TIMEWASTING AS TROOPS PREPARE JONES-ALDINGTON TALKS STALEMATE

AS THE THREAT of full-scale loomed close yesterday, union le and increasingly dangerous round and the Tory government.

The ones-Aldington committee virtually admitted early yesterday afternoon that 12 hours of talking this week have produced no more than a tiny handful of job promises for dockers.

But immediately the committee broke up after 'completing the first phase of its work', , Jack Jones and the other union men on the committee went into a huddle to assess whether they could gamble on a recalled docks delegate conference calling off the strike.

And as we went to press the Transport and General Workers' Union secretary and his colleagues were closeted with Employment Secretary Maurice Macmillan.

The Department of Employment talks took place under the shadow of the first military intervention in the strike. Two aircraft taking supplies to movement troops aders continued the of discussions with the Northern Isles were RAF Kinloss last night, the other an hour later.

Earlier, a visibly worried Jones told reporters. reporters. 'We shall have our assessment and we may come to a decision, but we'll have to see' The fact that he did not immediately call for an extension of the strike is a extension warning to all dockers.

Though the talks have proved not only time-wasting and dangerous, but fruitless as well, the union chiefs have decided to continue collaborating in moves to split the dockers.

Both in yesterday morning's Fleet Street press and, it is understood, in his meeting with Macmillan, Jones was under considerable Tory pressure to recall the docks delegate conference on Monday.

Even then it was clear, as Lord Aldington admitted yesterday, that the number of jobs the committee can offer the delegates is very small indeed.

"The Times' noted that the strike had in fact stiffened container firms' resolve not to employ 'a group of workers who reach straight away for the weapon that should be a last resort'. But if the delegates were not recalled until later next week, after troops have been moved into the docks, the paper said, they would be near-certain to vote that the strike should go on.

This, of course, is an admission that the troops will go in whatever the delegates decide. Because no one in Fleet Street seriously thinks dockers in Hull, Liverpool or London will call off their action, even if official backing is removed.

So the pistol the Tories are now holding directly. to Jones's head is very similar to the legal weapon levelled at him by the Law Lords and the National Industrial Relations Court.

The message is the same: either help us discipline your members, or we will blow your head off first. Only this time the threat is backed up with troops not just fines.

'The Times' holds threat.

If the committee is not recalled on Monday, the paper said, 'the opportunity due to leave one at 6 p.m. = dockers were showing themselves to be drawn on individual cases. ners. in some of the approaches he had made. ployers, higher severance pay or subThis lie is designed to cover up for 'But it would not be right to say that in sidies to the container operators. deliberate police provocations at every case we have failed in what we set Keadby, Lincolnshire; Heysham, Lancs; out to do,' he claimed. land. the committee was waiting for "confirma- the port and transport industries without u do not act quickly to force your authorities of verbal assurances they had • SLL docks meeting p3 embers back, the Tory strategists are been given.

Lord Aldington yastarday lalking 1o Jack Jonas (back to camera). eir own hands and go bevond vour ten days to give its members strike pay, pages After yesterday's meeting of the JonesAldington committee however, the bankuptcy of these policies is as clear as crystal to every docker.

Outlining the results of his talks with port authorities and employers in sensitive areas' over the past few days, Lord Aldington said:

'Each agreement or case does not add up to many people, but as the number of cases start to build up, this procedure can be counted on to add up to meaningful number of jobs for registered dockBoth Aldington and Jones were loth try can be nationalized.

Aldington admitted to 'disappointment' docks lies not in talks with the emJones's sole concrete comment was that government pledged to nationalization of tion from the chairmen of two port compensation and under workers' control.

The T&GWU leadership which took • CONTAINERS Series — see centre leadership which took its members strike pay, shows no such hesitation in talking to • The Keadby picket—see pages 4 & 5. hesitation in talking to Lord Aldington, one of Heath's closest personal friends, or Macmillan.

Yet it is becoming increasingly apparent that these talks are no more than a Tory stunt to split the dockers and prepare the ground for the troops.

Jones must be told in no uncertain terms: break off the talks and recall the T&GWU biennial conference to mobilize action in support of the dockers.

Such a conference would have to decide a policy of no redundancies among any section of the T&GWU membership and work-sharing on full pay until the industry can be nationalized.

The solution to the jobs crisis on The solution to the jobs crisis on the docks lies not in talks with the ployers, higher severance pay or sidies to the container operators.

It lies in the bringing down of the Tory It lies in the bringing down of the Tory government and the election of a Labour government and the election of a Labour government pledged to nationalization of the port and transport industries without compensation and under workers' control. • SLL docks meeting p3 • CONTAINERS Series centre pages Keadby picket-see pages 4 & 5.