TORY POLICY AND THE RAIL SETTLEMENT

RAILWAYMEN'S leaders have declared that the 134 per cent settlement agreed with British Rail is a 'victory. This is dangerous talk, because it is a victory which opens the door to new attacks. It is absolutely essential that the working class makes a sober estimate of exactly what the Tory Government is doing. Any complacency will prove fatal.

There is not the slightest doubt that the Tories, once they saw the overwhelming vote of the railwaymen for industrial action, and considered the prospect of a simultaneous dock strike, pulled back from their declared policy of confrontation.

But they only want to gain time in which they can prepare to smash organized working class.

The Tory government has had to face the fact of the unbroken strength and resistance of the rank and file of the unions.

Now it stakes everything into talks with union leaders. Already deep the Confederation of British Industries about new types of 'co-operation' , these leaders have given every encouragement to the Tories to think that they will allow themselves to be used in the coming months to divide and weaken workers, to keep them from a fight which could make this Tory Government resign.

On the railways and in the rail workshops, on the docks, and throughout manufacturing industry and public services, the Tories are encouraging speed-up and rationalization. Combined with • the constant decline in investment and international trade war, this will soon bring a very sharp rise in unemployOn BBC radio yesterday, British Rail chairman Richard Marsh blandly admitted that 'a lot of railmen' will now lose their jobs in the near future. "There is nothing in this for the unions to feel pleased about ..:' he added.

With this strategy in mind, the Tories, with the help of the union leaders, are buying time in the rail settlement. They do not like paying up. They do not like retreating in face of the strength of the railwaymen. But they know that much more is at stake: they intend to tame the working class through massive doses of unemployment and attacks on the unions—on their way into the The decision in the Appeal Court in favour of the Transport and General Workers' Union can be seen in the same light (see p. 3.). Here the union leaders are absolved of responsibility for industrial action led by shop stewards. But the stewards themselves and the rank and file who take action, remain directly liable to penalties under the Industrial Relations Act.

Today, as the dockers' national delegate conference meets, it is necessary to warn 'Nothing in this for the unions to feel pleased about... a lot of railmen will lose their jobs' — Richard Marsh Rail Board Chairman against a compromise, of the type agreed on railways, which once again gives Tories the precious time they need.

The Tories are only able to re-vamp their polıcy, makıng smail concessions and living to hght another day, at a time when their policies are in ruins, because of the help given to them by the union leaders.

These leaders tie the strength of the working class down to the level of a few wage concessions which will be wiped out by inflation and unemployment within months.

The Tories could be forced to resign and give. way to a Labour Government pledged to socialist policies if the trade union and Labour leaders would mobilize the organized workers for this end.

On every issue, Tory policies have proved utterly bankrupt.

The promises to cure inflation and rising prices have actually resulted in the highest rate of inflation ever known. The policy of holding down wages in the public sector has been smashed to smithereens by the miners and railmen.

The Tories' policy in Ireland creates a greater crisis every time it is modined. They have made civil war an immediate prospect. Trade Secretary John Davies' proud decision to let 'lame ducks' die has been consigned to the museum.

They can be forced to resign! But the right-wing trade union leaders, together with Wilson and the Labour leaders, do not want an election, they do not want to be in office. Having themselves failed to deal with the working class in 1970, they want the Tories to finish the job.

This treachery of the Labour leaders exposes the working class to the greatest dangers. By not fighting for an election now, they leave it open for the Tories themselves to decide the timing of a General Election, with the balance of payments plunging into deficit, with unemployment dividing working class, with scares about a national emergency; and these circumstances seeking a more right-wing mandate from the frightened middle classes.

Trade unionists everywhere must refuse to allow events to take this course. The greatest crime of reformist leaders, helped by the Stalinists, is always to dissipate the strength of the working class, to keep it tory from a fight with the real enemy, the government, and then to plunge working class into battle on terms decided by the enemy.

There is no time to lose. In every town up and down the country Councils of Action must be set up for struggle against the government; councils consisting of trade unions and factory committees, working-class political parties and tendencies, tenants' associations, unemployed workers, and all those who will unite to force the Tories to resign.

This is the only answer to the complacency which the trade union leaders are trying to cultivate, a complacency which serves the interest of the Tory Government. jobs to be cutrigs chief FROM STEPHEN JOHNS THERE WILL be more redundancies at the Clydebank division of Upper Clyde Shipbuilders arising out of the yard's takeover by the Texan oil-rig builders Marathon Manufacturing.

This has emerged from preliminary talks on the takeover between Marathon representatives and UCS shop stewards in Clydebank.

Mr. James Fox, who will become the president of Marathon Manufacturing (UK) after the takeover on June 24, said after meeting stewards:

'I am afraid there must be some redundancies. It is inconhappen • that this will ceivable not Marathon will employ several hundred of the 2,100 yard labour force immediately to work on oil rigs and the reconstruction of Clydebank's east yard.

They hope to be fully operational and employ 2,000 in about two years. Meanwhile other workers will be employed finishing off orders at Clydebank for the UCS liquidator.

Mr Fox explained his company would basically require steelworkers, but also electricians, pipe-fitters, engineers, painters and certain other tradesmen, but not carpenters at anything like their present strength.

Shop stewards' leader James Reid said after a brief talk with Mr Fox that he was convinced the remaining problems could be solved round the table with the company.