of present Manchester rents and in terms of the Bill.

Sir Robert seemed to go out of his way to break a group meeting instruction that no state- ments would be made to the press on the question of the Bill.

Up to last week the council claimed it might be in the tenants' interest to operate the Bill if it became law. Their argument was that the 'fair rents' fixed by the city council might well be less than those fixed by local government commissioners who would called in to operate the law if the council refused to implement.

All along, however, the Labour group refused . to commit itself one way or another, despite pres- from local tenants' asso- sure ciations. In the last few days, however, a report commissioned by the council itself has put the Labour group right on the spot as far as the Bill is concerned. Housing Department officials conducted study a l Blackley area of the city.

The area is unique in the sense that it is the only place where valid comparisons could be made between council properties and identical privately rented houses.

These houses are all pre-war as are the council houses. Since the war very few private houses have been built in the city and the only comparison officials have been able to make has been with privately rented post-war houses in other areas. Officials told the group that they would have no option but Workers Press, Wednesday June 7, 1972 PAGE 11 7.00 Sporting challenge. 7.30 London. YORKSHIRE: 11.00 Schools. 1.25 Derby 4.25 News. 4.30 day. Crossroads. 4.55 London. 6.00 Univer- Calendar, weather. 6:30 challenge. 7.00 Joker's wild. sity 7.30 8.00 London. Jason. King. 9.00 London. 11.55 Chef. 12,25 Weather.

GRANADA:

11.00 Schools. 1.25. in "The Fan', 9.20 p.m. BBC-2 Derby day. 4.25 Peyton Place. 4.55 London. 6.00 News. What's 6.30 University on? challenge. 7.00 Dr Simon Locke. 7.30 London. 7.30 Coronation 8.00 street. Hawaii London. Five-O. 9.00

TYNE

TEES:

11.00 Schools. 11.55 Mad movies. 12.25 Weather.

1.00 Songs. 1.25 Racing. 4.25 News. 4.30 Crossroads. 4.55 HTV Wales and HTV Cymru/ London. 6.00 Today. 6.30 Univer- 6.01 Wales above except: as 7.00 Joker's wild. challenge. Dydd. London. 8.00 Jason King. 11.55 News. 9.00 London. 12.10 except: Epilogue. Schools. News. Cartoons.

SCOTTISH: 11.00

Romper room. 4.55 London.

Racing 4.20 Dateline. 4.55 Lon- don. 6.00 Dateline. 6.15 Cartoon.

About Anglia. 6.35 Crossroads. 7.00 Joker's 7.00 Shirley's world. 7.30 London.

Crossroads. London. 12.00 Late call. Rupert Ioroscope GRAMPIAN: 11.00 Schools. 1.25 Bear. 4.55 London. 6.00 Today. 4.40 En- 6.35 Crossroads. 7.00 Odd couple.

Racing. 4.35 News. chanted house. 4.55 London. 6.00 8.00 London. News, 6.10 Grampian weather. rossroads. 6.35 7.00 11.00 Schools. 1.35 week.

ULSTER:

4.30 Romper room. 4.50 Joker's wild. 7.30 London. 8.55 Racing. News. 4.55 London. 6.00 News. Police news. 9.00 London. 11.55 6.10 Viewfinder. 6.35 Crossroads.

Epilogue. hey should say they will operate to apply the full f1 increase in t so that at least we know what October. and probably a further we're up against.' increase of at least 36p a week -if they are to next year- comply She was appalled at Sir Robert with the provisions of the Bill.

Thomas' which statement So of been widely interpreted that the the intention declaring 'fair rents' in order unable to get round the existing rents group the Bill has floun- Bill will implement it. by-pass to noW dered on the basis of this report.

Now councillors in the some Wythenshawe area are contem- if the Labour plating resignation Knitting machine implement the group decides to Bill. Tenants' have associations firm to close found it impossible to get a clear from the statement group on their intentions. LEADGATE Engineering Ltd at Mrs Muriel Taylor of the Said Consett, Durham, is to close Wythenshawe Tenants' Associa- at the end of the month, making We've tion: met one two 300 men redundant. local councillors, who are very sympathetic. But Management said this was due what we want with Labour to a slump in yarn prices which is meeting the or at least a policy state- have affected sales of their knit- group ment from them. ting machines. The factory was 'They should out fair three mostly come set up years ago and and they will with from square say money government refuse to operate this Bill, grants. Which leads youth Plenty of views and eight-page paper news, the fight against features at 3p a copy the Tory government. for the Order your regular copy now.

work, factories, Yearly subscription £2.88.

right in the dole Send to Keep Left, schools and on 186a Clapham High St, queues. London, SW4 7UG. Please sand me 'Koap Loft' for one year I enclose £2.86 Name ... Address

PAGE 12 Workers Press, Wednesday Jur By our industrial correspondent ELEVEN miners - including student were yesterday accu rioting during picketing in th The trial, which opened in Dunfermline sheriff's court yesterday, is believed to mark the first time in Scotland this century that such a charge has arisen from an industrial dispute. The 13 arrested on were February 14 during a mass picket

HERBERT-INGERSOLL,

the Anglo-American specialist machine-tool company, has failed, and the directors have called in a receiver. Created on the initiative of the Labour government in 1968, the aim was to use American know- how to produce Britain's most advanced machine tools. shared The capital was between Alfred Herbert of Cov- and 44 per cent, entry, with Ingersoll Milling Machine, Illinois, with 43 per cent. The state had a 13 per cent holding as a result of the Industrial Reorganization £lm in putting in Corporation 1970. But in the middle of the worst the British recession hit to machine-tool industry since the war, the company floundered and lost £4m in four years. had Talks with the Tory govern- ment this year produced no fur- ther aid and the collapse was inevitable. the firm, which Last year employs 450 workers in Daven- obtained Northants, try, new orders worth f2m. Of this, how- ever, £1.9m was for export.

capital invest- The slump in ment in Britain meant that in the end Herbert-Ingersoll was starved to death through lack of domestic orders. The Alfred Herbert group itself is in deep crisis. It lost £4m last year and has sacked 3,000 work- ers in the past period to try and cut costs.

LATE NEWS

nesday June 7, 1972 luding Scottish miners' area eel - a draughtsman and a ly accused of mobbing and g in the miners' strike. at the entrance to the giant Longannet power station, Fife.

They have been accused of forming part of a riotous mob to prevent people trying to enter the station peacefully. Part of the mob, says the indictment, con- ducted itself 'in a violent, riotous and tumultuous manner to the terror, alarm and intimidation of the lieges' The men are also accused of committing a breach of the peace, inciting others to use violence and assaulting six police constables. First witness in the trial, Sgt Beveridge, told William a 200-strong court that when police cordon tried to contain pickets at Longannet early on the morning of February 14, there was a great deal of tension 'and there appeared to be a lot of hate generated between the pickets towards the police'.

He said there was much shout- ing and pushing against the cor- don from the 2,000-strong crowd on both sides of the road.

'They shouted and jeered 'at the police, he said. "There were shouts of "fascist" and "sieg heil".' The trial continues today.

Provo leader remanded RORY O'BRADY, Provisional IRA president, was remanded in custody for a week when he appeared in court in Co Ros- common, Eire, yesterday. O'Brady, who is head of the Provisional IRA's political wing, was charged under the Offences against the State Act. He was week during arrested last police swoop. He faces charges that on May member of an 31 he was a illegal organization and that on May 31 at his home at Stonepark, Co Roscommon, he was possession of incriminating docu- ments. Provisionals' O'Brady, leader Joe Cahill, and their wives, are on hunger strike 'to the death' against their arrests.

WEATHER

A LOW pressure area to the of Cornwall: South-West will move slowly North-East. showers or longer Frequent periods of rain over South Wales and South-West England are likely to spread to North Wales, the Midlands and the South-East of England during the day.

North-West England, Northern Ireland Western Scotland and sunny intervals and will have occasional heavy showers. Eastern England and Scotland eastern will have spells with sunny scattered showers in the after- noon and evening. It will be rather cool for early June. Outlook for following 48 hours: Sunny periods and showers. Rather cool.

NEWS DESK

01-720 2000

CIRCULATION

01-622 7029 Registered as a newspaper at the Post Workers Office. Published Press, High 186a" Clapham Street, London,

SW4 7UG.

Press Itd. (TU). Printed by Plough 180% Claphem Hish Street, London,

SWA JUG.

Flashback to the miners' strike. Pickets

BY PHILIP WADE

THE 230

clerks at the two Standard Triumph car factories in Liverpool yesterday voted to return to work after an appeal by Roy Grantham, general of their union, secretary

APEX.

Union officials will now resume discussions with management, and it is thought likely that a ballot of the will be clerks taken on whether to take further strike action with official back- ing. The strike began last Wednes- day in support of a demand for a £7-a-week pay increase after the clerks had rejected a £3 management offer. The claim was aimed at bring- ing clerical workers in line with the pay of shop-floor workers.

More than 2,400 producticn workers were laid off because of the strike. Production for more than 520 new Toledo sports cars was lost. PRODUCTION at the Vauxhall car factory, Ellesmere Port, re- turned to normal yesterday with the ending of a 20-man stoppage.

The men walked out on Mon- day afternoon when their break disappeared. About time-table 2,500 production workers were sent home.::! By our own correspondent DELEGATES to South Lon- don's Lambeth Trades Coun- cil have voted unanimously to establish a Council of Action in the area. Trades Council secretary, Mendelson, told Vivienne Workers Press yesterday that organiza- 150 working-class tions in Lambeth will be circu- larized in the coming weeks inviting them to send two dele- gates and visitors to an in- augural meeting of the council on Sunday, July 9. The resolution for the action council at Monday night's Trades meeting from Council came Norwood Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers' branch.

It stated: 'The working , class is facing the greatest dangers of its long history, the NIRC and the Tory government prepare to destroy the basic rights of the working class. •We call on the Lambeth Trades Council to follow the lead of the Liverpool Trades Council and set up à Council of Action as part of a national campaign to throw the Tory government out, and to immediately call a halt to the retreat of the union leaders Council of Action must 'The unite all sections of workers in.

e. Pickets out at Longannet.

Management eventually found the table and returned it to the hard-trim section where the men work DESPITE the return to work yesterday by storekeepers at Chrysler's Ryton plant at Coventry, production was again severely hit on the final-assembly line. About 1,000 production men on the final trim lines met to liscuss grievancies over losing pay through being laid of through the storekeepers' strike earlier electricians' dis- and an pute. 75 more internees released WILLIAM Whitelaw, Ulster Sec- retary, yesterday released another 75 men from Long Kesh intern- ment camp. A spokesman at Stormont Castle said that since direct rule, 470 men have been freed. He added that 338 were still interned and there were 128 detainees.

struggle against the government, therefore it should have repre- sentatives from all trade unions, Labour tenants' associations, Parties, Socialist Labour League, Communist Party and other socialist tendencies, and other working-class organizations' The resolution laid down a four-point political programme for the council: • Recall of the TUC to reaffirm no co-operation with the In- dustrial Relations Act and expel right-wing traitors. Preparation for a General Strike to make the Tory govern- ment resign. • To clear out traitors in the Labour Party who voted with the Tories on the Common Market and who will implement the Housing Finance Bill.

• To prepare to re-elect a Labour government pledged to socialist policies and full nationalization. Trades council delegates who supported the resolution were Socialist Labour League mem- bers, Communist Party members, International Socialism sup- porters and Labour Party mem- .bers. International strike vote WORKERS at Dunlop's Cam- bridge Street factory in Man- chester yesterday re-affirmed a previous decision for a one-day token strike on Friday, June 9.

The strike, which • was pro- posed by the Italian (Pirelli) delegate to the Dunlop-Pirelli committee's meeting, steering held in Liverpool on April 29, is gaining wide- reported to be spread support from factories in the UK, Italy and Germany.

Ronnie Scruton, General and Workers' Union Municipal steward, and an observer at the international meeting, told Workers Press: 'This strike would be a demon- of the opposition stration to redundancies and short-time working now taking place as a result of the rationalization pro- gramme being undertaken by Pirelli following Dunlop and their recent merger. 'It will also serve to demon- strate to the management of Dunlop and Pirelli that the international unions have an organization. The solidarity strike would in effect be the first multi- national effort of its kind.'

THE Appeal Court yesterday heard further legal argument on eight appeals by the Transport Union and General Workers' from decisions of the National Industrial Relations Court qver the "blacking' of container lor- ries at Liverpool and Hull docks.

It was the sixth day of the appeal hearing. The case is not expected to finish before the end of the week. In view of new legal issues involved in interpret- ing the Industrial Relations Act, the court is likely to give a reserved judgment later.

MIII

JUNE FUND

NOW STANDS

AT £40.06 WE ARE determined to make a good start with our June fund. Our total so far stands at £40.06, so let's press on with the fight. The weakness of the Tory government in trying to avoid a showdown with both dock- ers and railmen together must encourage workers everywhere step up the demand for to their resignation. Just at this union point the treacherous bureaucracy do their best to help the Tories out. Workers Press is more vital than ever in building an alter- leader- native revolutionary ship. Help us therefore in every way you can to raise our fund this month. We need £1,750 by the end of this month. Collect extra amounts where possible. Post all these immediately to: Workers Press June Appeal Fund, Clapham High Street, 186a Condon S70G