RAILWAYMEN WILL FIGHT

June 3, 1972 With reference to your article 'Capitulation threat on rail and docks', by David Maude, your industrial correspondent. Surely by now Mr Maude has learned not to take any notice of what the capitalist press has to say on any matters that can affect the present capitalist government. Of course he is quite correct in quoting what "The Sun' published, but, 'The Sun' did not quote fully what the NUR spokesman said.

The recent ballot, called for by the government and backed by the BRB, was soundly • defeated by the rail workers. They gave their union executive a massive vote of confidence, thereby enabling their unions to call for more industrial action. If the pay talks that are due to resume next Tuesday fail, then I feel sure that the rail unions will call for some kind of industrial action.

I am a member of the NUR, and am employed as a guard working from the Medway Towns. I and many others are only too willing to take part in any action called for by the NUR. If it means a fight to the finish, to get what is ours by right, then fight we damn well will!

When I fought the seat Medway Ward in the last municipal elections, had published the usual election propaganda, which contained the fact that I am a member of the NUR and a keen trade If you remember, the elecions were in progress whilst the cooling-of period was operating. Which meant the public were fully aware of my industrial relations opinions.

They did not hold that against, as was proved by me winning the seat for the Labour Party. Therefore when the press say the public are against me, as was proved by me winning the seat for the fact that Medway Ward contains a large number of commuters.

Perhaps they voted against me, perhaps not. The fact still remains that the capitalist press as a whole is very biased in favour the present government.

Also, selfish as it may seem, I, and others like me, pay no regard to public opinion. That in itself does not feed and clothe my wife and small son Even f it was decided to only ban overtime and restday working, the BRB would be very hard-pressed indeed to run service at all on the Southern. If every guard alone were to have all his rest days off thereThis would be absolute chaos. This was admitted when the Southern management called for rest day working, as and when required.

Of course, they did not admit this until they had foxed every other depot into believing that Gillingham guards had agreed to the proposal. Which we certainly had not. Of course we had • to agree when other depots fell into line with the management. Gillingham depot has, along with Brighton, acquired incorrect reputation of being militant. We are NOT. It's just that we all stick together. When one man is in trouble, then we all fight his case with our union representatives, i.e. they get the full backing of the branch members.

Now here are a few facts about our pay claim which no newspaper has yet published. Perhaps you will be the first, but I really doubt it!

Early this year it was agreed that we should work rest days as and when required. Which in some cases means hardly any! I have only worked three in 14! This means in effect a reduction of 20 per cent, or £6 a week. They offered us 12} per cent, which means they are still 76 per cent better off than last year! That they cannot disputę!

Our last pay agreement was due to expire on April 30 thereby enabling the new agreement to start from May Marsh said all along that the new agreement would start from May l. Then came the crunch, in the form of Ted Heath. He insisted that the agreement should start from June 5. We sincerely believe that this was done to split the unions, which did not happen. All he succeeded in doing was making us stronger! As we have proved!

If I were to steal five weeks pay from my employers, I would undoubtedly be imprisoned. Perhaps we can get Heath put inside.

Yours sincerely, D. E. ANTHONY, CIr INDUSTRIAL CORRESPONDENT REPLIES We are grateful to Cllr Anthony for his last points about the rail pay claim, as for his conclusions on the local election result in the Medway towns. Workers Press has never doubted the determination and fighting spirit of the railwaymen or the widespread support which exists for their struggle in the labour movement as a whole.

What we were drawing attention to in the piece he mentions-published on Tuesday, May 30 — were the desperate attempts of the union leaders to avoid a showdown with the Tory governAs the events leading up to last Wednesday's breakdown show, these attempts continued right up until the last moment and despite the sixto-one ballot vote. I and other reporters on the paper followed these events personally throughout so we are by no means dependent on what the Fleet Street press says. In fact we are constantly exposing their lies.

But just listen to Sir Sidney Greene last Wednesday — a week after his members had demonstrated in no uncertain terms their eagerness to fight.

I 'We did all the negotiating,' he told reporters, 'while they just sat there and kept on asking if we were willing to compromise. Above NUR. British dney Greene of the Ricl ard Marsh of 'We told them we would be prepared to accept an increase from June 5 with a lump sum payment to cover the period between May 1 and June 5. We even knocked £500,000 off the lump sum today but they didn't want to know?

These are not words quoted out of context, distorted, chopped out of a longer speech in which Greene says he is going to fight.

They are an abject plea to the Tory government: Our members want to take you on, please let us off the hook! And remember, even before arriving at this negotiating position, the union leaders had already • cut their claim from 16 to 12g per cent.

Cllr Anthony does not take up the second warning issued in our May 30 article-that of retreat on the docks.

Is not that warning now amply justified? Haven't the Tory government, the port employers and the leaders of the Transport and General Workers' Union been cynically manoeuvring for the last three weeks and more to split the dockers from Cllr Anthony and his fellow-railwaymen?

Doesn't this open up the danger of a far worse betrayal of the railmen than befell the postal workers last year?

Militancy and willingness to struggle are absolutely vital, and we have never questioned that they are there in abundance. But they alone will not win this struggle.