Workers Press no. 793

workers press

MASS MOVEMENT FOR

A GENERAL STRIKE

Coming next week A series of four articles •on how the British working class built their unions as power- houses of struggle-then built the Labour Party after coming under challenge in the courts.

BY ALEX MITCHELL

THE RANK AND FILE of the movement will welcome the st chief Richard Briginshaw calli against the Industrial Relations The NATSOPA leader told his annual conference this week: If there was a willingness and a desire on the part of our movement to have this Bill broken com- pletely, it could be done quite quickly. It means you have to face up to what you are doing-and you are embarking on a challenge Our movement for power. deficient in this regard.

Our union wants to raise its sights beyond the level of represent- ation cap in hand.' Briginshaw is echoing what Workers Press has been saying since the day the Tories came to government in June 1970, two years ago today. He is the first trade union chief to offer any serious comment on the central question facing the working class today-the fight to get the Tories out of office.

But getting rid of the Tories is only the first step. The next step is to elect a Labour government pledged to socialist policies.

No one in the working class wants a return to the Wilson era of reforming capitalism at the expense of the working class.

The next Labour government must embark on a programme of nationalization of basic industries and banks and it must repeal legislation like the Industrial Relations Act and the so-called "fair rents' Bill. Anything less than these basic demands would be a fraud.

Throughout this year the work- ing class has resisted the attacks of the Tory government. •The miners crashed the Tory 'norm' in spectacular circum- stances gaining increases of more than 20 per cent. •The dockers refused to attend the National Industrial Relations Court although threatened with jail and un- limited fines.

INCQRPORATING THE NEV

DAILY ORGAN OF THE CENT

Peter Jeffries traces the his- tory from the formation of the First International in 1860 to the Taff Vale judgement of 1901. TUESDAY: 'A turning-point of history. WEDNESDAY: 'Karl Marx and the politics of the British work- ing class. E of the labour and trade union e the statement by print union aw calling for a General Strike elations Act. •The railmen voted overwhelm- ingly to pursue industrial action to get a decent wage.

•The local authority elections swept more than 1,000 Tory candidates out of office in a Labour landslide. That's what working-class families think of the Housing Finance Bill and rising food prices! In the face of this rising tide of militancy the Tory press is 'City driven into anguish. The Press', the influential paper of the City of London, said in a front "The yesterday: page story government's economic policy is Bust' and goes on to predict a devaluation in the summer (see р. 10). more strident the In tones, Tory 'Daily Telegraph' , declares in an editorial: country is ever to Yet if this get on top of inflation ... it is difficult to see a credible and effective policy that does not involve something like a show- down with these over-mighty subjects (the trade unions).

'No sensible person would wish of 1926, to repetition see a though there is no denying the fact that the defeat of the General Strike did signal a diminution of union power and save nasy years of relative peace industry. in our seem to be faced with some- thing like the same problem.'

But a Tory-provoked General Strike today would find the working class in Britain more organized and more determined than in 1926. In this patently revolutionary situation, it is the leaders of the working class in the trade unions, the Labour Party and the Com- munist Party, who present the greatest danger. Take the Common Market issue. At the AUEW annual con- ference at Hastings on Wednes- day the Communist Party and Labour lefts' produced a resolution. 'condemning' •the Turn to p.12 INCORPORATING THE NEWSLETTER • FRIDAY JUNE 16, 1972 • No 793 ® 4p DAILY ORGAN OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE THURSDAY: 'Politics and the New Unionism'.

FRIDAY:

The background to Taff Vale'. Order your copies now so you can follow each article in and fascinating series.

ONE

IN THE

DOCK

• ALL OUT

THE

DOCKS.

NIRC moves to jail them.

NATIONAL

dock strike over the threat by the Indus- to jail trial Relations Court three dockers' leaders is now certal. London and Liverpool docks will both be immobilized today The dispute is likely to spread to other on Monday after the tocks shops stewarthe meeting national • committee TOmOTTOWI On Monday London dockers demonstration plan mass London, chancery Lane, WHen three men - Vic Turner, the Bernie and Alan Williams brought from

TCH-

jail appear •TO the

NIRC

contempt a refusal to charges from arising stop picketing of a London con- tainer depot. This rapid escalation of the docks Wednesday began Wal

NIRC

president Sir when -Ene : 16, 1972 • No 793 4p

THE SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE

ATTENTION

members of the To all readers of Workers Press, Socialist Labour League and the Young Socialists.

IN TOMORROW'S paper there will be an important statement by the Socialist Labour League Political Committee on the present situation.

ORDER your copies now. Telephone our circulation department 01-622 7029.

ENGINEERS'

union delegates Yesterdate led fe trace unes whole trade union of the movement in support docks stewards threatened shop with arrest. An resolution car- emergency ried unanimously by the Hastings of the Amalgamated conference Union Engineering Workers of told the union's leaders to fight for an emergency

TUC

General Council to combat the new move: if stand beneath a banner as London dockers vote for strike action to back

BY STEPHEN JOHNS

have been responsible for the court action that has led to the John Donaldson ordered the men contempt charges. to appear before him at 10.30 Later Merseyside dockers' a.m. yesterday or before the stewards decided to call a strike today in Appeals Court at 2 p.m. today from 8 a.m. protest at showed any action by the NIRC against Tone of them at the Industrial Relations Court stewards. and Vic Turner said they would unani- resolution. carried definitely not be mously after a 40-minute meet- appearing at said. "We. the Appeals Court. ing, the Merseyside If thev stick to this line the stewards, reaffirm the port shop High Tipstaff be of the will decision national port ordered this afternoon shop stewards that if action is to take them to Pentonville jail to await taken against one shop steward by the Industrial Relations Court a court appearance on Monday.

Yesterday over 2000 dockers it will be with all-out met an met extremely militant in an mood outside the Royal Group With. of docks. _only five votes action made Car. against they decided to withdraw penter, chairman of the Port of 9 labour from p.m. last night London Authoritv shop stewards' and to demonstrate on Monday.

committee. 'We will appeal to the whole They also plan a mass picket of the Leytonstone Depot movement within this country to London (Bast)

ICD

- the Turn to p.12 container firm whose workers

workers press

MASS MOVEMENT FOR

A GENERAL STRIKE

next week A series of four articles Con how the British working class built their unions as power- houses of struggle-then built the Labour Party after coming under challenge In the courts.

BY ALEX MITCHELL

THE RANK AND FILE of the movement will welcome the si chief Richard Briginshaw calli against the Industrial Relations The NATSOPA leader told his annual conference this week: 'If there was a willingness and a desire on the part of our movement to have this Bill broken com- it could be done pletely, quite quickly. It means you have to face up to what you are doing-and you Our movement for power. deficient in this regard. Our union wants to raise its sights beyond the level of represent- ation cap in hand.' Briginshaw is echoing what Workers Press has been saying since the day the Tories came to government in June 1970, two years ago today. He is the first trade union chief to offer any serious comment on the central question facing the working class today—the fight to get the Tories out of office.

But getting rid of the Tories is only the first step. The next step is to elect a Labour government pledged to socialist policies.

No one in the working class wants a return to the Wilson era of reforming capitalism at the expense of the working class.

The next Labour government must embark on a programme of nationalization of basic industries and banks and it must repeal legislation like the Industrial Relations Act and the so-called 'fair rents' Bill. Anything less than these basic demands would be a fraud.

Throughout this year the work- ing class has resisted the attacks of the Tory government. •The miners crashed the Tory "norm' in spectacular circum- gaining increases of stances more than 20 per cent. •The dockers refused to attend the National Industrial Relations Court although threatened with jail and un- limited fines.

INCORPORATING THE NEV

DAILY ORGAN OF THE CENT

his- Peter Jeffries traces the tory from the formation of the First International In 1860 to the Taff Vale judgement of 1901. TUESDAY: 'A turning-point of history'. WEDNESDAY: 'Karl Marx and the politics of the British work- ing class'. E of the labour and trade union e the statement by print union aw calling for a General Strike elations Act. •The railmen voted overwhelm- ingly industrial pursue action to get a decent wage.

•The local authority • elections swept more than 1,000 Tory candidates out of office in a Labour landslide. That's what working-class families think of the Housing Finance Bill and rising food prices! In the face of this rising tide of militancy the Tory press is 'City anguish. driven into The Press, the influential paper of the City of London, said in a front yesterday: paternment's economic policy is Bust' and goes on to predict a devaluation in the summer (see p. 10). In more strident tones, the Tory 'Daily Telegraph', declares in an editorial: 'Yet if this country is ever to get on top of inflation ... it is credible and difficult to see a • that does not effective policy involve something like a show- down with these over-mighty subjects (the trade unions).

'No sensible person would wish of 1926, repetition to see though there is no denying the fact that the defeat of the General Strike did signal diminution of union power and gave many years of relative peace in industry. We time our seem to be faced with some- thing like the same problem.'

But a Tory-provoked General Strike today would find the working class in Britain more organized and more determined than in 1926. In this patently revolutionary situation, it is the leaders of the working class in the trade unions, the Labour Party and the Com- munist Party, who present the greatest danger. Take the Common Market issue. At the AUEW annual • con- ference at Hastings on Wednes- day the Communist Party and Labour "lefts' produced a 'condemning resolution the •• Turn to p.12 INCORPORATING THE NEWSLETTER • FRIDAY JUNE 16, 1972 • No 793 • 4p DAILY ORGAN OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE

THURSDAY:

•Politics and the New Unionism'.

FRIDAY:

'The background to Taff Vale'. roar vour cooles now so vou can follow each article in important and fascinating series.

ONE

IN THE

DOCK!

• ALL OƠT

THE

DOCKS.

them against NIRC moves to jail them.

NATIONAL

dock strike over the threat by the Indus- Court to jail trial • Relations three dockers' leaders is now certain. London and Liverpool docks will both be immobilized today The dispute is likely to spread to other ports on Monday after thocks shops stewards commional meeting national On Monday London dockers plan mass demonstration when ulancely

LORCON

men - Vic Turner, The toree Bernie Steer and Alan Williams be brought from Pen- alc appear Love Tne

NIRC

answer contempt charges from a refusal to arising stop picketing of a London con.

tainer depot. This rapid of escalation the docks began Wednesday Wal

NIRC

when the president Sir : 16, 1972 • No 793 • 4p

THE SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE

ATTENTION

members of the To all readers of Workers Press, Socialist Labour League and the Young Socialists.

IN TOMORROW'S paper there will be an important statement by the Socialist Labour League Political Committee on the present situation.

ORDER your copies now. Telephone our circulation department 01-622 7029.

ENGINEERS'

delerates union Yesterday called le trace unise whole trade union in of movement support docks shop stewards threatened with arrest. resolution car- ried unanimously by the Hastings the Amalgamated conference of Union of Engineering Workers told the union's leaders to fight for an emergency TUC General Council to combat the new move: er stand beneath a banner as London dockers vote for strike action to back

BY STEPHEN JOHNS

have been responsible for the court action that has led to the John Donaldson ordered the men contempt charges. at 10.30 Merseyside dockers' to appear before him Later a.m. yesterday before the stewards decided to call a strike Appeals Court at 2 p.m. today.

today in from 8 a.m. protest at them showed up the NIRC against any action by the Industrial Relations Court any shop stewards. and Vic Turner said they would unani- carried resolution, a 40-minute meet- definitely be mously after appearing at not said. 'We. the Appeals Court. ing, the Merseyside If they stick to this line, the reaffirm port shop stewards. the High Tipstaff be of will decision the national port ordered this afternoon shop stewards that if action is to take them to Pentonville jail to await taken against one shop steward on Monday. by the Industrial Relations Court a court appearance Yesterday over 2,000 dockers it will be met with all-out an met in extremely militant an toppage. mood outside the Royal Group London appeal for. strike of docks. With, _only five votes action was made by Jim Car- against they decided to withdraw enter. chairman of the Port of labour from p.m. last night London Authority shoo stewards and to demonstrate on Monday.

committee. 'We will appeal to the whole They also plan a mass picket of the Leytonstone movement within this country to London _ the (Fast)

ICD

Turn to p.12 container firm whose workers

US balance of payments PAGE 2 Workers Press, Friday June 16, 19 MINERS' picket Robert Walker —one of the 'Longannet 13'— yesterday. Sheriff was cleared Principal Charles Jauncey directed the jury at Dunfermline, Fife, to return a formal not- guilty verdict against Walker after Fiscal James Douglas had no evidence said there was against him. Walker had denied mobbing, rioting, inciting violence, com- mitting a breach of the peace and assaulting policemen outside congannet power station during strike. He was dis- the miners' remaining charged. Twelve accused face the same charges.

Jauncey later overruled objec- tions by defending counsel when Douglas pressed Colin Cameron (26), unemployed draughts- man, to reveal if he was a mem- the 'International of Socialism' group. Cameron was forced to reveal he was.

MORE

unemployment among Britain's portworkers is 'in- evitable' , says the National Ports Council annual report published yesterday. In the next 12 months the number of dockers to lose jobs through will be containerization at least 5,000, the NPC observes.

This forecast should be con- sidered with great seriousness by dockers in a situation where three of their London leaders face a threat of jail from the National Industrial Relations Court. Sir John Donaldson issued his threat in the knowledge that it nicht 'aggravate a difficult national situation'. That being the case, it is of extreme im- portance that there is no con- fusion about what the issues in that situation are. More than 20,000 dockers' jobs have been lost since the Devlin inquiry into the industry issued 1965. hirst report In NPC chairman Philip Chappell said yesterday that the num- bers of other portworkers had fallen just as sharply. Writing in the Communist Party's 'Morning Star' yesterday, Ber- the nie Steer, secretary stewards' national shop port and committee, one of the three London men threatened by Donaldson, says the prime cause is 'the continued use of unregistered labour'. But this is only part of the picture.

The decimation several times over of job-opportunities on the docks coincides with-and is the pay-off for--acceptance of the Devlin 'modernization' scheme for the industry. And the responsibility for this rests with the reformist squarely trade union leaders and their supporters in the Communist Party. The Devlin committee of inquiry needed the backing of the Communist Party to get off the AT LEAST 26 people were killed and 80 injured clashes on Wednesday • be- tween police and supporters of the ruling Awami League in Khulna, Bangla Desh. country's Inspector- The General of Police, Abdul clashed Khaleque said police with members of the Lal Bahini, part of the Labour wing of the Awami League. Together with Home Minister Mannan; the Inspector- Abdul General his way to was on Khulna to try and restore order.

The Khulna police chief said his men had gone on protest strike after the Lal Bahini had taken control of the port. He said the trouble began when the Lal Bahini undertook a 'purification campaign against He said undesirable elements'. they had been harassing people.

une 16, 1972 ground at all when it was set up by Wilson in 1964. Dockers knew that the real problems of the industry could not be laid at their door. It was the employers who had starved the industry of invest- ment, spending only £200m of 20 their £3,000m profits over dock construction years on and mechanization. Yet it had been Jack Dash, leader the CP-dominated port- workers' liaison committee in Royals, who first called the for 'a public inquiry' into the docks. He was later to boast some of his ideas had that been taken up by the commit- tee. and his friends bitterly Dash who fought the Trotskyists were in opposition to Devlin.

Nationalization was not part of the inquiry's terms of refer- . Its report ence, ot. course. could only therefore be pre- pared, as warned three months before its publication, 'with the sole interest of pro- fitability and efficiency for the big employers' Devlin's main proposals were an to the casual labour sys- end tem, a reduction in the num- employers, increased ber of im- mobility of labour and provements in discipline. Pub- lication of reports was accompanied by a barrage of glossy leaflets and pamphlets Transport and from the General Workers' Union ex- tolling its virtues.

BY JOHN SPENCER

THE BASIC American balance of payments is plunging deeper into the red despite the devaluation of the dollar by international agree- ment last December. Figures released by the Washington Commerce Depart- ment earlier this week show that basic account in was deficit by $3,241m (£1,245m) in the first three months of this year. This is $1,267m up on the deficit for the last three months of 1971 and almost as high as the record short fall of $3,296m recorded in July-September last year. The basic account of the US payments measures foreign trans- actions in goods, services,

COURT

A broadsheet authored by Harry Nicholas, now a knight and retiring general secretary of the Labour Party, presented 'the dreams of our fore- it as fathers in dockland'. P. J. O'Hare, the T&GWU's Liverpool district secretary, as- members that sured • his 'an decasualization carried absolute condition that no redundancy will be caused'.

Every docker can now see that just straight decep- this was tion. And subsequent history also bears out the truth of the Socialist League's Labour warning in August 1967 that 'what the Labour government and Devlin call decasualization is not decasualization at all. In- stead of freeing the docker from the casual system it aims to place him in a strait-jacket for the benefit of the private employer. Bernie Steer makes no mention of this history in his 'Morning Star' article. He should study it. In his recent CP pamphlet on the docks, Bill Dunn claims that the Party 'works for the strengthening of the trade unions fighting for militant and socialist policies'. . This is a lie. • 1964 the liaison committee In prevented a fighting unity be- London tween in northern ports bitter a struggle. This allowed wages a T&GWU docks delegate con- ference to accept the Devlin inquiry. Two years later Dash drove a wedge between the dockers remittances and long-term private and government capital. It is therefore the best indi- cator of the basic state of US trade with other countries. The Commerce Department attributed the fall to a sharp drop in in- come receipts from foreign direct investment, a slight worsening of the trade balance and a swing to large net outflows of private from long-term capital a net inflow in the previous quarter.

The fall in income from over- seas investment is an index of depression in the worsening industry internationally.

The big international com- panies are reluctant to hold their funds in dollars and prefer to earnings retain their overseas outside the US-contributing to the instability of the world money markets.

APPEAL

COURT

and the seamen, preparing the ground for the seamen's defeat and Labour's compulsory wage freeze. In 1967 he and his Party again worked desperately to split London from Liver- pool-allowing Phase One of the Devlin scheme to come in.

Is this strengthening the fight for militant or socialist policies?

And the same question can be asked about the struggle over Devlin Phase Two, in which Steer was personally involved.

This came to London in Septem- ber 1970 after 18 months of prevarication and half-day in which neither strikes the CP nor the liaison committee out in direct once came opposition. Though Steer warned a Royal group mass meeting on March 5, 1969, against the dangers of and mobility of split shifts labour, these warnings were always fudged over with talk of 'if they get their Phase Two'. More often it was • 'when'. This, of course, went alongside deep hostility to the Trotsky- ists' demands for all-out oppo- sition to Phase Two and a struggle for the nationalization of the docks under workers' control. An All Trades Unions Alliance leaflet distributed at the March 5 meeting insisted that the real purpose of Phase Two and the Labourites' proposed National Ports Authority was 'a massive programme of rationalization The Nixon administration has repeatedly demanded action for the other capitalist countries to bring its payments back into balance. To break down European and to this Japanese resistance demand Washington is now adopting outright protectionist and trade-war measures. Japanese exports already barred from the US are flooding into Europe, undercutting home- produced goods in many cases.

The increase has been particularly marked in television sets, tape- recorders, cars and ships, accord- ing to figures from Tokyo.

In the last 12 months the of Japan's exports to volume Europe has risen by almost 56 per cent (see cars story p. 3) and in some areas, notably ship- and modernization based on containerization'. It called for a united struggle to prevent the redundancies this would cause. Steer now claims that the liaison committee and others at that time 'forecast what would happen if we did not get control of the unregis- tered labour situation'. He adds that when shop stewards came into being on : the docks 'one of the first actions taken on a the national scale was on question of the continued use of unregistered labour'. damning admission. This is By itself, the correct demand that registered dockers on the full rate of pay should do dockers' work purely defensive. And in a situation of rapidly-rising unemployment it can split the working class on craft and trade lines. The fight for nationalization under workers' control is the only way out of this dilemma. The CP has not fought for this.

When the containers issue first came to a head and stopped Merseyside for a week in the summer of 1969, the local Party docks branch issued a leaflet which never once mentioned nationalization. It called simply for 'a national agreement' on containers. And it covered up role of the heavily for the T&GWU leadership in signing with the a secret agreement Containerbase Federation run by Sir Andrew Crichton. With containerization once again at the the centre stage today, the T&GWU docks and committee has waterways shelved its demand for nation- alization as not an immediate issue. So has Steer's national stewards' committee. Nowhere is it mentioned in his 'Morn- ing Star' article. It would be a grave mistake if tomorrow's stewards' meeting continued with this policy.

building, exports have virtually doubled. At the same time, the Com- Market is hit by American protectionist measures and there have been noisy com- plaints from the EEC commission Washington's stringent against application of anti-dumping laws.

The EEC commission published earlier this week a study designed to show that US tariffs are higher than European tariffs, and that in any case the Market's trade with the US is already in deficit. The latest victims of US pro- tectionism are British, _French, Swiss and Japanese Italian, makers of heavy electrical goods.

are being accused of Jumping their prodacts on the market to the detri- American ment of US manufacturers.

The intensity of the trade war can be expected to increase in the light of the mounting US balance of payments deficit, lead- ing to a still deeper recession and unemployment in Europe mass and Japan.

WEST GERMANY'S giant car firm, Volkswagen, is to cut its workforce by 6,000 and also reduce the number of its white- collar workers by 1,600 before the end of September. The firm expects to sell 170,000 fewer cars this year than in 1971. Volkswagen is feeling the full blast of last year's August 15 Nixon measures and the revalua- tion of the mark, as well as of the intensive competition from the big Japanese carmakers.

Two of the biggest of the latter, Toyota and Nissan, are planning assembly to set up plants in Ireland later this year.

THE TRIAL cf 22 Spanish Com continuing in Madrid. They represe leadership in Murcia, a southern p The police claimed to have completely disrupted Party 'activities and to have all the duplicating machines, type- writers as well as the docu- ments of the organization.

The public prosecutor is de- manding the following sentences for Francisco Martinez Atalaya, responsible for organizing the workers' commissions, and Jose Lozano Morales, secretary of the provincial committee: For illegal combination, six years each. For distribution of illegal propaganda, six years FASCIST Spain's bid to enter the Common Market has been strengthened by the decision to allow Spain to attend the technical information discus- sion on the workings of the currency of the member countries. This decision was taken with- out any formal announcement. Since last month, Spain has been sitting with Austria, Switzerland and Sweden in the information sessions at Basle, where the EEC central bankers discuss mechanics of their new currency arrangements. These meetings for are countries considering joining the money bloc. Spain wants to join because 85 per cent of its trade is with the EEC countries.

Spain's entry to the monetary council points to closer relations with the Common Market. Because of its relatively high gold reserves and large tourist trade, Spain is considered a strong currency country. in these Prime mover new initiatives towards Spain has been the French government, which in 28 Charlotte St

BOOKS • PERIC

They claim that the intention is to beat a 75 per cent import duty on assembled cars. Both companies deny that they aim to establish a bridgehead for sales Britain and Europe after Ireland's entry into the Common Market. But their Irish move is clearly another move in the trade war.

The fall in British-Leyland's profits are another sign of the bitter competition which now the world's giant rages between car firms. The cutbacks at Volkswagen by are bound to be followed other firms in a desperate effort to cut costs and maintain profit margins. ish Communist Party members is y represent almost the entire Party uthern province. each. He is asking sentences ranging from one year to six for the others on trial. years While this repression goes on, a delegation of 14 Basque businessmen has been conducting five days of intensive negotiation in Moscow. The delegation represents the 'Group of Engineering Exporting Firms in the Basque Provinces' (AGEX), which organizes the joint interests of 156 engineering firms in northern Spain. The delegation was invited by the Soviet Chamber of Trade and Ministry of Foreign Trade.

The talks have been described as "extremely warm and cordial.

Brussels last week proposed that Spain be part of a free trade area with the EEC, and broadened existing agreements with Spain to soften the effect on Spanish trade of the admission of Britain into the Market. Franco's confidence in his dictatorship's role in the capi- talist reorganization of Europe was expressed by Senor Ullastres, Spanish ambassador to the EEC, at a recent press conference.

'At each moment we shall get what we want, he said. Such confidence is backed by firm agreements with the Stalinist bureaucracies over the 'naw' Europe. Last Thursday, there was est- ablished in Budapest the Spanish section of the Hungarian Cham- ber of Trade to represent Spanish Chambers of Trade in Hungary.

This follows the setting up of a Hungarian section in Spain last April. Next autumn, the Hungarian Trade Chamber of and in Council of Local Chambers organize are going to Spain jointly in Madrid, Barcelona and Bilbao study sessions and exhibi- tions on the Hungarian economy.

S @ PERIODICALS • NEWSPAPERS

Part of the Stanton and Staveley comple› THE MIDLANDS en- gineering industry has been hit by another spate of closures which will throw at least 2,000 men on the dole. The latest closures are by the British Steel Corporation and Staveley Machine Tools, part of the Staveley Industries Group. This new surge of redundanc- ies is a further sign of the deep economic recession biting into British industry. completely destroys the It Tories' persistent forecasts that the economy is 'recovering' and that their reflationary policies are working. On the contrary, Barber's measures Chancellor have made no dint whatsoever in the decline in industrial invest- ment or output. The new closures come in the wake of other devastating sack- ings in recent weeks-1,450 re- dundancies in the Ransome Hoffman ball-bearing Pollard jobs at the 1,500 toy group, Triang's in South London and the placing of Herbert Ingersoll, Daventry, into liquidation. The BSC decision is to axe the blast furnaces, the coke and slag plant at the ovens Stanton Notting- Works, near ham. This will cut 1,500 jobs by the end of 1973. The works is part of the tubes division's Stanton and Staveley One section will be Group. phased out in September and the remainder will be closed over the next 18 months. The plants produce foundry pig iron and have been a major supplier to the iron foundry in- dustry. 000 38

NOW OPEN

Mon, Tues, Wed, Fri 9 a.т.-6 p.m. Thurs 9 a.m.-7.30 p.m. Sat 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Workers Press, y complex near Nottingham.

BY ALEX MITCHELL

A BSC statement said: 'De- mand has fallen considerably in recent years because of techno- logical developments within the industry. This fall in demand was responsbile for the initial cut back in ironmaking capacity at Stanton in the autumn of 1971 when the two Old Works blast furnaces were shut down. 'A continuing fall in the de- mand for foundry pig iron is forecast.' The BSC proposes to concen- trate production of foundry pig iron at its Workington Works in Cumberland. The Staveley decision to close its Archdale works at Worcester is further evidence of the critical situation in the machine-tool in- dustry. Both Archdale and the Herbert recently - bankrupted Ingersoll produce special pur- pose machines for the motor in- dustry. The closure will mean another 400 skilled engineers joining the unemployment queues. MERSEYSIDE Labour MPs have n to stop the threatened rundown of Flintshire, North Wales. There have been persistent rumours that the British Steel Corporation might want to close down steel making at Shotton and concentrate only on steel finishing, putting about 6,000 workers out of jobs.

Eric Heffer, Labour MP for Walton, has issued a statement that Merseyside MPs are sayıng 'deeply worried'. He went on: "The Ministry of Industry, Mr Tom Boardman, in announcing the future invest- ment of the British Steel Cor- poration on May 8, excluded the shop plant from immediate plans. 'It has been suggested that it may be economic for BSC to manufacture steel ingots at the central plant, possibly at Redcar.

If this were to take place, this could have a serious effect re- garding employment in the area.

Redundancies at Shotton would further aggravate the already serious employment difficulties on Merseyside.

MORE INDUSTRIA

rs Press, Friday June 16, 1972 PAGE 3 A question mark now hangs Staveley's four other over machine - tool companies - Lapointe, Drummond, Asquith and Kearns-Richards. Ian Richardson, the 'Birming- Post's' business ham editor, yesterday praised Staveley's wise decision to close down Arch- dale. He wrote: What matters much more is that, instead of in two Archdale's becoming months' time a frightening drain on Staveley's cash resources, closure will release significant amounts of cash. 'All this was taken into account when Staveley forecast last week a further improvement in profits in the half-year to September. 'That leaves Staveley's shares which have slipped to 115p this week, comfortably below the value of the assets and worth buying for recovery in 1972- 1973' Thus the grotesque logic of capitalism and re- - closures dundancies mean greater profit for the shareholders. 's have now joined in the campaign down of the Shotton steelworks in The MPs are trying to get the government to back Shotton in any future BSC investment plans.

Management at Shotton has sub- mitted an alternative plan to BSC for the investment of about £50m in two basic steel-melting furnaces which would complete the entire modernization of the works and enable steel making to continue. Earlier this week, the County Clerk of Flintshire, Mr T. M.

Haydn Rees, led a deputation to Welsh Secretary of State, Mr Peter Thomas, to discuss the plant's future. BSC plans for the future of steel are likely to be considered at Cabinet level within the next few months. Mr Thomas will be putting the case for keeping steel-making in Wales and ex- panding it rather than concen- trating the work on the east as seems possible under coast, one of the alternative plans now on the BSC list. It has also been announced that BSC chairman Lord Melchett may visit the steelworks to dis- cuss its future with the workers' action committee at the plant.

STRIAL NEWS P.10

PAGE 4 Workers Pross, Friday June 16, 1972 Last week Lord Cooper, the right-wing leader of the General and Municipal Workers' Union, announced his retirement. In this two part series Stephen Johns examines his attitudes and career.

On May 10, 1971, Lord Cooper made a charac- that teristic statement threw the TUC into con- fusion. Through of 'The the Guardian' he informed the move- favour of ment that he was in his union-the third registering largest Britain - under in the Industrial Relations Act when it became kir. The statement mortified TUC general secretary Victor Feather. Cooper had chaired the

TUC

special conference Croydon had passed the first ill- which fated resolution of opposition to TUC's Victor Feather. Above: the Industrial Relations Bill.

Right: Lord Cooper with Feather Feather had announced just at the

TUC

Congress in Black- with confidence supreme that pool, 1971 any union with doubts over the Cooper's tributed but to policy would rush to him for con- sternation the 1966 conference of consultation'. help, advice and passed But here was his own chairman his union resolution which condemned the pegging of saying he would indeed 'go' to incomes of workers on low wages the TUC but there would be no (ie his own members). veto of any decision to register.

To the the trade naive in But Cooper and his general Cooper's union They called a movement, council acted fast. abrupt declaration might have and special meeting within been a shock. months the offending policy was overturned. But a look at this man's pro- gress through the G&MWU from 'Before we take we must give, officials the lowest to Cooper sung this sweet music to exalted position today as ruler of the employers after his victory, Ruxley Towers-the unions 'We as ever must suffi- acre baronial seat in rural Surrey cient to support the standards -shows that Cooper's announce- we want for our members. This heads rather ment was quite in cnaracter.

using our than our brawn.' Cooper's earliest recorded utter- In 1966 he was ennobled by that the ances seem prove Relations Bill is for the Labour and Industrial government Baron Cooper of Stockton Heath him the crowning opportunity to he hacked demonstrate his co- away at the evil roots devotion to of wage inflation in the Lords.

operation with the statein the 'national interest', of course.

Straight onto the attack he House in maiden told his the For it was 13 years ago that mischief speech that 'great has Cooper chairman Jack told the been done by drift. We wage

G&MWU

conference that the know that the initiative on always do all in should union wages is still on the shop floor its power to co-operate with gov- than at the rather and centre ernments, Tory or Labour: the greatest problem for us in the the trade union movement is 'We should, as a trade union bridge movement, be willing to look for to try and the gap and bring a sense of order into the modest real wage increases situation.' instead of demanding substantial concessions which if realized can But the G&MWU leadership only aggravate our economic dif- does the not always extend dele- ficulties, warned courtesy it lavishes on govern- gates gathered at Torquay.

ments to its members. 'Such change attitude would at least provide a Cooper recently raged against contribution starve TaCositive Ford "Evening strikers in the could Standard'. take at any government as a real the problem. in In an article titled 'Champion Working he said. ('The Man', of the the Our emphasis. 'Standard's' industrial corre- spondent, Alan Johnson, reported Years later he was banging the was angered that the Lord by Labour under the same gong the Ford dispute: government. 'I am not prepared to allow In 1965 he was the main sales- this union to be milked if we are for George man in the union going to have a strike every year Brown's incomes policy. at Ford, he fumed. particular he was an advo- In cate of the early-warning system Tohnson reveals that the 2,000 which failure to report under G&MWU members at Ford paid would draw claims the 'subs' wage £6.50 year in union of the law down on £48 retribution but had already received the offender. fighting their strike for bitter parity battle against the His union printed an expensive 'Why company and the government's amphle titled: an wages policy. Incomes Policy'. 30,000 were dis Co oper sie ted E0 wrote John- son, levy these the dilel

SUIKC

over. nenext nONOS they should pay so much a week to repay the union'. (In can't Cooper com-

G&MWU

evidence plain. Royal commuss on L rade Unions, HMSO 1967, shows Thai between 1958 and 1964 the union annual average far less than it spent on cars for in strike avcdi its officials.) This drive for frugality does noted caro ome teo ha or ene G&MWU machine. Ruxley Towers (called Cooper Klondike by the capitalist press first he hainde when it was pile off vıcional by-pass, the one

IOSL

palatial of all union headquarters in the land. the full-time io fii als There, wives can and their sport acres or us• grounas . play tell- nis, swim in the heated take mina dure goi coudse andi il hele turn little fatigued, they can get a always retire to the well-stocked bar with plush lounge. They seem to do very nicely.

At least a lot better than the average G&MWU Ford workers who pay for the whole outfit.

The principle behind one Cooper's stand in May, when he turned his backside on the whole of the TUC, was his devotion to 'co-operation'-even if it meant putting his own head in the Tory noose. Or as Cooper himself would put it: It is wrong to assume that industrial relations must neces- sarily always take the form of a trial of strength between employ- ers and unions. Both have com- mon interests-increasing. output of goods and services so that real standards of living can be raised?

But there is another side to Cooper. His desire for 'common inter- ests' is not entirely self-willed.

Other pressures push him into the arms of Robert Carr-namely figures who scurry those dark about their mischief on the shop floor and haunt the noble Lord.

In our next article we high- light Cooper's concern over the 'great red threat in the unions' his fear of shop stewards and his urging that governments should in to curb the 'industrial step anarchist'. These fears have been respon- for Cooper's sible persistent right-wing stance through his The irony is that the career. ( preamble to the rules of the Gas Workers' Union-the forerunner of the modern G&M-have this to say about trade unionism: 'All members should under- stand that the interests of all workers are one, and a wrong done to any kind of labour is a wrong done to the whole of the working class, and a victory or defeat of any portion of the army is a gain or á loss for the whole of that army and the union is marching to its ultimate goal- the emancipation of the working class... Workers Unite.'

CONTINUED TOMMOROW

THE BATTLE OF KEEPING MAO

Neither the Americans nor their South Viet- namese puppets are mak- ing much fuss about the reported relief of An Loc. It has taken them the better part of two months to reach remains of what the be- leaguered garrison of this pro- vincial capital less than 70 miles from Saigon. Their much-ballyhooed relief column is still firmly bogged down on Highway 13. With the liberation forces closing in on Hue and Kontum, is little joy for the there imperialists in this inglorious feat of arms. Especially as it was achieved almost entirely by means of aerial pattern- bombing , and helicopter straf- ing. About the only person who does find it a cause for re- joicing is several thousand miles from the scene. He is General Vanuxem, a veteran of the French devastating defeat in Indo-China during the early 1950s. In the extreme right-wing Paris newspaper 'Carrefour' (Crossroads) he penned the following purple passage: 'For the French, An Loc is the revenge for Dien Bien Phu. As at Dien Bien Phu they were less than 10,000 against more than 30,000. 'An Loc should have faller at the first shock. Two months later, An Loc is still holding With the exception of out. Stalingrad there is nothing to equal this in the history of contemporary warfare. 'An Loc has become symbol. Under the barrage of shells An Loc held out because of the courage of the Viet- namese. It held out for us, for our liberty, and our honour ho and our future.' Vanuxem's extravagant article is in line with his hysterical anti-communism. Only a few weeks ago, French industrialists were deluged with circulars advertising the strike-breaking services of Ordre Nouveau, the French fascist movement. Vanuxem's name was pro- minent among the signatories -all military and Establish- ment figures. Like the Bour- bons, he obviously learns no- thing and forgets nothing.

Unlike his old colleague General Christian Marie Fer- dinand de la Croix de Castries, who actually surrendered Dien Bien Phu. The last 19 years have obviously mellowed Castries, who recently turned up at a reception in Paris given by the North Vietnamese dele- gation to the Paris peace talks.

Workers Pres The veteran French Stalinist leader Jacques Duclos, who in the Senate, is sits now involved in a curious quarrel with the president of that body, Alain Poher. He has protested that a sentence which he used during a stormy debate in the Senate was cut out of the printed record. The passage referred to the case of a Gaullist minister who bought an ancient chateau which was later declared to be of historic interest with the result that he received a con- siderable sum of money to restore it. Horrified Gaullists protested that Duclos was dragging a minister's 'private affairs' into discussion about regional which development to the matter was irrelevant. A stormy scene then took place as Duclos tried to make himself heard.

In an exchange of letters with Duclos, Poher admitted An exhibition of paintings being held in Peking is strongly reminiscent of the most Stali- nist period of 'socialist realism' in the Soviet Union. Many of the more than 300 pictures on view feature Mao Tse-tung or highly-stylised workers, peasants and soldiers.

There are 17 large oil paint- ings of Chairman Mao, housed in a separate room with such titles as 'Chairman Mao on Inspection Tour of Fushun' and 'Chairman Mao's Heart is Linked With Ours': Mao himself laid down the canons of 'socialist realism' in an article written at Yunnan in May 1942, which now operates as law for Chinese artists. The exhibition is being held to commemorate the 30th anni- versary of this article. An editorial in the 'People's Daily' declares that artists and writers must 'persist in making literature and art serve the workers, peasants and soldiers and proletarian politics' The pictures now being shown mark a sharp break with traditional Chinese art and depict everyday scenes in fac- tories, fields and army camps.

rkers Press, Friday June 16, 1972 PAGE 5 that a phrase had been cut from Duclos' remarks on his instructions. The President of the Senate said that having failed to prevent the excited from uttering Duclos the offending phrase, he decided that the dignity of the official record could best be upheld by assuming that he had not heard it! Duclos, a great stickler for parliamentary, procedure_ and still regarded as the Com- munist Party's most accom- plished debator, despite his age, has demanded to know by what right Poher censored his remarks. The action, says Duclos, in a letter to the President of the 'constitutes Senate, dan- a gerous precedent'. It might do prejudice to the 'parliamentary road' which to the French Communist Party is committed!

Below: Jácques Duclos Two-thirds of the paintings, it is claimed, are the work of worker, peasant and soldier amateurs and had been selected from a vast number submitted by people all over China.

Stylised Chairman Mao

PAGE 6 Workers Press, Friday June 16, 1972 Stephen Johns examines the first test for the engineering industry pay claim..

WHAT THEY WANTED

• A substantial general pay increase and an increase in minimum rates.

Four weeks holiday plus ten days statutory holidays at average earnings.

Equal pay for work of equal value.

All deals without productivity strings.

Overtime at time and a half instead of time and a third.

Lay-ofl pay at average earnings.

Improvements in payments for shift work.

A reduction in the working week from 40 to 35 hours.

*These are the main points of the claim drawn up at the AUEW national committee meeting When national action was abandoned, stewards were advised to submit all or in April last year. whatever part of the claim they thought most important.

could have been if the cam- edition of their journal, Next week the Con- paign for the claim had been 'Nearly months News': tive federation of Shipbuild- passed since the unions fought out at national level. have Engineering "The real ing and Tocher admits: took their decision to pursue And disappointment came with the will hold what the claims domestically; there Unions hard-liners. We have not been are no signs of any landslide promises to be one of the successful in getting something of concessions. annual most If Manchester is the test off any of the the nours al where the meetings of its history. the employers are right. factories workers case Once again this massive en- sat-in. Add to this the fact that in At the centre of the con- gineering complex took troversy will be the great en- brunt of the struggle. At its some cases the cash settlement has been for a paltry f2, only gineering industry pay claim.

peak, over 20,000 workers This impressive charter of 50p above the employers' ori were involved in 32 sit-ins or demands for 3 million workers ginal insulting £1.50 offer and lock-outs, which in one case the full import of the Man- year arawn up over a stretched over ten weeks.

Was ago and, after three months of What have they to show for chester action Decolle of factory-floor struggle, Out apparent. such determination? is now on the verge of total the 250 firms in the local En- collapse. gineering Employers' Associa- The devate is likely to tion only five gave in on the focus on the first major battle three key demands for shorter for the claim which is now all hours, pay and longer but over in the greater Man- holidays, and they have been Unlike the unions, the em- for their promptly chester dred. mobilized Quite rightly delegates will weakness. ployers quickly themselves on national lines. contest In total the union claims 50 View north-west as an acid test of the plant-by- deals which involve the three The first battle note President, sounded plant strategy first mooted by their points. But most of these are Denby Bamford. At the EEF President small non-federated Hugh Scanlon, with annual dinner in January he of the Amalgamated Union firms and in some cases the Engineering Workers, when he concession on hours is mini- warned: 'If the unions are out to test the fibre of our unity out firmly against came Illal. we should leave them in no AUEW divisional organizer national strike action on the doubt as to its durability' eve of the miners' dispute in John Tocher denies the em- was quickly im- The spirit January. ployers have won a victory.

The right wing in the Con- 'No one has been defeated,' bibed by their membership. Where produc- federation will be pressing for 'Nowhere he says. Have the em- workers gone back for nothing.

tion dropped substantially new approach to a move that would of the district work-to- ployers- We obviously could not have cause little rule they took a decision effectively scotch what got the type of settlements we fight is left in Britain's major did get if it had not been for lock men out. Firms who suffered from sit- the district-wide action and engineering conurbalions. in strikes were subsidized from In reply the left will be put- the magnificent solidarity of national funds at the of settle- the membership. rate ting a brave face venester the ments already reached in the We the for £5 per-man-week lost for have set pace first two £10 for We would weeks, and industry and arguing that the everywhere else. not have got the extra holi- every subsequent week factory and district action Manchester director of the was largely worthwhile. days otherwise or the moves in Only one group will be able the consolidated rate-all on a

EEA,

They knew hey were fighting Michael Fuller to observe the squabbling with 12-month basis without taking this action.' the battle for engineering em- satisfaction-the tough ployers throughout Britain: and ruthless Engineering Em- This may be true, but the 'We standing the Manchester were ployers' pertormance reaeration. of pale shadow of what the fight racket the rest the In the words of the latest

IOT

John Tocher (speaking) with Scanlon (on his right) at a meeting for AUEW shop stewards country so we advised our members not to subsidize a virtual strike and lay men off if production fell very low due • to the ban on piecework.'

The claim for hours was de- in uniting the em- cisIve ployers: week 'A shorter working was mad,' says Fuller. To a certain extent inflation takes care of money rises. But once you have reduced the working will never week you get it back. We are just going into the Common Market and we of the already have one shortest working weeks in Europe? The Manchester results will make it virtually impossible engineering in for workers other areas to win substantial concessions from employers on wages or hours. Already a trickle of unsatis- factory settlements the Sheffield area has turned into a flood and in the belated campaign a de- Birmingham mand for a shorter working week will not even be raised.

short a once-proud claim In dissipated is being noW throughout the industry in a series of unsatisfactory • deals workers which barely keep wages in pace with the rise in the cost of living. Who is to blame? Number one culprits must be the national leaders of the AUEW. They were the archi- tects of the claim, but they to drop it also led the move at national level and throw it to the factories. Once this had been done, the outcome we see today was virtually inevitable.

The engineers' leaders backed away from a national fight because they were afraid of its political implications. The retreat began early in the AUEW January when national executive decided on the abortive strategy of plant- by-plant bargaining. By accounts it was a unanimous the keen decision attracting of Maoist council support member Reg Birch. called The executive to- policy- gether the union's making national committee and they too backed the 'new' strategy. The powerful Com- munist Party faction voted en scrapping national bloc for action. Scanlon's arguments against national action (which came of the miners' day two on strike) were most revealing.

First he hid behind rule. A national strike could only be ballot of called without a membership if it could not be proved that there was time for à vote. If a vote were held what guarantee would there be of a majority? (The miners leaders did not have such qualms over their ballot.)

But then he got down to the nub of the issue. A national strike, he said, , would be far accordance with in more resent-day practice since the miners had launched one anc railwaymen likely to have one.

BUT: 'These circumstances are generating some sort of general political battle against the government and its wages policy; fact its whole approach to industrial legisla- tion. Whether or not that is is, in the realistic thinking executive council's point of very much open to view, doubt.' Scanlon knew in fact that a national engineering strike on top of the confrontation on the coalfields would threaten the very existence of the Tory from this government. He ran political challenge enormous and opportunity. But with him whole Communist the ran Party faction which boasts 21 the national com- votes on mittee. Only four of the 52 national voted delegates Committee against the executive's pro- posal. In adopting this strategy, did Scanlon imagine that the in its entirety could claim somehow be smuggled past employers at local level?

The answer is no. During talks with un-minuted em- asked ployers Scanlon was were. He what his priorities replied discussion that on and holi- everything bar pay days could be deferred. (This was revealed when the AUEW president addressed Man- chester shop stewards.) He and his executive must also have known that to throw the claim out to the factories would leave workers in hun- dreds of thousands of plants-- the militant and the weak, the large and the small-at the mercy of employers who were uniting ready for as one battle. For a moment let us give he executive the benefit of the doubt. How in practice did they back local action?

Manchester were first off the mark. On March 27 a district ban piecework on was launched. But in Sheffield the AUEW district committee was cautioned not to rush into a similar action in support of their brothers across the Pen- nines. There was very little agita- tion, leaflets, meetings, etc on the claim until the noth-west struggle was well into its third or fourth week. But the cruellest blow of all week starting the came on May 7. Apparently concerned over the lack of local initia- tive, the AUEW executive sat down and members had drafted a circular to all mem- bers. They unanimously singled out the important con- cessions as being an increase on minimum rates, a general increase and longer holidays.

Concessions on hours were not included. This had a traumatic effect on the Manchester struggle. Local officials there had been fighting hard to keep the de- mand for hours out in front.

The employers openly admit- ted that it was this demand which encouraged their solid determination to resist. The circular gave the green light to every right-wing fac- Lod leadership to break ranks sign deals. The first to crack were workers at the giant AEI factory at Trafford Park - where Scanlon had served his own apprenticeship.

They went back for £2 ...

and the rot set in. The em- ployers were jubilant. Says Fuller: 'We naturally were pleased about the circular. But I think the decision AEI really broke the back of the union campaign.' Was Scanlon and his execu- tive unaware of the impact of the circular on the Manchester struggle? The choice of priori- ties on the claim is hardly the issue-to deliver a blow to this Manchester at stage would be a set back for the claim everywhere. The drop- ping of the hours question was just such a blow. The circular dovetailed exactly with the employers strategy. In the opening weeks of the struggle they had con- centrated on getting maximum unity and resistance among the firms. federated This they achieved. But after three weeks, Fuller says, they changed their target and advised members to get as many settlements as possible on the basis of pay and holi- days but not hours. Within a week the union circular was suggesting the same tactics to the strikers. On evidence the executive only guilty of appears not running away from a national fight, but of failing to support its own plant-level strategy.

The responsibility for the collapse of the claim, how- ever, cannot be entirely un- loaded onto the national exe- cutive. The AUEW leaders could have been challenged by the two occasions powerful Communist Party lobby on the national com- mittee. But they were not.

It was the original intention of the Manchester divisional for had committee to press national action if talks broke down on the claim. Hence in autumn last year a resolution was drawn up demanding the Says national committee to press for strike action on the de- mands if they were rejected.

at But in January Manchester delegate Bill Anten, a CP member, bowed to pressure from Scanlon and voted for domestic action. The way the executive had railroaded the national com- under fierce mittee came attack at the Manchester divi- stage sional committee on January 1, but they essentially accep- ted Scanlon's logic and laid plans for the district-wide work-to-rule. Later, in the midst of the struggle, Manchester Anten did not press the original Man- Workers Pr Left: workers at H. O. Serk & Co. during the Fuller, Manchester director of the Engineering chester resolution at the April national committee meeting.

Delegates once again accepted Scanions' veiled that warning a national strike would incur the wrath of the National In- dustrial Relations Court which was then busy dealing with the and General Transport Workers' Union. The Manchester work-to- rule, which involyed the key ban on piecework, was duly adopted by local Con- the federation of Shipbuilding and Unions and Engineering a of meeting shop mass stewards. On March I carbon- copy claims on pay hours and holidays submitted to were employers all over the conur- bation and the first sit-in broke out in Stockport two weeks before the official dead- line of March 27. No one can doubt the de- termination and militancy of the Manchester workers. But predictably the battle was isolated to a number of big firms like Guest Keen, ABI-

GEC,

the British Steel Cor- poration, Hawker Siddeley and Ferranti. In Sheffield a motion on the AUEW district committee to take action with Manchester was defeated by the casting vote of the chairman Herbert Howarth, a CP member. executive circular The angered the Manchester Con- federation members but when they met to discuss it on May 15 they yielded to this pres- effectively dropped sure and the claim on hours. At a mass meeting of shop stewards three days later the platform sanctioned a return to normal working providing management offered a satis- factory concession on pay and longer holidays. They opposed an amend- from the floor which ment called on the Confederation to reaffirm its original stand and this was heavily defeated.

This meeting revealed an the local alliance between leadership and Bert Brennan, who controlled the substantial shop stewards' vote from AEI.

Trafford Park. Brennan swore he would fight it out with his combine until he had won a £3 increase and longer holi- days. But days later he went back on his word and signed a deal involving a £2 increase, no extra holidays and, of no concession on course, hours. The AEI settlement broke the back of the Manchester resistance—a flood of unsatis- factory deals followed. This was the price Man- chester workers paid for their own local leadership's refusal to fight for a national strike, Workers Prosa, Friday Juna 16, 1972 PAGE 7 ark & Co. during their sit-in. Above : Michael or of the Engineering Employers Association.

and against the AUEW exe- cutive's retreat. The story of the Manchester dispute holds one most im- lesson for workers. portant There is no way round the political fight in the unions to expose the treacherous policies of the bureaucracy. Militancy is no substitute for this campaign. The day the national majority of the leaders backed away from join- the miners national battle against Tory policy the rot set-in. At first the CP faction was thrown into confusion by the executive's policies. But ever faithful to the party's policy of courting the reformists. it was soon backing Scanlon and company all the way. Within weeks of the January 10 de- cision, Arthur Gibbard, leader the CP group the on national committee, was argu- ing that to press forward with the national claim would have break meant with the a AUEW President. At Sheffield they followed the relentless logic of this de- cision and abandoned district- wide action with Manchester. And on May 15 the Man- chester leaders themselves dropped the most important part of their claim rather than come out clearly against their national leadership and carry the fight forward. Party members like Tocher, the Manchester district secre- tary Bernard Panter, and his Stockport counterpart Bernard Regan, all fought hard militant campaigns in the early stages on this north-west confronta- tion. They went out and attemp- ted to persuade workers, who had accepted deals that did not give the shorter working week, to change their minds.

But in the end the opportun- ism of their own Party policy caught up with them, and they too were forced into a nact with the right and abandoned the guts of their demand.

This is not just a question of political point-scoring pas powerful and just claim been lost in a miasma of local deals and the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions has failed to guard the living standards of its 3 million members. Those 3,500 men at AEI, Trafford Park or the 6,300 Manchester Ferranti workers will find themselves worse off next year after inflation has eaten away their £2 increase.

And that is bread and butter.

PAGE 8 Workers Press, Friday June 16, 1972

BY A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

"The fate of these people have to ral oil have all been and mineral oil have all hard,' seems singularly found to have a high propor- wrote Percival Potts in tion of skin cancers, and con- 1775. Potts was a surgeon cern has been expressed at the number of growing genital who worked among cancers in men who have to London's poor. He was lean oil over machines to writing about his observ- them, their clothes getting soaked in oil in the process.

ations of chimney-sweep It has long been recognized boys he had attended. miners that get the can 'In their early infancy they dreaded 'dust diseases' such frequently treated are most as silicosis and pneumoconio- with great brutality and almost It has been found, how-

SIS.

starved from cold and hunger; that breathing in tiny ever, they are tle ust up narrow and particles cancer of can cause sometimes hot chimneys where the lungs or other parts of the they are bruised, burned, and respiratory system. Asbestos almost suffocated, and when and wood dust have also been found to have this effect.

they get to puberty, become liable peculiarly a most 10 and painful fatal noisome, disease. The disease he was refer- ring to was cancer of the geni- tals, caused by close contact with soot over a long period.

Little boys longer are no Some chemicals are so lethal sent up chimneys, but cancer that they affect not only the of caused by various organs with dangerous people who actually work with working sub- them, but others living nearby stances is still very much an who breathe the industrial hazard for many vapours as they spread out in the atmos- workers. phere. article in Nursing Mirror In where arsenical (April 21, 1972), Sir towns sheep dip is manufactured, for Eric Riches, Emeritus Surgeon there has been found The Middlesex Hospital, example, to to be a disproportionately high London, talks about the con- number of deaths from cancer cern of many doctors at the of the skin and bronchial tubes.

growing incidence of industrial Thousands of workers face cancers. the most ghastly suffering and Cancers can develop from death as a result of the work different contact with various they do. The terrible thing substances over some time. The about it is that, now these lethal particles can be dangers recognized, absorbed through the skin, are number of simple. precautions breathed in, or swallowed.

could be taken to reduce the risks, or prevent them alto- gether. Proper ventilation systems, bathing facilities and changing face rooms, masks, rubber gloves, splash guards over be machines which have to In many cases the tumor it- oiled, cleaning facilities for self does not actually make an contaminated clothing — all simple precautions. But they appearance until many years later, sometimes as many as 25 all And that is cost money. the problem. years or even longer. Industrialists run their in- Some of the cancer-produc- ing substances have now been dustries for profit, and the banned. health lives and of their The of beta- workers are as dispensable as manufacture their machinery. naphthylamine, which was used both the dye and As Sir Eric Riches points in rubber industries, out in his article, referring was pro- hibited in 1950 after it the use of mineral oil in the was found that 100 per cent of all lubrication of machines: 'If white oil of low carcino- the workers involved in its and distillation contacted cancer genic toxicity were used of the bladder. It was, still I automatic lubrication could eliminate possible, however, to import it the manual opera- a further until 1967. tion, step in pre- vention would be possible other substitute However, the increased cost is probably chemicals which still in are regarded the main factor preventing it. use are also as thousands workers dangerous. lose their What is perhaps not so well health and even known is the risk run by men their lives in the profit race.

How many and who have workers in in- women to handle many much more com- dustry have the today even mon substances. Workers who elementary most precautions, Top: a chimney-sweep boy on the stree a fine dust which can cause silicosis.

such as those listed above?

The various cancer research organizations make constant appeals for funds. Thousands contributed of pounds are every year to find a cure for is perhaps what the most dreaded disease of all. Among the streets of London in the early 1800s. Abc the lists of donors are to be found the names of some of our top industrialists. If they were to spend a fraction of what they contri- bute to such charities con better facilities in their fac- and workplaces, the tories N00 500000 850000 00 0000 16000 1800s. Above: brick works; the source of urgent need for such research would be greatly reduced.

The fight against cancer is just one more reason for get- ting rid of the capitalist system and running industry for the benefit of the working class.

'Will Wat? If not, what will?, a documentary play on the people's uprising of 1381 (called the Peasants' Revolt by less sympathetic histori- ans), is a step forward in documentary theatre. I haven't seen anything of its quality in London. It's been produced at the Half Moon Theatre, Alice Street, Aldgate, and is written by Steve Gooch and members of the cast. It has a clear grasp of the situation, leaving the audience to work out all the conclusions themselves, with clear for guidelines as to which way to go; that is. It's not dogmatic and consequently portrays the full importance of the events rather than dealing in obvious bold statements. Having said this, I must remark that the first half of the show is clearer and fuller than the second. It deals with the build-up to the Uprising; the Black Death and conse- quent Statute of Labourers, the laws against workers seek- wage and the ing a better plight of the journeymen in the cities who had no hope of becoming masters of their existing trade because the master had long since, for th motives of self-interest, eradi- cated competition etc, closed the shop. One important point is miss- ing. No mention is made of the 'Great Society' or 'Great Com- pany', a catchword at the time and the notion which seems to have motivated John Ball and his followers. Without this point being established, the Uprising appears as a collection of which events spontaneous became connected by chance, instead of a preconceived and organized movement which stemmed out of the people's and was held oppression together by passed news throughout the country by itinerant (outlawed) labourers and preachers. This is a clear historical reading of the situation, from the evidence we have available.

that the One scene hints journeymen were holding meet- ings under the guise of being a religious society, to discuss 'how to better ourselves'.

. The implication is clear, but I only wish we had been allowed to see one of these meetings on the stage. In the second half the plot against Wat Tyler's life, which makes greater historical sense if seen as a deliberate and desperate plan embarked on by for the king and the new bourgeois Above: a scene from 'Will Wat.

If not, what will?' factions in London, is again shown as more or less spontan- and not as ingeniously eous conceived and carried out in order to maintain the status quo. Again this seems to be a fault in the reading of the historical situation. Having picked on the faults, I must return to the excellence of the conception and pro- duction of the piece. Every- thing is there; the Archbishops riding on the Abbots of workers backs the (literally!). The new bourgeois traders manipulating the boy king by playing him at loaded dice and letting him win in him in their order to keep power. : And even the poet Geoffrey Chaucer, aloof from the pro- ceedings in the true tradition of a bourgeois artist, and yet not managing to glean a line of poetry from the murder of the Flemings while looking on bemused from his window. We see the plight of the people and their grievances, and hopes in struggle. Finally, and most important of all we see their mistakes and can learn from this portrayal of living struggle. Workers Press, Friday June 16, 1972 PAGE 8 Here is some information that We recently explained the way should keep wage claims in in which the Supplementary the car industry down Benefits Commission penalizes to a modest level. 'unmarried mothers' if it is Labour Research has just thought they are sleeping with of a boy friend. Special Investiga- published the salaries Britain's top motor bosses for tors keep watch on their homes 1971. and their can be money Vauxhall stopped immediately, if In the lead is even Motor's chairman D. A. there is no evidence that the Rhea on £67,951 a year, or £1,307 a man is giving them anything week. at all. Next is Lord Stokes of 'Social Worker' (June 9, British-Leyland with £46,060 a 1972), a paper which covers fields £886 a week. Ford which Ser Len Crossland 635,956 the various in pay social workers are interested, of and Gilbert Hunt has the following story to tell.

year Chrysler gets a modest £23,000 A 26-year-old woman with a year, £442 a week. two young children had a boy friend who visited her, fre- quently and occasionally stayed the night. warned that the She was Supplementary Benefits Com- take mission might action against her. In fact, a local SBC visitor told her they were aware of her association with the man, but that they would turn a blind eye providing he did not stay more than three nights a week. This abitrary rule was imposed entirely by the whim of the SBC. Shortly afterwards, however, the woman was involved in an acudent in which her leg was injured. Her boy friend stayed with her for a week to help take care of the children.

At once, the Special Investi- Prominent Republicans across gator called and demanded United States have been the that she surrender her allow- receiving free copies of a new ance books. She and her child- paperback book describing ren were thus left completely President Nixon as the tool of destitute. leftist international conspi- Although he had made little racy. or no financial contribution to The author plans to saturate the family until then, the man the country with the book felt he now had a responsi before the November presi- bility to help her and moved dential elections. into the home. He is Gary Allen, a 35-year- Within a few days, however, old writer for John Birch pub- he became ill and could not lications, by a company run work. Not being married, he the John Birch Society. He has was unable to get any sickness titled his book None Dare benefit for the woman or her Call it Conspiracy. children. there is 'an Allen believes In sheer desperation, the invisible government' control- couple got married. led by the Council on Foreign 'Social Worker' points AS Relations. The Council is 'an out, all too often the reverse American subsidiary of a sec- happens. dedi- ret international society Lonely con- women are cated to establishing a world demned to living alone, not government whereby a clique daring to enter into any rela- financiers or invite of super-rich would tionships with men, world under the visit their homes, for control the them to guise of socialism. fear their will be money Society is The John Birch stopped. In many cases, poten- dedicated to upholding capi- tially stable relationships are Special talism—i.e, a system where a destroyed small clique of super-rich finan- Investigator get started. ciers control the world ...

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No basis to call off strike PAGE 10 Workers Press, Friday June 16, 1972 CHAIRMAN of the Hull stoppage on the docks. Let's hope he means what he says. shop stewards Walter port Cunningham thinks there are In the past he's been proved bit a little suspect. The situa- no grounds for Wednesday's tion on the docks today obviously decision to the postpone calls for a stoppage. national dock strike for six Certainly until all men weeks. was one of the unattached register are per- manently employed. docks delegates at the meet- ing in Transport House, Lon- 'The employers have offered an don, which extra £500 severance pay to men voted 49-32 for on the unattached register, but postponement. there's nothing strong talks to Workers about that because it's Here he can say Press about the conference.

totally unacceptable. "The conference has given the 'Jones said at the conference employers six weeks grace.

But that it any was prison he would call a national they've already had two years.

When there were bad laws, he BUILDING workers delegates said, it was sometimes necessary at their conference in Black- to go outside the law to defend pool yesterday called for the the long battle which had led to recall of the TUC Congress "to the trade the development of

TUC

The deal with loopholes used by union movement. should be recalled, he added.

some people' to wriggle out of There loud opposition was full opposition the In- to from some delegates when Dan dustrial Relations Act. Crawford, replying for the exe- The council, condemned Union of Construction, cutive any Allied Trades Technicians' The and action. exueme passed had strongly against conterence yesterday

TUC

calling the Act, he said, but legislation resolution on the to maintain its opposition to the -based on a voluntary system— Act, did have a part to play in future and to support any union affected. industrial relations. Delegate Dick Miles of Craw- On Monday,

TUC

general

TUC

Feather ley, Sussex, said the Victor was seticlaly General Council had slipped constantly interrupted by booing, back from the resolutions passed jeers and shouts as he addressed delegates. and had the The conference at the last congress was suspended after-Feather sat stand against weakened in its down. the Tory government. The daily paper that loads the fight agalnst the Tories. £20.28 for 12 months (312 lasues) £10.14 for 6 months (156 issues) £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 send to: CIrculation Dept., Workers Press, 186a Clapham High St., London, SW4 7UG. I would like to take out a subscription to Workers Press.

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Name Address Divorce rate doubles THE DIVORCE rate in England and Wales than doubled

MOIC

during 1960s, Registrar the the venerai s stansuca review snows 'O'Leary proposed another six made absolute today. Decrees 23,868 in 1960 to wECK Dur war de Dur to lo: god above knows. 8,239 in 1970 -only 2.000 less aelegates. There's nothing I can see that can marriage

DOS NAT

justify it. break-up peak 1947. New divorce 1970 The only basis for calling off applications this strike would be Sorted 11,001, "1) That tomorrow all the men 10,000 above the previous record, the unattached register were set in 1969. on per hat ty work container station elec-

GENEKAIING

1) Tahat adountegi dock workers. tricians in lire staged a 24-hour That all unregistered wharves strike yesterday. and quavs would come under the The strike by members of the National Dock Labour Board.

lr1sh Technicians Decunical 'If they haven't got that, which Association is over the clectricity Walter Cunningham chei on the strike? haven't, there's no basis for Supply Board's refusal to recog- nize them as a negotiating union.

Inflation panic may force a devaluation General Election, would Couri over £2,000 a year fall very dangerous for made the Industrial Re- back pay. well informed the Tories. classic 'Having tasted blood newspaper of the City Headlined 'Can Heath the miners. raimen and of London, has begun stop infleigins the the other main dockers will want Ine de- ticle begins: plank the govern- equally speculation high in creases government's economic ment's economic policy valuation the 1s on

NCAI

vcal. Yesterday Black- bust at

DONCV

LACY

was to cre wace way. nailed their colours tion by showdown pool, Labour's Shadow the over the with trade mast major Chancellor of the Serdart pare article Relations Denis yesterday Exchequel, which they said was the 'This plank has Healey, said that salle une "key" good finally cracked devaluation irrepar- summer have may dustrial and ably with 13t-per- consider planned relations the was now 'on the cards' 'a the govern- cent sermenert sala ucvalualo: Tne 'Now by quashing the the railmen and the in- ment may be forced to pound'. £55,000 fine evitable wildly infla- on adopt this strategy be But the article adds: and Genera the 'panic se venen Cause "This, the Workers' Union the the dockers' claim for about inflation'. Delore NALGO off register LOCAL government as 'not in the interests about the trade union appreciated, railwaymen, nor unionists yesterday •l our memoers movemeni The few delegates =. relevant to the dockers. rejected moves that the proposing registration not, on not really Act IS avul register them under wanica Dallol

DOOK

ane 1aW ano oroer — l Industrial Rela- 400,000 mem- even if there is a change about attitude ine Union's bers. Said Mr .S. government interference tions Act to 'improve Forbes from the South near future the Act will the affairs the Act from the Stattordshire Heath Ser. Tellain UN e inside. vice: 'There will be book. 11U believe the

TUC

Former NALGO great pracțical advantage The 2,000 delegates has been wrong sident Neil McLean told be gained trom 1C the gistration, Iallonal delerates mar mer vote ne sale Government non-co-operation. would reaffirm the "There will be no sub- LOcal Officers' union's policy stantial damage caused can ference Eastbourne the Act far better trom plete opposition to gov. volea overwneimingly lo ine Inside than trom tne Dargaining throw out a resolution outside.' industrial relations.

NALGO

not regi- calling for And he added: 'It is stered.' registration not Issue Another round of price rises from August 1?

INDUSTRIAL

chiefs president ment ustify its invest- and 1, so that all of us begin Michae Clapham said the deci- adding each other's yesterday began clear- sion continue "re- ing the decks for costs and pour tuel con Clapham warned that tinuously on the flames?'

another round of even they

INA

were on proached 'with deep could lead to the point The

CBI

chief, how- steeper price rises responsibility sense 'where people's wages ever, refused to commit from August 1. Do we usl

SLUD

ing?' nave le corecteo ma menders deci It is on that date that before asked. wheelbarrows and sion about future policy.

the 5 per cent 'limit' on significantly adding: people's savings have 'There hardly Sande prices agreed by membe workers will gone up in smoke. also surprised

LIC

conteucid- manulacturin. 'Do of British Industry nos noed higher we accept that learn was ever Ton Whien copr There expira speech in Bristol, not need can impose per cent limit on price they first place. to maintain its viability higher prices on August rises in the

ALL TRADES UNIONS ALLIANCE MEETINGS

ABINGDON:

Friday June 16, DAGENHAM: Tuesday June 20,

NORTH

Thursday Grapes', High St. 22. p.m. 'The Fanshawe June p.m. co-op hall,

NORTH

KENT:

Tuesday June Ave 'Fight the Tory Arms' Tottenham High Road 20,

SOGAT

House, White rents policy Hart Rd, Dartford. Lane) 'Why Essex 'Building revolutionary Ine Labour government pledged to

SOUTH

LONDON:

Tuesday party. socialist June 20, Clapham

LUTON:

Thursday June 22,

CROYDON :

Monday June 19 Baths, Claoham Mane Ambulance JOnn 3 p. Marxism 'Marxism artismand the St, SW4. and the voomoe Brigade Hall, Lea Rd. 'Stalin- Rd. and trade trade unions'. ism' SOUTH EAST LONDON: Thurs.

COVENTRY: Tuesday June 20,

SHEFFIELD:

Wednesday June 22, Community 8 р.т. Deptford p.m. woodene 41, 1.30 p.m. wane Lon Jule of Association Building, Hillmorton Wicker. 'Build Councils Engineers' Club (opposite New Road. Action'. Cross Stn.). 'Stalinism'.

BBC 1

9.20-9.35 Andy Pandy. 9.38-11.55 Schools. 1.00-1.25 Dechrau canu.

1.30 Mary, Mungo and Midge.

1.45-1.53 News and weather. 2.05 Schools. 2.25 Bowls and tennis.

4.15 Play school. 4.40 Magic roundabout. 4.45 Jackanory. 4.55 Screen test. 5.20 Right Charlie.

5.44 Hector's house. 5.50 News and weather.

6.00 LONDON THIS WEEK.

6.20 TOM AND JERRY. Cas- anova Cat. 6.30 THE VIRGINIAN. To Bear Witness. 7.45

IT'S A KNOCK OUT!

Nottingham v Lincoln.

8.30 LOOK — MIKE YARWOOD!

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THE

MAN OUtSIDE. Cuculus Canoru: 10.10

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Britain?

BY OUR OWN REPORTER

DUSTMEN in South London have been told they must pay tax on lump sums paid to them for the loss of their salvage rights. In a test case, the High Court decided yesterday that Lambeth dustman Stephen Geoghegan must pay tax on the £450 lump received from sum employers, the borough council, 'totting' when they ended his rights three years ago. Geoghegan claimed that the payment was compensation for the loss of his salvage rights and Stephen Geoghegan that he should not have to pay tax on it. But the High Court judge, Mr Justice Foster ruled it was an emolument from his employment and therefore tax- able. The judge allowed an appeal by the Crown against a decision of Special Tax Commissioners that the payment was tax free.

Mr Geoghegan, whose test case was backed by his union, was ordered to pay the costs of the appeal.

ITV

11.00-12.15 Schools. 12.55 Wills tennis tournament. 1.40 open Schools. 2.30 Good afternoon!

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6.00 TODAY.

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10.55 LATE NIGHT

LINE-UP.

Ecology. or we

BY OUR OWN REPORTER

ELECTRICIANS at the Beecham chemical plant con- struction site near Breghon, Ayrshire have threatened in- dustrial action from today if five of their workmates are not reinstated. The 50 electricians are employed mainly by three on the siteSmith's, firms Brown and Neil and Plessey.

They are demanding also with workers parity of pay employed by Humphrey's of Glasgow, one of contractors at Breghon. At present their basic pay is 60p an hour while Humphrey's workers get £1.05 per hour.

Recently the parity fight has been aggravated by the sacking of five union members-two journeymen and three apprentices, non-union while labour is still employed on the site. The five were taken on by Brown and Neil after they had applied for jobs offered in a advertisment on newspaper February 15 this year. The advertisment offered jobs for qualified electricians and apprentices on a minimum con- tract of one year. But now the employers say there is no material on the site and for the men to work on have sacked the five after less than four months' work. The electricians are to meet this morning. The men are determined to have the five reinstated and to see through their demand for parity with the Humphrey's workers. A film to look forward to on BBC-1 on Martin Stephens as the two strange w spine-chilling story The Turn of the

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7.35 Sky's the 7.30 Weekend. limit. 8.05 FBI. 9.00 London. 11.15 News. 11.25 Film: 'Cross- roads to Crime'. 12.35 Weather.

Epilogue. HARLECH: 11.00 London. 3.45 Women only. 4.15 Tinkertain- 4.30 Crossroads. 4.55 ment. Woobinda. 5.20 Flaxton boys. 5.50 London. 6.01 Report West.

6.18 Report Wales. 6.35 Bonanza.

'Charley's (Big- 7.30 Film: Hearted) Aunt. 9.00 London 11.15 His and hers. 11.45 Jason King. 12.45 Weather. UNION officials and shop again met Singer stewards Manufacturing management at Clydebank yesterday in a bid to settle a four-week strike by 4,500 workers. The meeting followed eight hours of talks on Wednesday on the claim for a £4-a-week increase, shorter hours and longer holidays. The strike by Singer engineer- ing workers began on May 9 after management had demanded concessions and productivity refused to negotiate on the hours question. Production at the giant sewing machine factory has been halted Management plans to lay-off 700 staff began with notice to 30 last Monday. But five members of the Association of Scientific, Tech- nical and Managerial Staffs re- away and are fused to stay sitting-in. The latest company offer to the five unions representing the 4,500 workers amounted to £3.25 a week. It is not clear whether improved the offer management Wednesday. Yesterday, Alex Ferry, Glasgow said AUEW district secretary, strike could be he hoped the ended this week. 'We had a full day of negoti- ation yesterday and we are going in again today, he said. back 'If we don't get it settled this week it will be a long time before we get it settled.

THE ANNUAL cost of keeping a medium-sized family car on the road now totals £533, according to a schedule of vehicle running costs published by the Auto- mobile Association yesterday.

This compares with £496 in February last yearan 8 per cent increase in 15 months. Biggest individual increases, according to the AA, have been servicing and repairs. Workers Press, Friday June 16, 1972 PAGE 11 BBC-1 on Sunday night is The Innocents' with Pamela Franklin and strange wards of Deborah Kerr in this adaptation of Henry James' the Screw'. 11V Wales and

HTV

Cymru/ His and hers. 7.00 Film: "The Wales as above except: 4.15-4.30 Pink Panther'. David Niven, Peter 11.15 Cantamil. 6.01-6.18 Y dydd. Sellers. 9.00 London.

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London. 3.35 4.10 News. 4.15 Cross- today. 4.10 Julia. 4.40 Zingalong. a wish. 4.55 Lost in space. 5.50 London.

Flintstones. 6.00 Crossroads. 7.00 His Partners. 8.30 His 8.30 Shirley's world. 9.00 London. 11.15 Film: The Rise and Fall of Legs Demon'.

ULSTER:

11.00 London. 4.30 Romper room. 4.50 News. 4.55 3.30

SCOTTISH:

11.00 London. Thunderbirds. 5.50 London.

6.00 Kiri. 3.45 4.10 Date- Crossroads. 6.35 News. 6.10 Viewfinder. 7.30 4.55 Skippy. 5.20 Cartoon Crossroads. 7.00 London. line. 5.50 London. 6.00 King. 8.30 His and hers. cavalcade. Jason 6.30 Dateline. 6.20 Cartoon. 9.00 London. 11.15 Name of the 7.00 London. Shirley's world. game. 7.30 Saint. 8.30 His and hers. 10.30 In 9.00 London. camera.

YORKSHIRE: 11.00

3.45 London. 11.05 Film: 11.00 Late call. 4.10 Jimmy Stewart. Calendar 'Hound of the Baskervilles'.

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UFO

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Wide backing for Councils 5,000 docks jobs to go-report reveals PAGE 12 Workers Press, Friday June 16,

ULSTER

William supremo in announced Whitelaw the Commons yesterday that he immediately discuss will arrangements for an early con- people of ference the Northern Ireland'. He said the object would be to enable those who hold a of political wide variety opinions to 'exchange views' to see what 'common ground' can be found about the future of democratic institutions in Ulster. And he added: 'If my con- versations show there is also a widespread desire for a plebis- cite on the border at an early date, the government would be ready to arrange it? Whitelaw night last was meeting Social Democratic and Labour Party MPs John Hume and Paddy Devlin for talks on 'peace' proposals. The talks and yesterday afternoon's announcement Special discussed at a were Cabinet meeting which White- attended yesterday law morning. local On the forthcoming elections this year, Whitelaw would said he propose to parliament that these should be held under the proportional representation system by means of a single transferable vote.

Referring to the Provisional IRA's peace offer he said it was a sign they were beginning politically. The fact to think they would talk without the pre-condition on internment is a most significant factor' he could to

BY PHILIP WADE

development THE COUNTRY was in take place. a situation where the He was governmenut was pur- top manage suing a line leading to sentatives a a confrontation with the trial Society unions, engineers' leader -fee $25 p Hugh Scanlon said yes- the subject terday. Conflict and president of the The 'Such 1.3 million strong Amal- would be gamated Union of En- said Mr Sca gineering Workers made wiser counc it clear, however, that vail. he would do everything 'No one LEAST another 5,000 AT dockers will lose their jobs over the next three years, port chiefs estimate. This became clear at a press conference yesterday to mark the annual of the National Port report Council. Former merchant banker Philip Chappell, NPC chairman, had refused to be drawn on any estimate of a future run down in the dock labour force.

Reporters had been probing his statement that 'there IS an inevitable trend towards a smaller workforce, a trend which applies to the men not only on the but throughout the quayside industry. Chappell and the NPC clearly From p. 1 Labour MPs who voted with the Tories on the Market legislation in parliament. But after the lunch break during which the Stalinists and 'lefts' engaged in horse- were trading with the right wing, the resolution was withdrawn.

That same evening in the House of Commons 12 Labourites abstained on a key vote on the EEC Bill thus giving the Tories a eight majority. Had the narrow voted against Labourites the Tories the Tories would have their majority and been lost forced out of office. Whatever happened to Wilson's "line-by-line' fight against this Common Market conspiracy of l the Tory Party and the big monopolies? June 16, 1972 MASSEY FERGUSON shop stewards at Coventry have voted to assist in the building of a local Council of Action and Transport and General Workers' Union workers at Transport House, London, are pressing for a Council to pre- pare the defeat of the Tory government. The Massey Ferguson decision was taken at a large meeting of shop stewards. They welcomed the call of the Coventry Trades Council to set 'associate themselves, agreed to Council and up a with the campaign. The stewards will send a representative to the meeting on July 3 called to set up the council. The 1/128 . branch of the T&GWU, which represents men House, working Transport at Jack Jones's headquarters, have passed resolution on a Councils: 'This branch, recognizing the grave dangers represented by the Relations National Industrial Court and the Tory government's preparations to destroy the basic rights of the working class, call council to on our local trades follow the lead of Liverpool Trades Council and set up a Council of Action/ as part of a national campaign to make : the Tory government resign and to halt to call an immediate the retreat of the TUC leadership and the Parliamentary Labour Party before the NIRC and of challenge the courts. could to see such velopment would not however, trade unio always had He was speaking to the law there would no unions today. But p management repre- ntatives at an Indus- only 'hope that poi ial Society conference not be reached will He then offered t fee £25 per head—on subject 'Reducing Tory government a d nflict and Strikes'. over the Industrial B situation lations Act. a disastrous,' hope the gover be id Mr Scanlon. 'I hope ment will have the fle iser councils will pre- ibility to put the A in cold storage to all 'No one wants to discussion to take pla had a figure in mind, 'but it would be imprudent to quote it today'. He was referring to the con- tinual work of the Jones-Alding- committee for which the ton NPC provides the secretariat.

Then someone suggested reduction of around 20,000 dockers. Clearly taken aback Chappell replied: At least a quarter of 'No, no. that figure.' Chappell made it clear that all hopes of peace on the docks were pinned the lones-Ald- on ington committee. 'Yes, I feel there's a chance of solving the problem: its a long- term problem to be solved in six weeks--yet they should be in a position to report.'

He has made no attempt to expel the right-wing traitors who keep the Tories in power.

How can the working class itself be mobilized to prepare for the Tories to be brought down? This is the purpose of the Councils of Action which the Socialist Labour League called for in a special Political Com- mittee statement on May 19.

In this urgent appeal to the labour and trade union move- ment we stated: 'There must be Action formed Councils of in in the period every area, as before 1926, to unite all those against the fighting government issues. This is the only on all way to defend trade unions and of l it is the key to every anti-Tory struggle. These councils must consist Labour councils in face of the Tory Housing Finance Bill.

'These Councils of Action must aim to unite all sections of workers in struggle against the government and should therefore include representatives from all tenants' associa- trade unions, tions, all socialist tendencies and other working-class organizations without bans and proscriptions.

'In order to organize and mobi- lize mass working-class resistance to the Tory plans, the Councils should have the following policy programme: 1. Recall of the TUC to re- affirm non-co-operation with the NIRC and expel the right-wing traitors. 2. Prepare for a General Strike to make the Tory govern- nient resign. Clear out the traitors in the Labour Party who vote in parliament with the Tories on the Common Market or who on local councils imple- ment the Tory housing Bill.

In this way prepare to re- Labour government elect a pledged to restore all demo- cratic rights lost under this Tory government and to carry out a programme of nationalization of all industry and finance under workers' control without compensa- tion e courts. If, between the TUC and the CBI. rade unions 'Notwithstanding all I accepted have said, a system of re would be oday. But I conciliation can play an point important role. I would • reached.' hope we could get a offered the degree of understanding between the TUC and ment a deal the CBI on this.? dustrial Re- He said procedure agreements were needed the govern- to avoid strikes. He was ave the flex- seeking chal- Act not to lenge the right of man- age to allow o take place agement to manage. The NPC-of which Jack Jones, general secretary of the T&GWU, is deputy chairman— forecast a 14-per-cent rise in cargo traffic by 1975. It estimates that of the total general cargo of 60 million tons at least half will remain in non- container form. Significantly Chappell said of this forecast: 'The emphasis has very much switched to the importance of management in selling these facilities [container] and making them operate at minimum cost and maximum profit.' With traditional handling methods, he added, one man will be employed for every 750 to 1,000 tons. With containerized of all workers' organizations: trade unions, Labour Parties, the SLL, Communist Parties and ali socialist tendencies, as well as tenants' committees, co-oper- atives-in short, all sections of the labour morement.' The purpose of the councils is to defend the working class against the attacks of the Tory government and to mobilize the masses to make it resign.

Briginshaw has said it. In its way, the "Telegraph' has said it.

These are the demands of the hour: •No retreat before the NIRC.

•Victory to the dockers. •The trade unions must set up Councils of Action in every area. •Prepare for the General Strike.

A copy of the resolution will Regional No. 1 branch, London Home Counties, of the

T&GWU.

Lambeth Trades Council has already passed a resolution call- ing for a Council of Action and the founding meeting will be held on Sunday, July 9, at Lambeth Town Hall. During the Transport House T&GWU discussion a supporter of the 'Militant' spoke group against the resolution and voted against it. Other union branches have also passed resolutions. They are: Erith district committee of the Amalgamated Union of Engi- neering Workers, Sheffield No 1 UCATTS (building workers) branch; Glasgow Woodside branch of the AUEW. Its resolution calls on Glasgow Trades Council to build Council of Action. The resolution reads: 'This Woodside branch will not stand idly by like our trade union leaders and allow the Tory government to deprive the working class of its basic rights.

'As our leaders comply with the legal decrees of the NIRC, the Court brutally demonstrates that the trade unions cannot pro- Scanlon speaking yesterday freight the figure rises to 10,000 to 12,500 tons. The NPC's annual report shows that Britain's. ports achieved an aggregate net surplus of nearly £10m more than in 1970. The return on capital was how- 'This under 5 per cent. ever unacceptable in would be clearly British industry,' said Chappell. There was still some way to go in cost-cutting and both 1n achieving revenue increases.

'Profit maximumization cannot be the port's only objective, but they must be in a strong enough position financially to meet their maturing obligations and provide dence, for competitive indepen- scope

JUNE FUND

NOW £407.78

AT last there has begun to be a change for our Fund. A splendid post of {112.45 has increased our total to £407.78.

Now let's do our best to keep up this pace. A showdown between the working class and this Tory government is clearly on the agenda. This is the time to mobilize workers everywhere and make this government resign. Workers Press is vital in preparing the leadership for this fight. So make a special effort today for June our appeal Fund. Don't waste a moment. Collect as much as you possibly can-add some- thing extra yourself. Post all donations immediately to : Workers Press June Appeal Fund, 186a Clapham High St, London, SW4 7UG. tect themselves under this Tory class law. 'Trade unions are the bread and butter of every worker and his family and the guarantee of his hared-earned democratic rights. 'This branch says that the only way to defend the trade unions is to mobilize the working class politically to make the Tory gov- ernment resign and elect a Labour government pledged to socialist policies. 'The crisis facing the working class such as accelerating she Tory car rentsil near the million mark, decline in standard of living plus further attacks on democratic rights on entry to the Common Market can only be resolved by organizing massive resistance to the plans of the Tory government. 'We congratulate the Coventry, • Lambeth Liverpool and Trades Councils on their decision to build Councils of Action in their areas as part of a national cam- paign to throw out the Tory gov- ernment. Dartford Trades Council has been asked to make preparations for the launching of a local Council. Sheffield AUEW No. 6 branch has passed a resolution saying the building of a local Council was necessary in view of the attacks being made by the Tory government on the trade unions and the working class as a whole. The branch calls on the local district committee to use its in- fluence in the labour movement to establish a Council. From p.1 support our action and the rights of our brothers.' He said the strike would go on until the action against the three men was dropped. At tomorrow's key national docks shop stewards' committee meeting in Hull, Mr Carpenter • delegates would said the London be pressing for an extension of the action. It must be pushed further and further, this is our last fight, he said. Bernie Steer-one of the three imprisonment with threatened and secretary of the London shop stewards' committee-said the only court he would attend was the centre court at Wimble- don. their vote the dockers By rejected a call from Maurice Foley, one of their official dele- to strike when the men gates, He was accused were arrested. of being frightened when he said that he would have to watch his words during his speech.

The mood of the meeting was summed by the banner up behind the platform which read: 'One on the dock-All the docks out.? Yesterday Jack Jones, general secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union, pleaded with the government to defuse the situation. urge the Department of Employment to make representa- tions to the Court to withhold action against the men involved and allow the TUC and this union to have further talks with unions and the firm other involved.'

WEATHER

WALES and England, except the extreme north, will be dry and sunny. The extreme north of England, and eastern and central Scotland will start dry, but clouds with some rain, will spread from the west later. Outlook for Saturday and Sun- day: Changeable, with some rain at times and sunny periods. Mainly dry in southern England.

Temperatures normal but rather warm in the south at first.

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